How do you say “Thachi Mammu” (yoghurt rice or curd rice, for the uninitiated) in Japanese? 😉
Blasphemous for some, I know—but this idea was actually mentioned to me by my brother-in-law several years ago. He had tried it at someone’s home (so no, this isn’t an original concept), and I’ve been meaning to try it ever since. Much like blogging, there’s often an inertia that settles in between wanting to try something and actually making it happen.
To be fair, I had already bought a sushi rolling mat, sushi rice, nori sheets, and even pickled ginger—which eventually went bad in the fridge 🙄. This time, though, my foodie teenager was the real push I needed to get out of my rut.
I brought home some leftover vegetarian sushi rolls from a nearby restaurant yesterday, which he promptly scarfed down and immediately asked for more. I happened to have avocado at home, so I decided to make avocado rolls. I cooked the sushi rice in a pressure cooker (method shared below), added strips of avocado, used the rolling mat, and cut about six avocado rolls.
Not bad at all for a first attempt, though I’ll admit I’d season the rice a bit more next time.
N then added a dollop of cut mango pickle on top of the sushi roll (yes—even though he hates to admit it, he is a Tambrahm paiyyan 🙂). That instantly sparked another idea—for both of us—since we were already in experiment mode.
Enter: Thachi Mammu Sushi—thayir saadham, yoghurt rice, curd rice…whatever you call it.
I mixed some yoghurt into the sushi rice, added a layer of mango pickle in the center, and rolled it up. There was a bit of hesitation about how nori would pair with curd rice, but the result was surprisingly delicious.
Of course, my foodie son had to add his own topping—instead of pickled ginger, he went with a potato chip, his favorite accompaniment with thachi mammu. (For context, thachi mammu is an affectionate term used for curd rice when feeding kids in Tamil households, which is probably why it remains the ultimate comfort food—it instantly brings back childhood memories.)
All in all, it turned out to be a pretty successful experiment, and now I can’t wait to try sushi with more fusion ideas. I’ve already spotted a few on my list—biryani sushi, rice with green chutney and veggies, and even masala omelette sushi (very much like tamagoyaki).
More to come, but until then—enjoy this one.
- Sushi rice - 1 cup
- Water - 1.5 cups
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Yoghurt - ¼ cup or a little more (per consistency preference)
- Mango pickle - store bought or home mad, any variety
- Nori sheet - 2
- Sushi rolling mat (available at any Asian store)
- Optional - tadka of 1 tsp mustard seeds, ½ inch ginger, asafetida for the yoghurt rice
- Wash the sushi rice a few times.
- Add the rice and water in a 2 liter pressure cooker. Cook on medium high heat for 3 whistles. Let pressure settle and open. You may spread the rice on a plate to cool to room temperature.
- Add the salt to the rice.
- At this stage you may also add a tadka (seasoning) of mustard seeds, asafetida, crushed ginger to the rice before mixing in the yoghurt). This step is completely optional, but does add to the taste.
- Add the yoghurt here, Mix in little by little till you get a thick consitency (it should not be too watery but more like sticky rice to help with the rolling)
- Take the sushi mat, add the nori sheet, spread the yoghurt rice mixture as a single layer on the nori sheet
- Add the mango pickle as a single layer in the middle.
- Dip your fingers in water and roll the mat with the nori sheet on top of the pickle to make a tight roll.
- Now lift the mat and you will find the nori sheet has stuck to the rice. Continue rolling till you get a single tight roll
- Using a sharp knife cut into rolls of desired thickness.
- Top with a chip or enjoy as is. 😀
