Lemon Rice is a staple in many South Indian homes. It is made by mixing precooked short grain rice with a tempering of mustard seeds, chana dal, green chilies, dried red chilies, fresh ginger and curry leaves. It is a comfort food for many and is most commonly eaten for a meal.
Lemon Rice has a delicate flavor of fresh lemon juice and a nutty aroma of the tempered ingredients like lentils, peanuts, spices and herbs.
Tempering ingredients: The addition of fresh ginger, curry leaves & green chilies totally elevate the flavor of the lemon rice. These are the 3 ingredients that are key to making the dish. However if curry leaves are not available in your part of the world just skip them & use some coriander leaves – cilantro.
Nuts: Traditionally peanuts are used to add crunch to the dish. If you do not have them just replace with some cashew nuts.
Cooking oil: Lemon rice can be made with any cooking oil like peanut oil, sesame oil or sunflower oil. I like to add a dash of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil towards the end. Olive oil doesn’t really go well in Indian foods but lemon rice is an exception.
Lemons: To make a good refreshing lemon rice always use fresh lemons. I personally like the large variety of lemons as they are really flavorful. You can also use limes.
Rice: Most commonly short grain rice is used to make this recipe. But any kind of rice just goes well. The rice has to be less starchy as the cooked grains have to be separate & grainy without being sticky or mushy. You can also use precooked rice for this recipe.
Lentils: Urad dal and chana dal are used in lemon rice as they add crunch and aroma to the dish. However you may skip them if you don’t prefer the crunchy lentils.
