By Ratna,
The white butterfly flew aimlessly, sitting on the Prairie crocus once and on the Anemones next, going back to the crocuses again. The Robins and the Blackbirds are tree hopping. It is spring here in the Prairies. The season of budding and blooming, of nesting and nursing. The season of a new beginning.
“Chawlo garite ghure ashi” let’s go for a drive, offered my husband N. That seemed just the right thing to do. I packed some snacks and my camera before we took to the roads.
It felt like the nature just woke up. The sky so clear and blue, as if reassuring the surroundings, everything is going to be fine. The bent bud taking that clue to straighten itself first then opening up one petal at a time, ever so slowly.
Lemon rice is a dish that requires very little work. It is an excellent way to use up left over rice too. Its versatility doesn’t stop there. If you are wondering what it pairs with? It is as comfortable with an elaborate vegetable dish at its side, as it is with a few dollops of yoghurt and some crispy Poppadums.
The wooden bench by the side of the water seemed the perfect site to enjoy our snacks. The crunch from the nuts, the tangy taste of the lemon rice complemented each other just right.
We drove aimlessly on the country roads. ” Weren’t we here a few minutes back” sometimes we said in unison.
It didn’t matter.
I thought of the white butterfly…
Recipe: Serves 3-4 as snacks.
Ingredients:
Cooked rice 1 cup
Ghee 1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Chana dal 1/2 Tbsp
Urad dal 1/2 Tbsp
Peanuts 1 Tbsp
Cashew nuts 1 Tbsp
Curry leaves 5-6
Dry red chillies 1-2
Coriander leaves chopped 1 Tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Juice of one lemon
Method;
Take the ghee in a saucepan on high heat. Fry the peanuts till golden brown, collect them on paper towels. Add the mustard seeds, wait till it pops, then add the chana dal. Fry a bit till it changes colour, add the turmeric powder, cashews red chillies, salt and curry leaves. Use the spatula to give it a stir, make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Put the gas off as soon as cashews brown a bit.
Add the rice, mix very gently so the grains remain intact. Sprinkle the lemon juice on top and give one more stir. Garnish with the fried peanuts and chopped coriander leaves.
You are done.
Inside Scoop;
Curry leaves are available in Indian supermarkets. Fresh ones are the first choice, dried ones are available too.
Urad dal is Skinned Black lentil.
Chana dal is Split Desi chick peas.
Ghee can be store bought or made at home too. Here is how to.
Voilà une recette qui me plait beaucoup ! j’adore tout ce qui est au citron et la cuisine confectionnée avec les épices, alors cette recette est faite pour moi 😉
J’utilise très souvent les ingrédients que tu as utilisés, mais pas ensemble et pas avec du riz, je vais donc faire cette recette qui doit être délicieuse.
Merci !
Welcome Clementine, I feel the same way regarding lemon, it does elevate the taste of the dish. Let me know how it turns out. Have a wonderful week ahead. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Awww…such a lovely post! And lemon rice is so special to me because it reminds of my days in Bangalore when I was expecting. I was working for a bank and my team members would bring lemon rice for me. Your’s is perfection!
Cute! Isn’t it funny how some food brings back memories of an event or a time in one’s life. That’s the best I like about blogging, creating new memories or cherishing old ones.
Your post gives me a glimpse of something so beautiful I can almost ‘smell’ the nature through it. I must say even though I love the recipe and those photos, I am most fond of your content. It’s like a breath of fresh air to read a content that takes me to THE PLACE, and it ties well with your recipe. 🙂 So glad to be here, Ratna & ‘see’ you in a bit.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am happy you found the content interesting. Now don’t keep us waiting too long Pang. A ‘bit’ is a ‘bit’….
So glad to hear that spring arrived for you, Ratna! Thanks for continuing to show your beautiful surroundings. Would love to see more as you go out exploring. Your featured image (overhead) is so appetizing. Beautifully composed.
I’m also a fan of making something new with left over rice. Poppadums are new to me. I adore turmeric in paellas and use it generously. Thanks for this fresh, spring-inspired and lemony rice. How would you name this rice it in Hindi? Thanks for your teachings. Hugs xo 🙂
Nimbu is lemon and Chawal is rice. Thanks Elizabeth. I will take lot of pictures of nature, it is so pretty here. The Poppadums are lentil wafers sometimes with spices. They lend a crunch factor, that we take advantage of in many situations.
What a lovely way to spend the day Ratna, and in such beautiful surroundings too. Your flowers are gorgeous. I’ve always just tipped a bit of tumeric into my rice to make it yellow, but definitely going to do it properly next time. Thank you, I will definitely be using your recipe. Have a great week. xxx
Thank you Ev. More and more researches are proving the health benefits of turmeric too, so it’s all good. I agree, the flowers are truly gorgeous. My favourite season. You have a great week ahead.