Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

For Cooking Rice

• 1 cup rice (heaped) or 3 to 4 cups cooked rice
• 1.75 to 2 cups water
• ¼ teaspoon salt or add as required

Other Ingredients

• 1.5 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice or add as required
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon urad dal (spilt and skinned black gram)
• 2 dry red chilies – preferably seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies or 1 to 2 green chillies – chopped
• 12 to 15 curry leaves
• 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢1 tablespoon cashews – halved or chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup peanuts – optional
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil (gingelly oil) or any neutral oil
• salt as required

Instructions:

Soaking Rice

1. Rinse rice grains a couple of times and soak in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. 
2. Then drain all the water from the soaked rice.

Stove-Top Pressure Cooking

1. Cook rice in a 2-litre or 3-litre pressure cooker with salt and 1.75 to 2 cups water for 2 to 3 whistles or 8 to 10 minutes on medium to medium-high heat. 
2. When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, remove the lid. Remove the cooked rice in a plate or in a bowl.
3. 1 heaped cup rice will yield 3 to 4 cups rice. This will depend on the type and quality of rice. 
4. Let the cooked rice become warm or cool at room temperature

Cooking Rice A Pan Or Pot

1. Take rice, salt and 2 cups water in a pan. Cover and simmer until all the water has been absorbed and rice grains are tender and fluffy.
2. Do keep a check when rice is simmering and if the water has dried leaving the rice grains undercooked, add some more hot water and continue to cook.
3. Place the cooked rice in a tray or bowl to cool it.

Instant Pot Method

1. Add rice, salt and 1 or 1.25 cups water (depending on rice type and quality) in the steel insert of a 6 quart IP.
2. Pressure cook for 5 minutes on high. Do a quick pressure release after 5 minutes.
3. Empty the cooked rice in a plate or bowl to cool at room temperature.

Frying Nuts

1. In a small frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil. First fry the peanuts until crunchy and then set them aside. 
2. In the same oil, then fry cashews until golden. Remove and set aside.
3. Now add 1 tablespoon sesame oil in the same pan. Keep the flame to a low.
4. Add the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the urad dal.
5. Fry until the urad dal turns golden. Fry everything on a low flame, so that the lentils do not burn.
6. Then add the red chilies, green chilies (chopped) and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds until the red chilies change color. 
7. Switch off the heat and add the asafoetida and turmeric powder. Mix very well

Making Lemon Rice

1. Immediately pour this tempering mixture on cooked and cooled rice. Add the fried peanuts and cashews, lemon juice, salt. Mix very well.
2. Keep the bowl or pan covered for the flavors to blend for 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Then serve the lemon rice.
4. While serving you can choose to garnish chitranna with some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro).

Serving Suggestions

1. Serve lemon rice with pappadums or with a side vegetable salad or even coconut chutney also goes great with this dish.
2. It can also be packed in the tiffin box. As lemon rice can be served at room temperature, it also makes a great picnic lunch item. It’s a light dish and you can have it as a light lunch or breakfast too.

Storing

1. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for a day. Leftover rice is not good for health, so I suggest to finish the lemon rice in a day.