Lemon rice always
reminds me of school days where during lunch breaks, we would all share our
tiffins (lunch box) filled with delicious home-made food. These were licked
clean as if we were deprived of food for years! I was a poor eater at that time
(wish I was like that even now!) and so never ate much from my tiffin but
picked on food from my friends's tiffins while my friends's wiped clean my
tiffin. Thus it was a win-win situation! Nonetheless, I also had to finish my
tiffin or my mom wouldn't be a happy camper. So I generously let all my
friends's gobble down my food while I devoured theirs!
Lemon rice was a hot
favourite among my friends and was especially yummy during the hot and humid
weather.
Food and music always
make me nostalgic and take me back to those good old days. I am sure you have
your own stories and memories surrounding some kind of food and I hope while
you enjoy my recipe today beautiful memories conjure up flooding you with
happiness.
Ingredients
Rice (Sona Masoori) -
1 cup
Lemon juice - juice of
2 to 2 1/2 lemons
Shallots/Small/Pearl
onions - 5 to 8
Mustard seeds - 1/4
tsp
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1 small piece
Turmeric powder - 1/2
tsp
Asofetida powder
(Hing) - a pinch
Black gram (urad dal)
- 1 tbsp
Peanuts - 1/2 cup (dry
roasted)
Cashew - 8 to 10
(fried)
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves -
small bunch
Ghee - 1 tsp
(optional)
Salt - to taste
Oil
Method
Cook the rice and keep
aside. (You can add a pinch of salt while cooking the rice and adjust salt
again later) Dry roast the peanuts and keep aside. Fry the cashew in a little
ghee/oil and keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok and
splutter mustard seeds. Add black gram (urad dal), bengal gram (chana dal) and
saut'e till colour changes. Now add green chillies, ginger,
shallots/small/pearl onions, curry leaves and and saut'e till onions turn light
brown. Add half of the coriander leaves, turmeric powder and asofetida (hing)
powder and saut'e for a few minutes. Add salt and mix. Now add the cooked rice
and mix till everything is combined well. Add lemon juice and the rest of the
coriander leaves and toss till everything is mixed well and high steam comes.
After cooking the rice on a high flame for a few minutes (3 to 4 minutes), turn
the flame to low and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Switch off the flame and
add the roasted peanuts and cashew with a pinch of ghee (optional) and toss
once again.
Serve hot or cold with
yoghurt, a pickle of your choice and pappad or as it is. Enjoy!
Notes:
The rice must cool
down well, if you do not have prepared rice from previous day. The rice grains
should be separated and lumps should be avoided.
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