Basmati rice recipe with lemon and cashews is a 'zesty' and 'flavourful' spring dish

This Southern Indian dish is made with lemon rice and cashews is "zesty" and "flavourful," making for "something rather special."

13:00, Sat, Apr 20, 2024

rice

Peela Pulao is a Southern Indian dish made with lemon rice, cashews and spices (Image: Getty)

This Southern Indian dish is a refreshing recipe for spring.

British restaurateur Asma Khan, owner of Darjeeling Express and star of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, shared that she loved this dish while growing up in Chennai, India.

"This recipe weaves in southern Indian ingredients of mustard seeds, curry leaves and cashew nuts to create something rather special," she writes.

You can make her "zesty" and "flavourful" rice recipe that she bills as "fit for a feast" within 30 minutes.

Other similar recipes you can try include lemon risotto, pasta primavera, spring stew and lemon chicken.

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Asma Khan is a British-Indian restaurateur and owner of Darjeeling Express (Image: Getty)

Peela pulao lemon rice recipe

Ingredients

10 2/3 oz of basmati rice
3 tbsp of vegetable oil
2 green cardamom pods
1 piece of cassia, 2.5cm long
2 cloves
1 Indian bay leaf, large
1 white onion, medium, evenly and thinly sliced into rings
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp of cashew nuts
10 curry leaves
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 lemon, juiced and zested (cut the zest into slivers)

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Yellow Rice

Khan recalls having and enjoying this dish while growing up in Chennai, India (Image: Getty)

Instructions

1. Wash the basmati rice through a few rounds of cold running water until the water runs clear. Then, place in a bowl and soak for 2 hours in fresh cold water. When ready to cook, drain the soaked basmati rice and set aside.

2. Heat oil over a medium-high heat in a heavy-based pan with a lid. When the oil is hot, add the cardamom pods, cassia bark, cloves and bay leaf to the pan. Once the spices begin to sizzle and pop, which should be in a matter of seconds, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan. Place them on a plate and set aside.

3. Add the onion rings to the pan with spiced oil and fry gently, stirring occasionally until golden brown and caramelised. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions from the pan, leaving as much of the oil as possible. Place on a plate to drain.

4. Put the kettle on to boil while continuing to cook.

5. Add the mustard seeds to fry until they pop, then add the cashew nuts and curry leaves. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to remaining oil if there isn't enough to fry cashnew nuts and spices.

6. Immediately add the soaked rice and ground turmeric to the pan, stirring for 1 minute to coat the rice in the spice-infused oil. Cover the rice with 600ml boiling water from the kettle.

7. Return the fried whole spices and caramelised onion rings set aside to the pan in the rice water. Add the salt. Cook uncovered over a medium-high heat until the water is nearly absorbed by the rice, for approximately 4 minutes.

8. Once most of the water has been absorbed, add half the lemon zest slivers. Cover the pan with the lid, lower the heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes.

9. Once the rice is cooked, pour the lemon juice into the rice and mix using a fork to lift and separate the grains

10. To serve, garnish the rice with the remaining lemon zest slivers, and fresh slices of lemon, if desired.