Bursting with vibrant lemon flavour, this simple and delicious south Indian rice dish is one of my favourite recipes. Freshly squeezed lemon juice gives a lovely refreshing and tangy flavour to the rice, punctuated with the intoxicating aroma of fragrant kari leaves and stir fried or 'tempered' spices. Tempering is a method widely used in Indian cuisine, in which whole or ground spices are heated in hot oil or ghee then added to a dish. Hot fat has an incredible ability to extract and retain the essence, aroma and flavour of spices and herbs which transforms dishes from mundane to magical.
Indian Lemon Rice
Serves 6-8
2 cups Basmati rice
1-3/4 cups hot water
1/2 cup onions, peeled and diced
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp oil
Tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/8 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 dried whole red chilies
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup kari leaves
Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until they're soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes, making sure all the grains are well coated and slightly toasted. Add the hot water, turmeric powder, salt, lemon zest and bring to a boil then cover until done. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a small saucepan on medium high, and 'temper the spices' by adding the mustard seeds, asafoetida, fenugreek seeds, and whole red chilies to the oil and heat for about 3-5 minutes. When you hear the mustard seeds start to crackle and pop, add the kari leaves and cover for a few seconds. Remove from the heat and wait a moment for the seeds to calm down, then add the tempered spices and lemon juice to the rice and mix well.
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