Lemon-Lime Rice

How to make Lemon-Lime Rice

         The Lemon Rice as we know it has taken a turn for the better in this Bold & Tangy Lemon-Lime Rice!! I have been making my Lemon rice this way as my family likes its bold flavor. I prefer not to use Basmati rice, as the flavor of Basmati doesn't compliment this dish.

         This is excellent for picnics, travel, lunch boxes and Valaikkappu (Indian Baby Shower). I bet the pregnant ladies would love this tangy rice. It can be served with Potato fry / pickles / chips or pappad.

Ingredients:

2 Lemons -Deseeded & squeezed

2 Limes- Deseeded & squeezed

3-4 Tbsp of Ginger-chopped finely

4-6 green chillies - chopped finely

1.5 cups of rice - cooked & cooled

1/2 cup of ground nuts/peanuts - roasted

a few coriander leaves

Salt to taste

For tempering:

1 tsp Mustard seeds

2 tbsp Channa Dal

2 tbsp Urad Dal

2 sprigs of Curry leaves
Turmeric Powder  - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida powder(Perungayam) - a pinch

Gingelly oil (Nalla ennai)- 2 Tbsp

• Deseed & squeeze all the lemons & limes. Add salt to the juice & set aside.
• Chop all the required ingredients. Heat a pan with a little oil, roast the peanuts & set the peanuts aside.
•  Again heat some oil and add Mustard seeds, Urad & Channa Dal, asafoetida, curry leaves & saute. When that is done, add the chopped green chillies & ginger to the oil with a little Turmeric powder & saute for a couple of minutes, until you get a nice gingery aroma. Turn off the heat.
• Cook the rice with a little less water than usual, so each grain of rice is separate after cooking. Add a little oil to the cooked plain rice, separate the grains & let it cool down.
• To the the cooled rice add the sauteed ingredients & the lemon-lime juice, add salt - mix it gently & check the taste.
• Finally add the roasted peanuts/ground nuts & some chopped coriander leaves to the rice.

Notes:

• Lemon rice is best served after a couple of hours of preparation, so the flavors are well infused with the rice and the result is a better tasting lemon rice.
• The rice has to be just cooked & grains separate. Take care to use lesser water than usual to achieve good results.
• I prefer saving the lemon juice separately, & adding it to the rice towards the very end; so we can taste the rice & add more or less as needed.