Alright, so I decided to finally try and make that “drashee rice” again today. It’s been ages. Honestly, I’m not even a hundred percent sure where the name came from, it’s just what we always called it growing up. Felt like giving it a shot, see if I could remember how it goes.
Getting the Stuff Ready
First thing was checking the kitchen stash. I knew I needed rice, obviously. Found a decent bag of basmati, the long stuff, which is good. Then came the bits that make it ‘drashee’. Here’s what I had to pull together:
- Some really thick yogurt, the kind that barely drips off the spoon.
- A bunch of mint, looked okay, maybe a bit tired but still smelled strong.
- A knob of fresh ginger.
- A handful of walnuts from that jar in the back of the cupboard.
- And the basmati rice, of course.
Took a bit of rummaging, especially for the walnuts, but got everything onto the counter.
Okay, Let’s Cook
So, I started with the rice. Gave it a good wash under the tap. Rinsed it maybe three or four times, until the water wasn’t looking so milky anymore. Then I let it sit in some water for about twenty minutes. Grandma always said to soak it. Does it really make a difference? I don’t know, but I did it anyway.
Got the rice into a pot with the right amount of water and a bit of salt. Put it on the stove to cook. While that was bubbling away, I tackled the yogurt mix. Spooned a good amount of that thick yogurt into a bowl. Peeled the ginger and grated it right in. Chopped up the mint leaves – not too tiny, just a rough chop – and threw them in too. For the walnuts, I just put them on the cutting board and bashed them a bit with the bottom of a heavy glass. Dumped the crushed nuts into the yogurt and gave it all a good stir. It looked… well, interesting.
Once the rice was cooked through and fluffy, I took it off the heat. Let it cool down just a touch so it wasn’t steaming hot. Didn’t want to scramble the yogurt, you know? Then, I carefully folded the yogurt-mint-walnut mixture into the cooked rice. Tried to be gentle, just mixing it through without making it all mushy.
How It Turned Out
I let the whole thing sit for maybe five minutes after mixing, just to let the flavors mingle a bit. Took a taste. Yep, that was pretty close. It’s got that tangy kick from the yogurt, the warmth from the ginger, a bit of freshness from the mint, and then that nice little crunch from the walnuts. It’s definitely not fancy food. More like something simple and comforting you eat at home.
Pretty happy with how it came out, actually. The whole process didn’t take too long, maybe forty minutes start to finish? It’s one of those weird little dishes that probably doesn’t make sense to everyone, but it tastes like home to me. Glad I made the effort today.
