South Indian Lemon Rice with Peanuts and Curry Leaves

Rinse and soak. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, cover with cold water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain well. Removing surface starch and pre-soaking helps the grains cook up long, separate and fluffy rather than sticky.

Cook the rice. Put the rice in the saucepan with the 450 ml water, salt and 0.5 tsp turmeric, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Rest off the heat, still covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Resting lets the steam finish cooking the grains evenly and firms them up so they do not break when mixed.

Fry the peanuts. Heat the oil in the large frying pan over medium heat, add the peanuts and fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until golden and crisp. Lift them onto the plate with the slotted spoon. Frying them first, on their own, gives the peanuts room to crisp evenly, and the oil picks up a lovely nutty flavour for the tempering.

Temper the spices. With the heat turned to medium-low, add the chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds to the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring, until the seeds pop and the dals turn light golden. Add the asafoetida and 0.5 tsp turmeric for 10 seconds, then carefully add the curry leaves and dried chillies, which will splatter, and fry for 30 seconds until crisp. Take off the heat and add the green chillies. Lower heat lets the dals toast to a crunchy golden without the spices burning.

Fold together. Add the rice, lemon juice and peanuts to the pan and fold gently with a spatula until every grain is yellow. Lift and turn rather than stir, so the grains stay whole. Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges; the lemon juice goes in off the heat so it stays fresh and zingy.