Lemon rice
Bright, tangy South Indian rice tossed with turmeric, ginger, green chile and crunchy fried peanuts, with cool yogurt on the side.
- 35 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $2.15 a serving
- 680 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup basmati rice
- ⅓ cup peanuts
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
- 1½ lemons, juiced, about 3 tablespoons
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup plain yogurt, for serving
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
Each serving has about 680 calories, 20 g protein, 90 g carbs and 28 g fat, and costs about $2.15 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No plain yogurt? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it in a with the water and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes, then leave it covered 5 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Spread the rice on a plate to cool for a few minutes while you make the seasoning.
Dolly’s tip: Slightly cooled rice stays in separate grains when you toss it, instead of going mushy.Heat the oil in a large over medium and fry the peanuts 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Add the ginger and serrano and stir 30 seconds, then stir in the turmeric for 10 seconds.
Medium heatTimer: 40 sec
Dolly’s tip: Turmeric scorches fast, so it goes in last and only for a few seconds.Add the rice and the rest of the salt and gently 1 to 2 minutes, until every grain is yellow and hot.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Turn off the heat, sprinkle the lemon juice over, and again.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Taste: it should be bright and tangy. Add more lemon or salt until it is.
Scatter the cilantro over the top and serve with the yogurt on the side.
Dolly’s tip: Lemon rice is packed for lunches all over South India. It’s just as good at room temperature the next day.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Tamagodon (Japanese egg rice bowl)
35 min
Butter soy rice with crispy fried eggs
30 min
Huevos a la cubana (Cuban rice with fried eggs and plantains)
40 min
Korean steamed eggs (gyeran-jjim)
30 min
Vegetarian dinners ›Pantry dinners ›What to make with rice and serrano peppers ›