lemon rice with coconut chutney

usha rao's Note:

This is an old recipe from southern India and has been in my family for generations. It is light yet filling and very easy to prepare.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

Lemon Rice

• 2 cups long grain rice (basmati or other)
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil (I prefer sunflower)
• ½ cup roasted peanuts (optional)
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 pinch cayenne powder
• 1 pinch turmeric powder (available at Indian groceries)

Coconut Chutney

• 1 medium coconut (just the scrapings)
• 2 fresh hot green peppers (depending on how spicy)
• 1 piece fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Directions:

1. Lemon Rice: Cook the rice with required amount of salt and cool.
2. The grains should be separate.
3. In a wok heat the oil.
4. When hot, put in the mustard seeds and lower the heat.
5. When the seeds splutter, put in the roasted, peanuts, the turmeric powder and cayenne pepper powder.
6. Take off the heat.
7. Add the cooled rice.
8. When cool, add the juice of two lemons.
9. Adjust the amount of lemon juice depending upon the size of lemons and the sourness required and stir carefully so as not to break the rice grains.
10. Serve with coconut chutney, mint chutney, tomato ketchup and potato crisps.
11. Coconut Chutney: Grind all ingredients together with a enough water to form a paste.
12. In a small wok, heat 2 tsps of cooking oil, add 1 tsp of mustard seeds.
13. When the seeds splutter, take off heat and pour over coconut paste.
14. Add salt to taste.
15. Serve with the Lemon Rice.

Reviews

[Kathy228]

The lemon rice was indeed, very lemony. This was really a great rice dish.

[CWY]

I really like this and my son asks for this dish. I used to eat lemon rice in a Indian restaurant/grocery. I had trouble finding a recipe that looked like it was a match, but this was the one. I add a few curry leaves and some extra lemon juice and a little lemon zest too. To counteract the sourness of the extra lemon I added a little sugar. Served with Lemon Ginger Fish and it's a great match.