Lemon Rice

 This is the dish from our time in Chennai, that I cook the most. It is equally as satisfying for breakfast with an egg and filter coffee as it is for lunch with an ice cold glass of sweet lime soda, and as good hot as it is cold. It appeals to the entire stadium of taste buds and senses, as it is a little crunchy, a little sweet and a little sour and salty, too.

This dish, like most south Indian dishes, initially seemed intimidating, given it's complex flavors, but with a little careful mis en place, is very easy to make and all of the ingredients are available in your local Asian or Indian food market. (You have one! Just Google it!)It may seem silly that I use limes in a recipe for Lemon Rice, but if you've spent time in India you'll know that the lemons are tiny and green. I tend to think after much experimentation, that the flavor is much more like the limes we know here in the U.S.A. and that they most closely resemble the dish that our beloved cook, Mrs. Rita, taught me to make in our kitchen in Chennai. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!