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South Indian Lime Rice Recipe

Beyond Curry

Inspired Indian home cooking.

Denise D'silva Sankhé
Published: Last Updated:
South Indian Lime Rice Recipe

Lime rice. [Photograph: Prasanna Sankhe]

Lime rice is one of those quick recipes that turns a boring leftover into a delicious dinner with minimal effort. You can have this dish by itself or served with poppadums. It's light, hearty, and has a wonderful mix of tangy and crunchy elements.

Lime rice is originally South Indian, but it has found its way into most homes across the country. The tempering of the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and chili impart a mild spiciness that compliments the sourness of the lime quite well. If you love tang, you could increase the amount of lime juice a tad. If you want to dress it up a little more, roasted cashew nuts can be tossed in during the tempering. And, if you have a weakness for coconut, you can add unsweetened coconut shreds as a garnish. It's the fact that it's so easy to customize that makes it one of my favorite meals.

Read more: Serious Entertaining: An Indian Buffet

  • Yield:Makes about 2 cups, serving 2 to 3
  • Active time: 10 minutes
  • Total time:15 minutes
  • Rated: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee
  • 2 Serrano chilis, slit in half lengthwise
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon de-husked black lentils (urad dal)
  • 1 teaspoon split yellow gram (chana dal)
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
  • 8 curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 recipe poppadom
  • Indian pickles

Directions

  1. 1.

    Heat oil or ghee in the skillet over medium heat till shimmering. Add the slit chillis, stand back and stir for a few seconds until fragrant. Add mustard seeds, stir for a few seconds until they pop. In quick succession, add lentils, yellow gram, and roasted peanuts. Stir until the lentils turn a light brown, about 5 minutes. Add curry leaves. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add turmeric powder, stir for a few seconds, then add lime juice. Add a pinch of salt, stir turn off heat. Add the white rice and fold gently to keep rice intact until all ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the sugar. Serve hot with poppadom and indian pickles.

This Recipe Appears In
Serious Entertaining: An Indian Buffet

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Denise D'silva Sankhé Contributor

Born half Anglo-Indian and half Manglorean Catholic in multi-cultural Mumbai- India, Denise has been surrounded by a wonderful assortment of all things delicious from a very early age. Her penchant for food has led her on many amazing journeys across India where she charms strangers into sharing unique recipes and discovers a little more about her country with each bite. She is fueled by an intense love for food and a determination to keep the food traditions of her ancestors alive. A motley bunch of Anglo-Indians whose cuisine is a unique combination of Indian spices and western flavours; and Mangloreans who are famed for their delicious coastal fare. She shares her favourite recipes and love for all things deliciously Indian in her column Beyond Curry. Simple recipes that capture the real taste of India. The food served every day in homes across India. And some unique family favorites you won’t find in a restaurant. Most of the recipes have stories around them—like all good food does.

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