Traditionally, Arab yogurts were made in springtime from sheep’s milk and preserved through salting or drying, resulting in either jameed (blocks of dried salted yogurt) or kishek (a powder made of yogurt mixed with bulgur, left out to dry then ground). This process made yogurt a very sour and salty ingredient with a distinct fermented flavor. While both those ingredients are still used today to make traditional dishes like mansaf, the ready availability of fresh yogurt year round, and its more mild flavor, mean people will more often than not opt for the easier-to-use fresh variety for day-to-day meals like this one.

When fresh yogurt is cooked and the whey evaporates, its acidity becomes more pronounced. This plays nicely with fried garlic, which is added off-heat for a sauce that’s extremely pungent and creamy. It’s a combination is reminiscent of those traditional fermented flavors, but definitely more palatable for the uninitiated.

For the Salad: In a large bowl, combine rice, tuna, olives, scallions, bell pepper, and green beans. Using two big forks, toss gently until well combined and rice grains are separated.

Drizzle with the dressing and toss gently, fluffing the rice, until evenly dressed. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if using. Serve at room temperature.

Make-Ahead and Storage
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 1 day, but should be brought back to room temperature before serving.

In a 3- to 4-quart stainless-steel saucepan or enameled Dutch oven, combine yogurt, 2 cups (475ml) water, and cornstarch and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly to prevent curdling (you do not want the yogurt to break into curds, so constant whisking until it boils is absolutely essential). Reduce heat to a bare simmer, whisking occasionally to prevent scorching. Season with salt.

Notes
To reheat any leftovers, add water and reheat slowly on the stove, adjusting seasoning if needed.
Labaniyeh bil ruz can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat slowly on the stovetop, thinning with water and adjusting seasoning as needed.

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.

Ingredients
For the Dressing:
2 tablespoons (30ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons (10ml) harissa (or another chili paste)
1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon rind (from about 2 mini lemons or half a large lemon)
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher or sea salt
For the Salad:
2 cups (about 9 ounces; 250g) cooked long grain rice (such as jasmine or basmati), cooled
One 7-ounce jar of tuna fillets in olive oil, drained and flaked (see headnote)
15 to 20 green olives (preferably Middle Eastern), pitted and chopped
2 scallions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper (about 6 ounces; 170g), stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces; 100g) green beans, stems trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces, lightly blanched (can use frozen beans soaked for a minute in boiling water)
A few cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions
For the Dressing: In a measuring cup or jar, combine lemon juice, olive oil, harissa, preserved lemon, cilantro, and pepper. Stir or shake until well combined; season with salt. Set aside.

Preserved lemon and harissa brighten up plain rice.
Using meaty tuna, crunchy vegetables and soft rice creates a wonderful combination of textures.
The cuisine of North Africa is noted for its use of condiments like harissa and preserved lemon. Tuna, a fish rarely used in other parts of the Arab world, also tends to feature heavily in North African salads, sandwiches, and pastries. The examples are endless: Harcha is a semolina pancake that sometimes includes tuna; chermoula is a widely used condiment that in certain regions relies on preserved lemon; tagines from chicken to fish often include preserved lemon and harissa; mhamasah, a giant couscous similar to fregola sarda, is used as a base for a tuna salad; in Tunisia, these ingredients come together in a delicious sandwich with avocado and eggs.

The creativity these dishes can inspire is vast and I draw on many of those flavors for this rice salad, designed to be made with fresh or leftover rice. Preserved lemon is the real star of this show, providing a depth of citrus that is pungent yet bright, and marries the robust flavor of tuna with the softer notes of plain rice. (Please note that regular lemon would not be a good substitute in this particular dish).

Reheating rice in a garlic-infused yogurt is a quick way to make a comforting and satisfying meal. Infusing the yogurt with fried garlic enhances the flavor.
Adding cooked rice to the yogurt instead of cooking it in the yogurt from the beginning allows you to control the consistency.
Labaniyeh bil ruz is a tangy, garlicky porridge of yogurt and rice that falls somewhere between risotto and congee. It’s lighter on the stomach and easier to prepare than risotto, and you don’t have to worry about maintaining that distinctive al dente bite. Compared to congee, the rice grains in labaniyeh bil ruz retain some of their texture, and the dish has a sharper, more pronounced flavor profile.

