Nimmakaya pulihora / Lemon rice

The bright vibrant yellow color of of lemon rice, gives it a beautiful look and the lemons give the yummy soury taste.
Like Tamarind rice, lemon rice has its own place in the Andhra cuisine. Its also offered as naivedhyam and offered as prasadam in many South Indian Temples.
I have always loved the taste of the prasadams given in temples, they seriously have a unique taste. I can never get the exact taste at home. But still its close....
As tamarind rice is a little longer process, lemon rice or nimmakaya pulihora is better alternative to a quick dish. All you need is cooked rice ready, then all you have to do is tempering and mixing it into rice with lemon juice and salt.
Many a time, salt is mixed into the lemon juice for easy dissolving, but usually mix both salt and lemon juice directly into the rice.
Adding peanuts and cashew nuts gives it a nice crunchy taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup peanuts
2 tbsp cashew nuts
1 tbsp channa daal or chanaga pappu
1/2 tbsp urad daal or minapa pappu
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
2-3 dry red chillies, broken
bunch of curry leaves

5-6 green chillies, slit
1/8 tsp inguva or hing
1/4 tsp turmeric

1/8 cup oil
salt to taste
enough lemon juice to suit your taste

Method:

In a small pan, heat oil. Add in the peanuts first and saute. After they start to cook, add in the cashews. When they start to brown, add in the channa daal and urad daal. When they brown too, add the mustard, jeera. When they splutter, add in the red chillies and curry leaves. Next add in the green chillies, hing, turmeric and saute. Remove from heat in about 10 seconds.
Add this to the cooked rice along with lemon juice and salt. Mix well together.
Usually the rice absorbs the salt and lemon juice and it start becoming bland after a few minutes. So add some more lemon juice and salt. but be careful as to how much you add, otherwise it will become salty and too sour.
Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!!!