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Lemon rice with cucumber

Naranga choru

Lemon rice with cucumber
Photo: Ganesh Gore, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients

For 4 servings. 1 serving = 1 adult; a 6-year-old eats about half.

  • Raw rice (sona masoori)280 g
  • Lemons1½
  • Turmeric powder½ tsp
  • Mustard seeds½ tsp
  • Chana dal (kadala parippu)3 tsp
  • Urad dal (white, split)8 g
  • Curry leaves¾ sprig
  • Green chillies¾
  • Ginger8 g
  • Sunflower or rice-bran oil1 tbsp
  • Salt1 tsp
  • Lebanese cucumbers1

You need

  • Medium saucepan with lid
  • Sieve or colander
  • Non-stick frying pan (24–28 cm)
  • Box grater
  • Sharp knife and chopping board
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Lunchboxes with ice bricks
  • Insulated food jar

Method

  1. The night before: rinse 280 g rice in the sieve until the water runs mostly clear. Put it in the saucepan with 600 ml (about 2½ cups) water and a pinch of the salt.
  2. The night before: bring it to the boil on high, then turn to the lowest heat, cover and cook for 12 minutes, until the water is gone. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes.
  3. The night before: spread the rice on a plate to cool for 20–30 minutes, so the grains stay separate. Box it and put it in the fridge within an hour.
  4. In the morning: grate 8 g ginger and slit ¾ green chilli lengthways.
  5. In the morning: heat 1 tbsp oil in the frying pan on medium for 1 minute. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds and hold a lid over the pan until they pop, about 30 seconds.
  6. In the morning: add 3 tsp chana dal and 8 g urad dal and stir for 1 minute, until golden. Add ¾ sprig curry leaves, the ginger and the slit chilli and stir for 20 seconds. Stir in ½ tsp turmeric for 5 seconds.
  7. In the morning: add the cold rice and the rest of the 1 tsp salt. Stir on low for 3 minutes, breaking up clumps, until the rice is evenly yellow and steaming hot.
  8. In the morning: turn the heat off, squeeze over the juice of 1½ lemon and mix. Lift out the slit chilli before packing the kids' boxes.
  9. In the morning: cut 1 cucumber into sticks. Pack the rice very hot into a thermos warmed with boiling water for 5 minutes, or spread it on a plate to cool for 15 minutes and pack it with an ice brick. Put the cucumber in a separate compartment.

Tips

  • Lemon rice is also good eaten at room temperature, but keep the ice brick in the box.

Make it easier

  • The night before: Cook extra rice tonight for tomorrow's lemon rice.

Keeping and freezing

  • Fridge: keeps 1 day in a lidded box. Cool it within an hour of cooking.
  • Freezer: does not freeze well; eat within the fridge time.

Good to know

  • Toddlers: take their portion out before adding chilli or pepper.