“You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.”
Saturdays at my home are a lazy venture. At least for me. I recuperate from the week that has gone by with a slumber that is threatening to take me to afternoon. But if that is one of the things to look forward to, the other one is certainly the brunch aspect of it. Only this is brunch, the south Indian way! Without a fail, every Saturday has a dedicated breakfast menu of pulihora or lemon rice. It is considered to be one of the more regular offerings to the deities down here and a special favorite of Lord Venkateswara whom we worship on this day every week.
Made with rice, spices, pulses and lemon, this dish is divine to be eaten at any time of the day – for breakfast, lunch, dinner or most often in my case, as brunch. What’s more, it’s sunshine yellow color and lip-puckering spicy sourness is the perfect wakeup call on the weekend.
RECIPE
Feeds any number of hungry people
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups rice
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoon oil, neutral flavored
- 5-6 dried red chillies
- ½ cup curry leaves
- 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoon split black lentils (urad dal)
- 2 teaspoon split chickpeas (chana dal)
- 1 cup peanuts
- 3-4 green chillies, sliced
- 2 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 lemons, juiced
METHOD
- Cook the rice with water in a rice or pressure cooker until the grains are separate and fluffy. Once cooked, cover and keep aside to cool.
- In a pan, add the oil, curry leaves, red chillies, mustard seeds and the dals. After 1-2 minutes, add in peanuts, green chilli, ginger, turmeric, and asafetida. Stir on a medium flame till they become aromatic.
- Then add in salt and sugar to taste and mix.
- Once done, cool for some time before mixing in with the cooked rice. Ensure to mix with a fork or flattish spatula to avoid breaking the grains of rice.
- Finally squeeze in lemon juice and combine everything.
- Enjoy hot or warm or cold!
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- You can also use tamarind paste instead of lemon juice. Add it in with the rest of the ingredients in the pan.
- You can also add in cashews instead of peanuts (or both) or leave out in case of allergies.
