Rice Recipe with Turmeric and Lemon

We know that not everyone has all the Indian ingredients mentioned in this lemon basmati rice recipe, but there is no need to worry because they can easily be found in many specialized Indian food stores, so there are no excuses.

In addition, at the same time that you make this Indian lemon rice, you can take the opportunity to buy many other ingredients and complete your menu with other typical dishes from this country. So you can celebrate a themed meal to get out of the daily routine. Cheer up!

Ingredients to make Rice with turmeric and lemon:

1. 2 cups of basmati rice
2. 2 lemons (juice)
3. 1 dessert spoon of Turmeric
4. 1 dessert spoon of ground cumin or seeds
5. 1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
6. 8 curry leaves
7. 1 teaspoon ground cayenne
8. 1 dessert spoon of minced fresh ginger
9. 1 pinch ground Asafetida (optional)
10. 1 handful of raw cashews
11. 1 handful of peeled raw peanuts
12. 1 jet of olive oil
13. 1 pinch of salt

How to make Lemon Turmeric Rice:

• The first thing to do to prepare this rice with turmeric and lemon is to soak the basmati rice for at least half an hour (it can be left up to two hours) so that later the grains cook evenly and some are not harder than others.
• Tip: Basmati rice is the one that is usually used to make this Indian lemon rice, but if you don’t have it on hand, you can also use normal long rice.
• Next, put a pot with plenty of water and a splash of olive oil on a high heat and bring it to a boil. When it starts to boil, add the drained rice and when it starts to boil again, lower the medium-low heat and cook it for approximately 15 minutes. Once cooked, we drain the rice well, wash it with cold water and reserve it for later.
• While the rice is cooking, take a frying pan, add a splash of olive oil and heat it. Then we add the black mustard seeds and fry them for a few seconds until they start to crackle. If they don’t crisp, our lemon basmati rice may end up bitter.
• Once the black mustard seeds are fried, add the peeled peanuts and brown them. Then we do the same with the raw cashews because they take less time.
• Tip: The nuts give a very special touch to this rice with turmeric and lemon, so you can add the ones you like the most even if these are the most typical.
• Next, add the minced ginger, turmeric, cumin and ground cayenne, and without stopping stirring, cook them all together for a few minutes.
• Then we add the curry leaves to the pan, remove all the sauce from our Indian lemon rice and add the lemon juice. If you think it is too much juice, you can add a little less to the turmeric rice, to your liking.
• Tip: If the leaves are dry, there is no problem, but if they are fresh, be careful because they will jump when they come into contact with the oil.
• Finally, we add a pinch of salt and asafetida to taste (the latter is optional) and fry it for a few seconds. Asafetida is a typical spice of Middle Eastern cuisine that causes vomiting and nausea if it is not fried and eaten raw. We can find it in specialized Indian food stores but it is totally optional, although it will always provide added value to this lemon basmati rice.
• Now we just have to add the rice that we have reserved, mix well with the rest of the ingredients, fry it for a few minutes and that’s it, we can taste our delicious rice with turmeric and lemon in the purest Indian style.