Yellow peanut rice is a South Indian recipe that I’ve been eating since I was young. I don’t even know if that’s the right name but that’s just what we call it in my family. The rice is made with lemon, coconut, fried spices, peanuts, cilantro and it’s yellow in color from hulthi or turmeric spice.
Turmeric is really good for health so I try and put a little bit of it in most things I cook. It’s a close relative of ginger and similarly has a bit of a pungent flavor and helps to soothe the stomach. The spice comes from the root of a tropical shrub. It’s been used in traditional Indian medicine for a long time to treat ailments and recently has been shown to help fight diseases – cancer, diabetes, arthritis and Alzeimers. You can find it in most grocery stores.
*fresh dill is a nice addition to this rice which I fry for a few seconds before adding in the rice to the pan.
Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon oil + 1 tablespoon oil
1/3 cup raw peanuts
pinch hing (asafoetida)
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon urad dal
1/2 teaspoon chana dal
1 dried red chili, broken in two (alternative is chopped green chilis which adds more spice)
4 fresh curry leaves
juice of 1 lemon
handful frozen fresh grated coconut, thawed
cilantro for garnish
salt
Method
Cook the rice in a rice cooker or on stove with water and turmeric mixed in. To make the rice not stick I sometimes add a little oil. Set cooked rice aside.
In a small pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil and put in peanuts under medium heat. Fry peanuts until they are fragrant and turn golden brown. Put peanuts aside. (They will get crunchier as they sit out.)
In a wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil under medium heat. To test the oil is hot put in a couple mustard seeds and they should start sizzling. Then add the rest of the mustard seeds and hing. Shake up the pot and cover (this is so the mustard seeds don’t pop out of the pan and burn you!) Once they pop for a few seconds, lower the heat and add the urad dal, chana dal, dried red chili and curry leaves (rub leaves between your hands a little before putting in pan to release oils). Coat them with oil and fry for a few seconds. The urad dal and chana dal should turn a brownish hue. Add the rice into the wok and mix well. Fry for a few minutes.
Turn the heat off and mix in the lemon juice and coconut. Add in the peanuts and salt to your taste. Garnish with cilantro and serve with yogurt raita.
Follow
from first glance, your dish looked like lemon rice. but after reading the recipe, you went a sort of diff direction.
my mom would do something similar to what you made if there was leftover rice from the night before. except instead of pouring the spices over the rice, she’d keep the heat on and add the rice to the spices and quasi-stir fry a lil. that way, no drop of spiced oil will be left behind in the pan. she would also add the lemon juice to the rice mixture to give that contrast flavor.
religious implications aside, coconuts are overrated. the nut addition is clutch, but i think cashews seal the deal. but thats just me, and im a cashew kinda guy.
overall great site.
oops i totally do fry the spices in the wok and add the rice! I was mixing up what I do for another recipe. i just edited this one. this recipe has lemon as well and i love coconut because it adds a sweet flavor and nice texture. cashews are delicious. thanks for adding this idea to the comments.
Yellow peanuts rice looks yummy..
I love the backstory. Reminds me of the day I brought a paper towel-lined shoebox full of my grandma’s empanadas to 4th grade for international day. Same story!
This is a great recipe for using up left over rice (as mentioned above). Just add 1/4-1/2 tsp. turmeric to the vagharne after the dhals have lightly browned (it burns quickly) and then add the rice into the wok and mix well to get an even color. Cook in the wok to heat through and “marry” the flavors. When you add the salt and lemon juice it will become a nice “lemony” yellow. The fresh coriander leaves freshen it up and the coconut is an added bonus. In our family, peanuts were the traditional nuts added to this dish for festivals. They have a distinctive flavor that complements the lemon and other spices. We used cashews in sweet dishes.
I love this recipe! I have been using cashews in place of the peanuts (I’m not a big peanut fan), and it’s always delicious. I’ve been working on perfecting it, and when I make a bunch to take to share, folks always ask for the recipe.
Yum.
One question: my dals are always a little too hard, even after I fry them a lot. Do you have any tips on getting them to be softer?
I’m so glad! Yes cashews are a great variation in this recipe. The fried dals are nice for texture and when I make the dish, they are a bit crunchy and hard. You can always omit them if they are not working for you though, but I have noticed that the next day in the rice the lentils are somewhat softer. I’m wondering if they are absorbing some of the moisture from the rice and lemon so maybe soaking them in water a little after frying would soften them up a bit. Let me know how it goes!
Aha! I will try that next time and let you know what happens; I did have some leftover rice a couple of weeks ago that had been in the fridge for a bit, and the dal was indeed softer.
Thanks!
great recipe..will try this surely!
YUMMY dish as well as easy
preparation…loved it