Lemon Rice - Fancy Style

# of servings:  4	Cooling Time: 10 mins
Preparation Time:  10 mins	Cook Time:  20 mins

A fancy twist to regular lemon rice!  When done, this lemon rice will taste exotic!  Made with ease, this alluring dish is sure to pick up some applause.

Ingredients:

• Rice - 2 cups
• Chopped colored bell peppers - 1.5 cups
• Pineapple mint leaves (or) Dill leaves - 1 fistful 
• Lemon - 1 (zest and juice)
• Green chili paste - 1.5 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 0.5 tsp
• Salt
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad daal - 2 tsp
• Chana daal - 2 tsp
• Peanuts - 0.25 cup
• Cashews - 1 fistful

Method:

• Wash and drain the rice
• Add 4 cups of water (1:2 ratio) to the rice, along with salt and 2 tsp of oil
• Pressure cook ('Pressure' mode for 3 mins. in IP)
• While the rice is cooking, chop the bell peppers into small cubes
• Chop the pineapple mint leaves into thin strips
• Zest the lemon and extract the juice
• In a small vessel, take 2 tbsp of oil and heat
• Season with mustard seeds, urad daal, channa daal, peanuts and cashews.  Stagger and add each of these, giving a minute or two for each to fry before adding the next one
• Scoop these out and set aside
• When the rice is cooked, spread it out in a bigger tray/vessel and allow it to cool down a little (at least 10 mins).  Be sure to give this time or the rice will become a mushy lump 
• In the same oil (in which cashews were fried), saute green chili paste, turmeric, bell peppers and a little salt on medium flame
• When they are cooked and become shiny, turn off the stove
• To this, add the thinly cut pineapple mint leaves, lemon zest, lemon juice and mix well
• Put the fried peanuts, cashews, etc on the rice
• Also add the sauteed bell peppers, etc on to the rice
• With the hand, gently toss them all to mix well, making sure that there are no white spots in the rice
• All the rice should have turned yellow, with the spices and toppings mixed evenly
• Serve with a garnish of a couple leaves of pineapple mint and enjoy!   This tastes best when freshly made.  Sitting it will make the flavors milder.

Tips and Tricks:

• Adding salt while cooking the rice ensures even distribution of salt
• Adding salt and oil while cooking ensures separate grains of rice rather than mushy rice
• Daals need more time in the oil.  Peanuts and cashew are bigger, softer and roast quickly.  Adding daals first, followed by peanuts and then the cashew makes sure that all are fried evenly
• Pineapple mint is a variety of mint with a delectable fragrance of pineapple!  The aroma is very delicate and hence adding it after turning off heat will cook it just enough.  It will release its fragrance and flavors to the rice
• Zest gives a stronger punch of flavor rather than just the juice.  Adding it after turning off the heat just activate the flavor without disturbing them
• Adding the juice also to the sauteed bell peppers ensures even distribution of the tang.  If put on the rice directly, some rice grains may absorb more than others

Pictures: 

Final Outcome:

           With Pineapple Mint leaves

                       With Dill Leaves