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Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice with Ghee-Roasted Peanuts

Shri Repp
It’s lemon-y, it’s butter-y, and it has a little bit of a kick. It is an easy way to spruce up leftover rice and give it a new life.
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Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Lunch
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 4 teaspoons ghee
  • ¼ cup whole unroasted peanuts skin on (50g)
  • 10-15 curry leaves
  • 1 Thai chili or serrano chili finely chopped, seeds removed for less heat
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 3 whole dried red guntur or chili de arbol stems removed
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 2 cups cooked basmati rice like basmati or jasmine (280g)

Instructions
 

Prep Ingredients

  1. If you haven't cooked the 2 cups cooked basmati rice go ahead and cook it and cool in the fridge. Roughly ⅔ cup uncooked rice will yield 2 cups cooked rice. It is even better if you can cook and cool the rice the day before the recipe.
  2. Zest 1 lemon, zested and juiced and set the zest aside. Then cut the lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. One lemon should yield 2 tablespoons of juice. If the lemon is dry, then squeeze another lemon to get the juice quantity needed.

Roast Peanuts

  1. In a medium pan, roast the peanuts along with half of the 4 teaspoons ghee on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until they turn a golden brown. Constantly stir the peanuts to ensure even browning.
  2. Scoop out the peanuts (leaving the excess ghee behind) with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl. While peanuts are still warm, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt.

Make Lemon Rice

  1. Add remaining half of the 4 teaspoons ghee into the same pan on medium heat. Add 1 Thai chili or serrano chili and 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and wait for the mustard seeds to start dancing in the oil and the chilis to purfume the air. This should take ~30seconds - 2 minutes.
  2. Next add 10-15 curry leaves and 3 whole dried red guntur or chili de arbol to the ghee. Be careful the curry leaves will sputter in the oil. Once the curry leaves sputter in the oil, turn off the heat.
  3. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the pan to combine ingredients. Add two cups of cooked rice to the pan and thoroughly combine rice with the ghee and spices until it turns a vibrant yellow from the turmeric.
  4. Serve rice hot with roasted peanuts on top and enjoy on its own or with a dollop of plain yogurt.
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Notes and Tips

  • It is important to turn the heat off before adding the lemon juice as the citrusy flavor diminishes when in contact with lots of heat.
  • I highly recommend freshly toasting peanuts instead of getting peanuts that are pre-toasted. The peanuts have more flavor when freshly toasted and have an extra crunch if you buy the peanuts with the skin on.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @moonriceshri so I can see your amazing creation!