Spiffy Lemon Rice made in a jiffy

The very sight of lemon rice floods me with fond memories of lunch hour at school. The quintessential steel tiffin carrier packed with steaming lemon flavored rice stained in parts by that lone, delicious lime pickle.

Good times! Lime Rice is a typical South-Indian dish that can be made in minutes. It is usually served with spicy, stir-fried/roasted potatoes or with pickle.

All you need is 2 cups of cooked Basmatic rice, 1tsp cooking oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp broken urad dal, minced green chillies (in amounts you can handle), red chilli flakes,1/2 cup of roasted, unsalted peanuts(optional), salt(to taste), 1.5 tsp turmeric powder, juice of 2 lemons.

Here's how you make this super simple delicacy:

Take a skillet and add oil. Once the oil is hot add the mustard and cumin seeds.As soon as the the seeds start to spit and crackle in the hot oil add the cut green chillies, red chilli flakes,  peanuts and turmeric powder. You can do away with the chillies if spicy food is not your thing.

Let the peanuts fry a little. Next add the basmati rice to the mix. Add salt to taste, stir and remove from the flame.

Now add the lemon juice and mix well.Make sure you add the juice only when you take the pan off the fire. The whole dish turns bitter otherwise. Add some chopped cilantro leaves as a garnish and serve either with mango/ lime pickle or with a stir-fried vegetable of your choice.

Here's to happy memories and stress-free cooking!:)