LEMON RICE

Lemon Rice

Lemon rice is an easy rice recipe from South India. Though I had always heard of lemon rice as a dish  but I started exploring South Indian Cuisine only after marriage to my malyali better half. Lemon rice though is not particularly a malyali dish but belongs to the southern region of india.  It can be made with fresh rice or left over rice. It is a quick recipe & involves mixing the cooked rice with a few spices & lemon. It is very light on stomach & gives a distinct tangy flavour. So if tangy is your kind of flavour,do try this recipe.

Lemon rice is best served with south Indian papadams, pickle & curd but tastes good as it is too.

Cuisine – south india

Ingredients

Rice – ¾ cup basmati recipe

Lemon juice – 2-3 table spoons or juice of 2 lemons

Mustard seeds/ rai – 1 tea spoon

Urad dal/ white split gram – 1 tea spoon

Dry red chillies – 2

Green chillies (optional) – 1 (slit into half)

Curry leaves – 10-12

Turmeric/haldi – ½ tea spoon

Peanuts (optional) – 2-3 table spoons

Salt for taste

Oil – 2 table spoons

Method

1.       Wash & cook rice in about 3-4 cups of water till completely cooked. Drain the excess water & let the rice cool by spreading it on tray or plate. Left over rice can also be used to make lemon rice.

2.       Take a table spoon of oil & roast the peanuts till light brown. Keep aside. Adding peanuts is optional, it adds a bit of crunch to the recipe but if you are not fond of peanuts, the recipe tastes equally well without them too.

3.       In the same pan add another table spoon of oil, add the mustard seeds & let them crackle/splutter. Add the urad dal, let it brown a bit.

4.       Add the dry red chillies. I added one dry red chilli & one green chilli.

5.       Add the curry leaves, fry for a few seconds.

6.       Add the roasted peanuts. Lower the flame add turmeric/haldi. Fry for a few seconds. Switch off the gas. Add lemon juice & salt. Mix nicely.

7.       Add rice to this mixture & mix very nicely.

8.       Serve the prepared lemon rice with curd & pappadams. I didn’t have papadams so served with onion & tomato curd. It can be served plain too.

PICTORIAL GUIDE

1.       Wash & cook rice in about 3-4 cups of water till completely cooked. Drain the excess water & let the rice cool by spreading it on tray or plate. Left over rice can also be used to make lemon rice.

2.       Take a table spoon of oil & roast the peanuts till light brown. Keep aside. Adding peanuts is optional, it adds a bit of crunch to the recipe but if you are not fond of peanuts, the recipe tastes equally well without them too.

3.       In the same pan add another table spoon of oil, add the mustard seeds & let them crackle/splutter. Add the urad dal, let it brown a bit.

4.       Add the dry red chillies. I added one dry red chilli & one green chilli.

5.       Add the curry leaves, fry for a few seconds.

6.       Add the roasted peanuts. Lower the flame add turmeric/haldi. Fry for a few seconds. Switch off the gas. Add lemon juice& salt. Mix nicely.

8.       Serve the prepared lemon rice with curd & pappadams. I didn’t have papadams so served with onion & tomato curd. It can be served plain too.