Lemon & Ginger Rice

Name: Lemon & Ginger Rice
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200g basmati rice (7oz); 1¼ cups of water (310ml); 1 lemon, juiced and zested; 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger; Salt flakes, to taste; Pinch ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon butter or ghee (5g); Tempering Mixture (optional):; 1 tablespoon ghee (20g); ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds; ½ teaspoon cumin seeds; A few curry leaves

Lemon and ginger rice is a deliciously fresh side dish that’s a great accompaniment to all sorts of dishes. With the optional tempering mixture drizzled over the top it’s particularly good with Indian curries, but you can skip that step if you prefer. While plain steamed rice is a great foil for soaking up other flavours, this lemon and ginger basmati rice has enough of its own flavour – especially with the tempering mixture – to accompany a simple piece of chicken or seafood for a quick, healthy meal. When I have it this way, with the lemon and ginger flavours starring, I enjoy a crisp pinot gris with it, like the one from Small Victories in the Eden Valley, which has plenty of fresh citrus notes to echo the lemon. You can cook lemon and ginger rice in a rice cooker, but might need to make a little extra as most rice cookers have a minimum capacity of 300g (10½oz/2 rice cooker cups). There’s no need to adjust the other ingredients and leftovers reheat very well in the microwave.

Serves 2–4 as a side dish

Ingredients

200g basmati rice (7oz)
1¼ cups of water (310ml)
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
Salt flakes, to taste
Pinch ground turmeric
1 teaspoon butter or ghee (5g)

Tempering Mixture (optional)

1 tablespoon ghee (20g)
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
A few curry leaves

Method

Wash rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear then soak in more cold water for about 30 minutes. Drain well.
Place the 1¼ cups (310ml) of water in a heavy-based saucepan.
Add lemon juice and zest, ginger, a good pinch of salt, turmeric and the butter or ghee.
Add rice, stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to minimum, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the water has been absorbed.
Cover with a clean dry tea towel, replace lid and set aside for 10 minutes.
If using, make Tempering Mixture: heat ghee in a small saucepan until very hot. Add mustard and cumin and cook for a few seconds then add curry leaves, let them sputter for a few seconds then remove from heat.
Pour over the rice, replace lid and set aside for a minute or so.
Use a fork to mix the Tempering Mixture through the rice and fluff it up.
Transfer lemon and ginger rice to a bowl and serve.

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