Nimmakaya Pulihora (Andhra Lemon Rice)

Method

1. Wash the rice and cook it with 2 cups of water until just done, so the grains stay separate. You need about 3 cups of cooked rice.
2. Spread the cooked rice on a plate to cool; add the salt. Fluff it with a fork and let it sit about 10 minutes until warm, not hot, so the grains do not break when mixed.
3. Heat the oil; fry the peanuts, dals, mustard seeds, chillies and curry leaves. Start with the peanuts on medium heat and fry them about 2 minutes until they crackle and the skins darken.
4. Add the chana dal and urad dal and fry until light golden, about 1 minute.
5. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter, then add the dry red chillies, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves and fry a few seconds until the leaves turn crisp.
6. Stir in the turmeric powder and hing; switch off. Stir for 5–10 seconds only so the turmeric cooks in the hot oil without burning.
7. Pour over the rice, add the lemon juice and mix gently. Use your fingers or a flat spatula and lift the rice from below so every grain turns yellow without turning mushy.
8. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed. The rice should taste clearly sour and salty, as the flavour softens on standing.
9. Cover and rest the pulihora for 15 minutes before serving so the rice takes in the lemon and tempering.

Tips

• Add the lemon juice off the heat so it stays sharp. Cooked lemon juice turns bitter.
• Cook the rice slightly firm and let it cool before mixing; hot, soft rice turns pasty.
• Keep the turmeric powder in the oil for just a few seconds; burnt turmeric gives a dark colour and a bitter taste.
• Leftover rice from the morning works well, as the grains are already firm and separate.

Variations

• Cashews: fry 10 cashew halves with the peanuts for a festive pulihora.
• Mamidikaya pulihora: in place of lemon juice, mix in 1 cup grated raw mango with the tempering.
• Grated coconut: add 2 tbsp grated coconut along with the lemon juice for a milder rice.