A delicious recipe shared by our teacher Ganapati Aarya, as part of the Jivana Yoga Programme. Lemon rice is a simple and tasty dish, it is easily digested and suitable for all constitutions. It can be used daily and throughout all seasons. Serve with a simple vegetable palya, green salad or with a cucumber raita.
Beautiful India
Mallige – Jasmine flower, Mysore
Lemon Rice (Chitraanna)
Serves 3 – 4
Channa and urad dāl can be purchased at your local Indian store, when briefly fried in the oil they add a lovely crunch to the dish. The fresh curry leaves when stored in the freezer keep their flavour up to 6 months – they have wonderful medicinal qualities.
Use heaped when measurements except stated otherwise.
ingredients
1 cup/200g white basmati rice
2 cups/500ml water
1 large carrot – 150g
2 tsp ginger, grated
½ cup/40g dried unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp fine rock salt
1 tsp sugar/jaggery
1 -2 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped
voggarane
¼ cup peanut/melted coconut oil
½ tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp split channa dal
1 tsp split urad dal
1 medium, mild dried red chilli
10 raw cashew nuts
1 tsp cumin seeds
10 fresh curry leaves
⅛ tsp asafoetida powder (hingu)
⅛ tsp turmeric powder
prepare the rice
1. In a saucepan, wash the rice until the water runs clear, drain and pour in water, bring to boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer. Do not cover the pot with a lid, as this allows certain impurities or energetic imbalances to be eliminated. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat, cover and set aside to cool.
2. While waiting for the rice to cool, grate the carrot – measuring 1 cup, grate the ginger, chop the coriander, cut the chilli into 3-4 pieces, halve the cashews. Set aside.
prepare the voggarne
3. In a skillet over medium heat, add the oil and mustard seeds; when the seeds start to splatter and pop, add the channa and urad dal – fry for a few seconds, then add the chilli, cashews, and cumin seeds – fry until channa dal is golden in colour. Add the curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder – continue to fry for a few seconds.
4. Stir in the grated carrot, ginger, coconut, salt, jaggery and lemon juice – cook for 6 minutes, until all ingredients have combined and the carrot is soft. Turn off the heat.
5. Add the cooled rice and coriander and using the right palm of the hand, gently combine, to ensure the rice is mixed well with the spices. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt, sugar/jaggery or lemon. Serve immediately.
Lemon rice can be served with raita, plain yoghurt or accompanied with a vegetable palya.
variation
- replace the carrot with finely chopped red pepper and cabbage.
Goodness shared by Stacey
