Lemon Rice

There cannot be a simpler and quicker dish than Lemon Rice that one could prepare using left over rice. Perfect blend of nutty flavors, turmeric and lemon makes this recipe such a worthy addition to the list of your quick fixes that one would want to leave some rice overnight just to prep this dish up for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

I’ve been wanting to do this post for quite sometime but for whatever reason curry leaves (also known as Kadi Patta in Hindi – one of the key ingredients) weren’t available at Indian stores in Denver for past couple of months. This weekend while running errands I was finally able to get some curry leaves to do this recipe for you all. Curry leaves when used fresh, not only add flavor but also fragrance to this dish making it quite appetizing.

Everytime I’ve had this dish, I have experienced that each bite allows you to explore a bunch of flavors. Personally, I love the blend of lemon, peanuts and coconut. I have not really seen people adding coconut to this dish however, since I love coconut so much and have seen it go well with curry leaves, I use it to garnish and to add additional nuttiness to this dish.

Dry red chilies adds additional flavoring to lemon rice. I used only a couple only to add flavor and not heat. If you like to take heat a notch up, you can add more per your liking. Turmeric in this dish adds both color and flavor. Since turmeric has a bold flavor, I prefer not to overdo it in any of my dishes.

Ingredients

• 4-5 cups boiled, left over rice (at room temperature)
• 2.5 tspn cooking oil
• 1 tbspn mustard seeds
• 2 tbspn urad daal (white lentil)
• 1/4 cup raw peanuts
• 8-10 curry leaves (kadi patta)
• 2-3 whole red chilies, dry
• 3/4 tspn turmeric powder
• 1/3 cup finely grated coconut
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• salt to taste

Method

1. In a non-stick pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to splutter, reduce the heat to medium
2. Now add peanuts to the pan and saute them for a minute or two.  As they start to roast add urad daal. Saute peanuts and daal until golden brown
3. Add curry leaves, red chilies and turmeric and mix everything well
4. Add rice, lemon juice and salt to taste. Mix all ingredients well and increase the heat to medium-high
5. Cover the pan and let the rice cook for about 3-4 minutes allowing it to absorb all flavoring
6. Add a portion of finely grated coconut to the rice and give everything a good mix
7.  Finally, turn the heat off and serve hot adding remaining coconut as garnish on top

Note: As you add curry leaves to the pan, be a little careful as the moisture in the leaves will make oil splutter.

Hope you try and enjoy this quick and easy recipe as much as I enjoyed doing this post. Do share your experiences, if you make any additions or hold off on any ingredient, I would love to know all about your way of doing it. 🙂

Until next time, take care ❤ Happy cooking and happy eating!