Lemon & Ginger Rice

Name: Lemon & Ginger Rice
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200g basmati rice; 1 lemon, juiced and zested; 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger; Salt flakes, to taste; Pinch ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon ghee; 1 tablespoon ghee; ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds; ½ teaspoon cumin seeds; A few curry leaves

This deliciously fresh lemon and ginger pilau is a great accompaniment to any Indian dish, especially seafood or poultry. You can make lemon and ginger rice very easily in a rice cooker but might need to make a little extra as most rice cookers won’t cook less than 300g (2 rice cooker cups). If using a rice cooker, there’s no need to adjust the other ingredients except for the water proportionately. Leftovers reheat very well in the microwave too.

Serves 2–4 as a side dish

Ingredients

200g basmati rice
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
Salt flakes, to taste
Pinch ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ghee

Tempering Mixture

1 tablespoon ghee
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 cold water for about 30 minutes. Drain well.
Combine 1¼ cups of water, lemon juice and zest, ginger, a good pinch of salt, turmeric and the ghee in a heavy-based saucepan. Add rice.
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.
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 to a bowl and serve.