Did the title catch you by surprise? I am sure you are wondering What can possibly be different about lemon rice. The answer to the question is my version of lemon rice.

My son loves the tanginess of lemon and hence enjoys eating lemon rice. When you have a four-year old who is an observant eater, you try to bring in interesting variations even in the most regular dish. My version of lemon rice is one such example. Lemon rice not just with onions and lemons but with a lot of other veggies!

Here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy making this one…

INGREDIENTS

Basmati Rice – 1 Cup, washed and cooked

Onion – 1 ( chopped finely)

Green chillies – 1, slit (increase the quantity based on the spice level needed)

Carrot – 1 (grated)

Green Bell pepper – 1 Big (or 2 small)

Potato – 1 small (very finely chopped so it gets cooked easily)

Ginger – 1/2 inch (chopped finely or grated)

Lemon – Juice of 1 lemon

Salt – as per taste

Coriander Leaves for garnishing

 

FOR TEMPERING

Mustard seeds – 1tsp

Urad dal – 1/2tsp

Channa dal – 1/2 tsp

Groundnuts – 2 tbsp

Curry leaves – finely chopped (Try chopping it finely. It saves you the pain of setting it aside on your plate and it’s also a great source of nutrition)

 

METHOD

Cook rice with 1:2 ratio of water. Once cooked, add a teaspoon of coconut oil, mix gently and allow it to cool.

Meanwhile, take a wide bottomed pan, heat one  tablespoon of cooking oil.

Add the ingredients under the tempering. Saute till done.

Now add the green chilli, onion and ginger. saute for few minutes till the onions are translucent.

Then add the finely chopped potatoes, saute for sometime then add the carrots and bell peppers. Add salt at this point so the veggies will leave some water and saute till the veggies are done.

Make sure the bell pepper is not over cooked. Crunchy bell peppers are the best part of this rice.

Now add turmeric and reduce the flame. At this point squeeze the lemon and mix well.

Now add rice to the mixture and give it a gentle mix making sure the rice does not break.

All this to be done on a low flame. Once mixed well, transfer into a serving bowl and garnish with some coriander leaves.

 

Serving tip: Serve hot with some pickle or papad