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Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
If you’re not part of the nearly 35 million member Indian diaspora, or regularly hang out with someone who is, you’ve probably never heard of yogurt rice. But the displaced Desi who like to eat can’t stop talking about it and how the simple mix of leftover rice and yogurt invokes such strong memories. And for good reason, yogurt rice is delicious.
The room temperature dish has a cooling effect; people eat a lot of it in almost always hot southern India. But the blank canvas aspect of yogurt rice means most avid consumers glow it up with an Indian-style tadka of oil-bloomed spices, fresh herbs, aromatic vegetables and culturally-specific ingredients like the fried black lentils called urad dal, curry leaves or asafoetida. Along with more intense flavor, the combination provides some texture to contrast the soft rice and yogurt.
No matter how you want to flavor it, yogurt rice makes a great last-minute what’ve-I-got meal. Grab that paper box of leftover takeout rice, scrape the bottom of the Nancy’s yogurt tub, dig out any other scraps about to go in the compost, and you’ve got dinner. While my version leans toward classic Indian flavors, you could use fennel seeds, oregano, and tomato (paste, sauce, or even fresh) to push the flavors toward the Mediterranean; or drop the mustard and add chile powder, tomatillos, and lime juice for a Mexican-ish taste.
Recipe (for a couple of servings)
2–3 cups cooked rice
1–2 cups plain yogurt*
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 red or green chile, chopped*
1 small carrot, grated or finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger root, chopped
2–3 cloves garlic
Small handful chopped fresh herbs such as cilantro, parsley, mint, or basil, optional
Roasted peanuts, chopped, optional
*Greek-style yogurt makes it thick enough to mound on a plate, regular plain yogurt results in a slightly more viscous dish. Use sweet or hot chiles or a combination of both depending on your heat preference.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium high until it begins to shimmer, 2–3 minutes, then add the seeds. Cook, stirring often, for about a minute, then add the shallot, chile, ginger, and garlic. Reduce the heat and let the mix cook for another few minutes until the vegetables are soft.
If the rice is still cold, use the microwave or stove to warm it up to a little past room temperature. Mix in the yogurt, then spoon the flavored olive oil and vegetables over the top. Sprinkle with some of the chopped herbs and peanuts, salt to taste, and eat.
