Although this dish is most often made with leftover rice or leftover cooked yogurt sauce, it’s so simple that I’ve made it countless times from scratch. The rice most often used in Arab countries is Egyptian, which is a medium grain rice closest to Calrose here in the US. However, it would be perfectly acceptable to make it with any other medium (such as jasmine) or short grain rice. The resulting flavor would be almost identical, but you might need to adjust water content slightly to get the right consistency. Basmati rice is not ideal for this dish, though, as its grain is quite thin compared to other varieties and it would therefore not absorb as much flavor.
Given its light color and creamy texture, you might expect something heavy or greasy to hit your palate. But because it’s made with yogurt, not cream, it’s light on the stomach. I like to to finish it with crushed dried mint and a sprinkle of nuts for some contrasting crunch. I most often use fried pine nuts, but slivered almonds would work just as well. In the summer, I like to serve it with a Gazan relish known as dagga, which is essentially a salsa of very finely chopped tomatoes and green chilies dressed with lemon, olive oil, salt, and crushed dill seeds.
