Turmeric Lemon Rice
Turmeric lemon rice, is one of those recipes that reminds me of summer and sunshine and here at least little bit of summer left to enjoy this recipe.
This recipe is originally coming from Southern India, where rice is consumed more commonly and with diverse, bold flavors. In my family, my mother was first introduced to this delicious recipe by our tenant family who moved to my hometown from South India. The lady was very nice and I remember spoke hardly any Hindi or English. She was very excited to show my mother some of her recipes and it was amazingly that they both understood each other. She taught many of traditional South Indian recipes to my mother and I remember being totally amazed with the taste and flavors. It was quite different from what we used to get in the South Indian restaurant in my hometown, which happened to be only one at that time.
There are many recipes from Southern part of India that I enjoy, but this one is my absolute favorite. Bursting with freshness and tangy flavors of lemon together with whole spices, this recipe is excellent way of turning simple, plain rice into something so flavorful and delicious. The recipe is so easy to make and serves as an excellent vegetarian sides. With addition of turmeric, it’s like sunshine in your plate :)
Here is my recipe.
Ingredients
200g basmati rice (2dl)
10-12 curry leaves
2-3 tbsp lemon juice, according to taste
2 tbsp ghee or butter
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 whole red chili
½ tsp chili powder, according to taste
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt, according to taste
2 tbsp peanuts
2 tbsp whole cashewnuts
Method
Preparing the rice
Rinse the rice with running water couple of times and carefully drain out all the water.
Place the rinsed rice in a medium size pot with double amount (4dl) of water. Add in the salt and turmeric powder. Place the rice on medium-high heat and once it comes to boil place the lid and reduce the heat. Let it cook for 8-10 minutes on medium-low heat. Take it off the heat and let it cool down a bit.
Preparing the turmeric lemon rice
Place a medium sized pan on low-medium heat. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and butter mixture. Add in the peanuts and fry it for few minutes until crunchy. Take it out of the pan and place it aside.
In the same oil, then fry cashew nuts until golden brown in color. Take it out of the pan and keep it aside.
Using the same pan placed on low-medium heat, add 1 tbsp of oil . Add in the whole red chili and let it sauté for a minute till it changes color. Then add mustard seeds and let them crackle, followed by curry leaves and let them crisp up. Turn off the heat and add in the cooked rice, cooked peanuts and cashewnuts, lemon juice, chili powder and sugar. Mix everything together and add extra seasoning if needed. Serve it fresh.
Enjoy!
Preparation:10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-5 portions