Lemon rice for a South Indian is all about nostalgia. I don’t remember a single picnic when I was young without lemon rice. Whether its for the school lunch box or a picnic brunch or even as a temple prashad, lemon rice is so versatile. The thing about lemon rice is its color and aroma. It comes from a good dose of Turmeric. The turmeric blends along with the lemon to infuse flavor into the rice. Lemon rice is a comfort food for a South Indian. Turmeric belongs to the ginger family and finds an important place in an Indian kitchen.
This superfood ingredient also has a bunch of health benefits. Its an ancient spice and is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. My mom would feed us turmeric mixed with warm milk when we were sick with a cold or a flu. It immediately soothes the throat. To this day in South India, women take turmeric bath at least once a week. Turmeric is anti septic and helps fight infection. Turmeric is considered auspicious and even offered to god at temples.
This is an easy to do dish that can be put together in minutes. We will be using cooked rice for this recipe. I have a tip for cooking rice that stays fluffy and does not become mushy. The secret for fluffy rice is to soak the rice in water for at least half an hour. I cook my rice in a rice cooker. I usually use Indian raw rice (sona masuri) variety for lemon rice. I add 3 cups of water for every cup of soaked and drained rice. If using basmati rice, use 1.5 cups of water to 1 cup of rice and cook according to your rice cooker instructions.
I use one more ingredient that’s not traditional but i use it in lemon rice as it enhances the aroma and taste so much. Its the lemon zest. The skin of the lemon has all the essential oils and its packed with a lot of flavour. Make sure to only zest the top skin and not the white part that’s beneath the skin of the lime. The white part is the pith and its very bitter. You can substitute lemon for lime in this recipe and it works well.
For this recipe, keep the flame of the stove at low at all times as the spices and seeds burn at hot temperature.
Now for the tempering of the rice. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, split urad dal (black gram dal), split chana dal, dried red chillies, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the chopped cashew nut and the peanuts. Roast till the cashew nuts are golden and the dals are slightly brown.
Add in the finely minced ginger, lemon zest, chopped green chillies, salt and the sugar. Saute for 20 seconds. Add in the turmeric and mix well to combine. Make sure the turmeric doesn’t burn and the flame is set to low. Saute for 5-10 seconds.
Add in the cooked rice and mix well. Switch off the flame. Add in the lemon juice and coriander leaves. Always add lemon juice at the last. Cooking lemon juice for a long time will make it bitter. So I always add lemon juice after removing from heat. The residual heat of the rice will cook the juice just enough.
The best partner for lemon rice is Potato Poriyal or Chicken Bezule. Serve warm.
- 1 Cup (250 ml) Rice, cooked
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon split urad dal ( split black gram lentil)
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 2 dried red chillies, broken into small pieces
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 6 cashew nuts, chopped
- 2 tablespoon peanuts
- 1 inch piece ginger, finely minced
- zest of one lemon / lime
- 4 green chillies, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- Juice of one lemon / lime
- 3 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped fine
- Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, split urad dal (black gram dal), split chana dal, dried red chillies, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the chopped cashew nut and the peanuts. Roast till the cashew nuts are golden and the dals are slightly brown.
- Add in the finely minced ginger, lemon zest, chopped green chillies, salt and the sugar. Saute for 20 seconds. Add in the turmeric and mix well to combine. Make sure the turmeric doesn’t burn and the flame is set to low. Saute for 5-10 seconds.
- Add in the cooked rice and mix well. Switch off the flame. Add in the lemon juice and coriander leaves. Always add lemon juice at the last. Cooking lemon juice for a long time will make it bitter. So I always add lemon juice after removing from heat. The residual heat of the rice will cook the juice just enough.
- Serve warm.
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