I made this lemon rice dish to eat with the Rendang Style Beef I made recently. A local Indian restaurant serves lemon rice, and I always order it but felt it was time I learned to make it myself. As a vegetarian dish it would stand pretty well alongside some vegetables, and is great with many other dishes, not just curries.
Ingredients (to serve 4-6)
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp asafoetida (optional)
- ½ small onion, finely chopped
- 1 long green chilli (finely chopped and deseeded too if you prefer it less hot)
- 10g fresh ginger, peeled and grated or chopped finely
- About 10 fresh curry leaves
- 100g unsalted cashew nuts
- About 500g cooked and cooled basmati rice
- juice of 1 large lemon plus the zest of ½ the lemonfinely grated
- Optional – finely chop the remaining half of the juiced lemon
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat the oil in a large pan or wok and add the mustard seeds, turmeric and asafoetida. Fry, stirring constantly, until the mustard seeds begin to pop.
Now add the onion, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and the nuts and fry for a couple of minutes until the nuts take on some colour and the onion has softened.
Add the rice into the pan and stir fry until hot (a few minutes) then add the lemon juice, zest and lemon pieces. Mix well and season with salt and pepper before serving.
Inspired by a recipe from The Hairy Bikers’ Great Curries.
Chica Andaluza 