LEMON RICE

Earlier South Indian Cuisine meant only Idli, Dosa and Uttapam to me, until I visited some of the major temple cities of Southern India in 1992 with our parents. The memories are still afresh on my mind. I loved everything about the tour, the history about the temples, huge variety of saris, the beaches and the local cuisine using lot of coconut in almost everything. 

It was a pleasure to have breakfast with appam, at lunch munching on a big dosa with coconut chutney and for dinner gorging on rice and fish curry using tamarind juice and coconut milk. Although I am not a dosa and sea fish fan, I actually enjoyed the chicken curry there cooked with coconut & mustard seeds paste I remember.  

With a filled stomach, watching the temple architectures, built during the rule of different dynasties was an educational tour for us. I specially loved Kanyakumari, Pondicherry, Mahabalipuram, the Kovalam Beach and the romantic hill station of Kodaikanal. I wish to visit these places again at some point in life.

    

There is much of history  attached to the temples, a 15 days tour is not enough to cover even half of them and have a taste of the local cuisine. It was in that 15 days span, I got acquainted with lemon rice, tamarind rice, mango rice. For an ardent rice lover like me, it was quite a treat. 

Back home, my mother did not prepare them, the Kolkata eateries did not sell them either. In general, South Indian food meant Dosa, Idli and Medu Bada in Kolkata then.

It is now that I have a couple of South Indian colleagues at work, I get to taste various Southern Indian dishes almost everyday. I am fond of LEMON RICE, enjoy having it with plain yogurt. There are a number of posts on it, I thought  of adding mine too.

INGREDIENTS :

Cooked Rice : 1 cup

Lemon Juice : 1/2 small tea cup

Curry Leaves : 10

Black Mustard Seed : 1/4 tsp

Black Gram Lentils / Skinless Urad Dal : 1/2 tsp

Bengal Gram / Chana Dal : 1/2 tsp

Raw Peanut [with skin] : 3 tsp

Dry Red Chilli : 2-3 [halved]

Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp

Salt : As required

Oil : 3 tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the rice thoroughly 4-5 times and soak in water for about an hour. Heat 6 cups of water in a deep bottomed vessel. Once the water starts boiling, add the rice. Let boil at medium heat. Keep checking if it is done. Drain the water when the rice is 80% done. 

Get the juice from the lemon. Warm 3 tbsp oil in wok, add the washed curry leaves, stir for half a minute, take out. Fry the raw skinned peanuts for 2-3 minutes, take out.

Temper with mustard seeds. As they splutter, add the urad dal and chana dal. When they turn light brown, add the pre washed curry leaves and the halved dry red chillies.

Add the boiled rice, salt and turmeric powder. Fold in well. Keep stirring at medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and mix well. At this stage you can add the fried peanuts and 2 slitted green chillies if you wish to. 

Switch off the gas stove, transfer the lemon rice to a serving bowl. Serve with plain yogurt / raita accompanied by salads!!