Lemon Rice

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

Bengal gram (chana dal) - 1 tsp

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.

You can fry the peanuts in ghee/oil just like cashew instead of dry roasting them.