Ingredients
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1 pound (450g) full-fat plain or Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon (15ml) extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon (5ml) fresh lemon juice (optional)
2 cups (about 11 ounces; 310g) cooked plain medium- or short-grain white rice,
1/4 cup (1 ounce; 25g) toasted or fried pine nuts or slivered almonds, for garnish (optional)
Crushed dried mint, for garnish (optional)

Perfect as full meal on its own or as part of a more elaborate spread, this salad is best enjoyed at room temperature. If you’re using leftover rice from the fridge, allow it sit out for a bit before preparing the salad. Oftentimes, when rice sits in the fridge, it sticks together in a single mass. Some ways around it include adding more oil to the water when cooking and allowing the rice to cool completely on a large baking sheet before transferring to a container and into the fridge. Finally, even if it is clumping together, using two forks that you gently pull in opposite directions, you can easily fluff the rice apart.

The jarred style of tuna tends to be better quality than the canned, with bigger pieces and better texture. However, if you can’t find jarred tuna, canned tuna will still work. The flavors in the salad are quite strong, so if the jar/can of tuna you use is one or two ounces off, it will still work out fine.

As for the vegetables, they were chosen for their crunch as a nice contrast to the fluffy rice and tender tuna, but you can substitute with whatever you have on hand. After all, this is a dish meant to repurpose leftovers, not send you scavenging for something you don’t have.

Jalapeño, poblano, habañero, pointed, Samandağ, ghost…

There are several theses on how it spread around the world. Thanks to the most popular Portuguese, it went from Central America to Europe, then to Asia and Africa. Pepper, which grows easily in hot climates, reached Eastern Europe in the 16th century. North America met him only in the 18th century through African slaves.

Of course, these are just a few of the thousands of varieties of hot peppers in the world. The bitterness level of each is different. According to the Scoville scale used to measure the bitterness, sweet pepper 0, peperoncini 100-500, jalapeño 2500-5000, habañero 80,000-150,000 units. Peppers such as bhut jolokia (also called ghost pepper), one of the world’s most hot peppers, and the 2.5-centimeter red pepper “scorpion butch chilli” grown in Australia are so hot that growers have to wear special masks and clothes to protect them.

Let’s talk about the use of hot pepper in the kitchen. It is certain that there are different aromas under this burning. The higher the bitterness, the harder it is to taste the pepper. When considering which pepper to use and how, we need to take into account at what point it is burning. Is the pain felt towards the end, or is it not eaten at a level that destroys all other flavors? Does it burn the tip of the tongue or the throat? All of this affects the flavor of the pain.

Jalapeño, poblano, habañero, pointed, Samandağ, ghost…

There are several theses on how it spread around the world. Thanks to the most popular Portuguese, it went from Central America to Europe, then to Asia and Africa. Pepper, which grows easily in hot climates, reached Eastern Europe in the 16th century. North America met him only in the 18th century through African slaves.

Of course, these are just a few of the thousands of varieties of hot peppers in the world. The bitterness level of each is different. According to the Scoville scale used to measure the bitterness, sweet pepper 0, peperoncini 100-500, jalapeño 2500-5000, habañero 80,000-150,000 units. Peppers such as bhut jolokia (also called ghost pepper), one of the world’s most hot peppers, and the 2.5-centimeter red pepper “scorpion butch chilli” grown in Australia are so hot that growers have to wear special masks and clothes to protect them.

Let’s talk about the use of hot pepper in the kitchen. It is certain that there are different aromas under this burning. The higher the bitterness, the harder it is to taste the pepper. When considering which pepper to use and how, we need to take into account at what point it is burning. Is the pain felt towards the end, or is it not eaten at a level that destroys all other flavors? Does it burn the tip of the tongue or the throat? All of this affects the flavor of the pain.