Basmati Rice with Ginger-Seasoned Yogurt

Yamuna Devi offers an extensive selection of rice dishes, and though I have owned The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking for many years I've yet to try every recipe in the rice section of her book, let alone all of the recipes calling for rice throughout. I'm happy to have some inspiration to look forward to. My latest excursion into this most favored book is this not very spicy delightful rice, making it a good tempering dish to go along with a fiery meal. It's best served chilled, meaning you can prepare it ahead of time to go along with a more elaborate meal.

On the menu with:
Fennel-Flavoured Urad Dal Soup
Aloo Gobi

Rice with Ginger-Seasoned Yogurt

1 cup of basmati rice
1 3/4 cups of water
2 tablespoons of butter, ghee, or oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of plain, yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream (I used a mixture of yogurt and sour cream)
1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger

Rinse the rice well in a small strainer. Soak the rice in the water for 20 - 30 minutes, or overnight. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid and air dry the rice for about 10 - 15 minutes.

Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat to very low, cover and simmer gently undisturbed for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat, let the rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes.

Add the butter or ghee to the pot, along with the salt and gently mix with a fork. When the rice has cooled to room temperature, gently fold in the yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream and ginger. Can be served chilled or at room temperature.

Serves 4.