South Indian · 30 min · serves 4

Lemon Rice (Chitranna)

Kept by The Bhook kitchen

Ingredients

• 300 g basmati rice
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp chana dal
• 2 dried red chillies
• 8 curry leaves
• 40 g peanuts
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt to taste
• fresh coriander (optional)

Method

1. Cook rice in plenty of salted water, drain, and spread on a plate to cool; grains should feel separate, not sticky.
2. Heat oil in a wide pan. Add mustard seeds until they start popping.
3. Add chana dal, peanuts, red chillies, and curry leaves. Fry till dal is golden and peanuts are toasty.
4. Stir in turmeric and immediately add cooled rice. Mix gently until rice is evenly yellow.
5. Squeeze the lemon directly over the rice, catching seeds. Season to taste and toss well.
6. Garnish with a handful of chopped coriander if you like; serve at room temperature.

Don’t mix while rice is hot. The lemon makes it sticky; use cold or room temperature rice for the grains to stay fluffy.