Lemon rice is something which we have been eating since our childhood. This lemon-flavored rice is a very popular everyday dish in southern India. When the usual boring rice gets some spicy seasoning with a splash of lemon juice in it, it just transforms into something magical.
Oh my taste buds still crave for that awesome taste.…
In this era when youngsters run behind pizza and sausages, may be lemon rice has lost its old splendor, but this delicious twist on cooked rice still has its magic. As an Ayurveda practitioner and a food lover, I realized that these traditional recipes are healthy as well as a treat to the taste buds.
So here I am going to rediscover and present to you the recipe of lemon rice….
The main ingredient in this recipe is the rice, which is the most widely consumed staple food especially in Asia. To this we would be adding turmeric and lemon juice to spice it up. Turmeric will give the recipe a golden yellow tint with its other health benefits. Lemon juice add relishing flavor to it along with its fair share of Vitamin C.
Now let’s get into the recipe.
You will need:
- Rice- 1 cup
- Water- 2 cups
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds-1 tsp
- Urad dal- 1 tbsp
- Chana dal- 1 tbsp
- Dried red chillies-2
- Cashew nuts- 8-10
- Chopped green chilli-1 tbsp
- Chopped ginger- 1 tbsp
- Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
- Fresh lemon juice from 2-3 lemons
- Chopped coriander leaves- 2 tbsp
How to prepare:
- Cook the rice (preferably basmati rice) in 2 cups of water. Add a tsp of ghee and a pinch of salt to the water. Ghee is added to prevent the grains of rice from sticking to each other.
- Heat oil (optionally you can you use ghee instead of oil) in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add the urad dal, chana dal, dried red chilies and cashew nuts and keep stirring the mixture. fry them until they turn golden brown.
- Then add the chopped green chilies and ginger, salt to taste and sauté. Sprinkle the turmeric and mix.
- Put off the flame and transfer the cooked rice into the seasoned mixture. Add the fresh lemon juice and chopped coriander. Mix the whole mixture so that the seasoning and lemon juice is well mixed to the rice. But make sure you don’t break the rice grains.
The Ayurveda perspective
- The rice is basically light to digest and pacifies vata and pitta but aggravates kapha.
- Lemon improves all the three doshas, primarily vata and kapha. It increases digestion and increases appetite.
- Altogether it is an ideal recipe for autumn-winter season.
Hope you liked the recipe. Do try it at home and let us know your views in the comment section. So next time when life gives you lemons, make lemon rice 🙂 Till then stay healthy, stay blessed….
