Aaaaaaaaaaah.
It’s how I feel after the first bite. The second bite. The sixteenth bite. The last bite.
Indian food is as diverse as American, but yogurt rice is a staple no matter where you go.
It has many names – dadojanaam, thaiyur saadam, peregu annam.Â
But it’s beautiful in its simplicity – yogurt, and rice.
Mine is an adaptation of my mother’s recipe, which she prepares in huge batches for any family party or holiday. I grew up eating this, helping to prepare this, and now whipping it up myself whenever we host family or friends.
It tastes like home, every time. And when I’m missing my mom, or home (and yes, I’m a grown woman who still misses her mother and her home), I make this.
And all of a sudden, I’m 8 years old again, sitting at our kitchen table, feeling infinitely better about life.
And let’s be honest – that’s what we all could use right about now.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup cooked basmati rice
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon white gram lentils
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cilantro, minced
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the lentils and cook until golden. Add the mustard seeds and jalapeño and stir briefly. Remove from heat once the mustard seeds begin to pop.
- In a large bowl, mix the rice, yogurt, and salt with your hands until well combined. Add the oil mixture from the saucepan and mix well.
- Serve into bowls, and sprinkle pomegranate seeds and cilantro on top.
Serve up an Indian feast in this setting with a rosewater lemonade, and enjoy this book as you enjoy the meal. This stew is another one of my favorites, as is this perennial comfort food. I share a new recipe on Mondays. You can find them all here.
