Curry Yogurt Rice

The weather around Northern California has finally cooled down enough to eat anything other than salad. Today, I turn some leftover Basmati rice into crispy curry yogurt rice.

• 1 1/2 cups of cooked Basmati rice
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder
• 1/4 cup of yogurt (I used kefir instead)
• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together 2 tablespoons of canola oil, curry powder, lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in Basmati rice and coat the grains. Add the remaining oil to a medium Dutch oven over medium high heat. Pour rice mixture into the pot and spread it evenly in the pot. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the spices are fragrant. Cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Cook for 30 minutes.

This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I've wanted to try this oddball recipe for some time now because I thought the yogurt would curdle and become grainy. But instead, the rice is very fluffy and soft with a hit of curry. And the crispy grains of rice really add interest to this otherwise simple dish.