When your kids return home from school, do you stress about what should you serve them? They do come hungry and excited for lunch, right? If you are someone who wants to try a new recipe, then this Lemon Rice recipe is surely going to make you and your kids happy.
Lemon rice is an exotic, delectable, and delicious food choice which needs just a few ingredients. It is easy to prepare and so good that you might just start eating straight from the pot!!
I have included both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options for everyone out there who wants to try both the delicacies. The vegetarian recipe was passed down to me by my grandma. She used to love cooking, and every Saturday we went to her house to the world’s best food. Those days were good.
Without any more talk, let’s get straight to the recipes!!
Lemon Rice In Rice Cooker
I love cooking rice in my Rice Cooker. It is a really convenient and fast way to cook rice and it surely saves a lot of time. You can customize your own lemon rice by adding as much or as little fresh lemon juice after cooking so that it enhances the taste.
You can all the flavors that you want, my personal favorite is adding peas to the rice. It improves the color of my lemon rice and increases the visual appeal of the dish. You can add butter, potatoes, onion, and anything that you want.
Rice that I used: My personal favorites are Basmati Rice. They have long grains and when you cook them, you get an amazing smell that makes your mouth water. The basmati grains cook up lighter and fluffier, and individual grains remain distinct when cooked instead of sticking together. Which means no more mushed up rice!!!!
What you are going to need
List of Ingredients
Olive Oil – 2 Tablespoons
Chopped Onions – ½ a bell
Basmati Rice – 1 and a ½ cup (Well rinsed and drained)
Garlic Cloves – 2 to 3 (Minced)
Lemon Zest – 2 teaspoons
Vegetable broth – 2 cups (You can take chicken broth for non-vegetarian option)
Water – ½ a cup
Lemon Juice – ¼ cup
Salt – to taste
Fresh Dill, Parsley – 1 tbsp each
Pepper, Dried Oregano, Ground Cumin – ¼ tsp each
Butter – To taste (Optional)
Feta – ¼ cup
Instructions on How To Cook Lemon Rice in a cooker:
Step #1 Use a thick bottomed rice cooker for this recipe. I used a rice cooker with a tight lid. Put the cooker on medium heat and heat up olive oil. If you do not have olive oil, or you don’t want to use it, you can swap it for any vegetable oil of your choice.
Step #2 Add chopped onion in the cooker and saute it till light golden brown.
Tip for onions: You can add a pinch of salt to the onion while cooking them if you want to speed up the process. I use this trick when I am cooking a pan full of onions and want to cook them evenly without burning them.
Step #3 Add Rice, Lemon Zest, and garlic. Saute for about 1 minute to let the rice soak in the flavors
Step #4 Stir in the Broth and add some water if rice is not completely submerged. The quantity of liquid in the cooker must be exactly double the amount of rice.
Step #5 Bring everything to boil and then bring the flame to low. Add salt, stir, and close the lid, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes on low flame.
Step #6 If like me, you use a cooker with a whistle, you must wait till 2 whistles. Or just cook them for 12 to 15 minutes.
If you are using a pan instead of the rice cooker, the same amount of time is required for the cooking to complete. Just stir once every 5 minutes to avoid burning of rice and having undercooked rice.
Step #7 Once the rice is cooked, remove the cooker from heat and stir. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Step #8 Add 1-2 tablespoon of lemon juice if desired. Season with pepper, Dill, Oregano, Parsley and serve hot.
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Now, let’s come to the non-vegetarian recipe.
My best friend of six years loves to prepare this for her family. She says that one day she was just looking for a new recipe, and she found this Greek-style rice soup that just made her go to the kitchen and start cooking. Even I couldn’t resist the aroma and ate two servings when I visited her for lunch.
So, I stole her recipe (not literally) and here I am sharing it with you.
Greek Lemon Rice
This greek delicacy, called Avgolemono (I read about it on the internet), is a classic Greek soup. It is thickened with eggs and is loaded with rice and chicken. And the main flavor that we get from this dish is of lemon. It is a hearty soup which takes minimal effort and is prepared in around 30 minutes.
Greek Lemon Rice Soup With Chicken
What you are going to need
List of ingredients:
Chicken broth – 8 cups
Fresh Lemon Juice – ½ cup
Shredded carrots – ½ cup
Chopped onion – ½ cup
Celery, chopped – ½ cup
Chicken soup base – 6 tbsp
Ground white pepper – ¼ tsp
Margarine – ¼ cup
All-purpose flour – ½ cup
White rice, cooked – 1 cup
Chicken meat, cooked and diced – 1 cup
Lemon – 16 slices
Egg yolks – 8
Preparation Process-
Step #1 Use a large pot, as you are going to use a lot of ingredients and you don’t want to spill.
Step #2 Combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, carrots, onions, celery, soup base, and white pepper in the pan. Bring to boil on high flame and then let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Step #3 Meanwhile, blend the butter and the flour together. Once done, add it to the soup mixture. Simmer for additional 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step #4 Beat the egg yolks until light in color. Add some of the hot soup to the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Once done, return the egg mix to the soup pot and heat it up.
Step #5 Add cooked rice and chicken.
Serve hot garnished with lemon slices.
Conclusion
Do write in the comment section how your rice dish came out. I would love to read about them.
