Curd in Indian Cooking: Uses, Benefits, and Traditional Recipes

When you think of curd, a fermented dairy product made by culturing milk with lactic acid bacteria, commonly known as dahi in India. Also known as yogurt, it’s not just a side dish—it’s the quiet backbone of countless Indian meals. Whether it’s cooling down a spicy curry, thickening a gravy, or turning into paneer with a squeeze of lemon, curd does more than add tang. It balances heat, aids digestion, and turns simple ingredients into something comforting and alive.

Indian households don’t treat curd like a grocery item—they treat it like a living culture. Every morning, it’s stirred into buttermilk, a refreshing drink made by diluting curd with water, salt, and spices to beat the heat. At lunch, it’s dolloped over steaming rice as raita, a chilled side made with grated vegetables and mint. And when you leave it to sit overnight with a bit of warmth, it transforms into paneer, a fresh cheese formed when acid like lemon juice or vinegar curdles milk. That’s the magic of curd—it’s the starting point for so much more.

It’s not just about taste. Curd is packed with probiotics that help gut health, and in a country where spices can be intense, it’s the natural reset button. You’ll find it in regional dishes from Tamil Nadu’s majjiga pulusu to Punjabi’s kadhi, from Bengal’s doi bora to Kerala’s coconut curd rice. Even in desserts like shrikhand or as a base for marinades for tandoori chicken, curd softens, tenderizes, and deepens flavor without overpowering.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just recipes. It’s the stories behind how curd connects to paneer, how it affects the texture of your roti when used in dough, and why some cooks swear by homemade over store-bought. You’ll learn how to fix runny curd, how to make it last longer, and why it’s the secret behind that perfect, cooling contrast in biryani garnishes. This isn’t about fancy techniques—it’s about understanding the one ingredient that’s been in every Indian kitchen for centuries, and how to use it better today.