Preparation:
Add the salt and the turmeric to the lemon juice and mix well until the salt dissolves completely.
Heat the oil in a saucepan, on a medium flame. Put in the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the Channa Dhal, Urad Dhal, Peanuts. Break the chilies into 2 or 3 pieces and add them to the Oil. Fry the mixture, stirring often, until the peanuts turn a light brown.
Now add the lemon juice mixture to the pan. (Take care while doing this. The oil will sputter and the mixture will give off a lot of steam.) Sprinkle the asofoetida on the mixture and boil for about 5 seconds. Remove from heat and let it cool.
Spread out the rice in a shallow vessel. Pour a little of the lemon mixture on the rice and mix well. Add more of the lemon mixture, mixing well until the rice is well coated and the taste is to your satisfaction.
Notes:
The proportion of salt, chilies and lemon juice may be varied depending on your tastes.
Leftover juice mix can be stored in the refrigerator. Store it in either glass, enamel or porcelain cookware. Never store it in an aluminium or iron container. Lemon juice is strongly acidic and will dissolve most metallic surfaces over time.
This mixture can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge over an extended period of time. Since it is highly acidic, it won't spoil even if kept for a month or more. In fact, after a week or so, the soaked chilies would have lost most of their heat and will be quite palatable.
You can spice it up further with the fenugreek-cumin powder (See the recipe for Tamarind Rice) |
