Tag Archives: lemon

10 Minute Lemony Rice Noodles (Lemon Idiappam)

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lemon rice noodles I love rice noodles in any form and this lemony rice noodles recipe is one of my quick and easy favorites. In India we make a similar dish using fresh string hoppers (rice noodles) called lemon idiappam. I use store bought dry rice noodles (also called rice sticks or rice vermicelli) as a shortcut. The rice noodles only need a quick soaking in hot water. And while the noodles are soaking you can prepare the tadka (tempered spices). So you can make this dish in just 10 minutes.

You can find rice noodles in the Asian aisle of the grocery store, or at Asian markets where there is usually more variety and brands. Make sure the only ingredient listed on the packet is rice or rice flour. Some brands will list water and salt, besides the rice as ingredients and thats ok.
lemon, ginger, rice noodles, curry leaves
 The seasoning for these lemon rice noodles is simple and easy. Its the standard Indian “tadka” – a tempering of whole spices in oil. I then add freshly squeezed lemon juice and turmeric to the tadka before throwing in the rice noodles.
tadka of chana dal, curry leaf, mustard seeds, turmeric This is a crowd pleasing recipe, easy to make, and keeps well so you can take it for pot lucks and picnics. Kids will also love it. Serve it with a simple coconut chutney, pumpkin spinach curry, or my cashew nut curry. Make it a complete meal by throwing in some steamed broccoli or sautéed vegetables on top of the noodles.
lemon rice noodles

Lemony Rice Noodles (Lemon Idiappam) Recipe

serves about 4

Ingredients
8 oz rice sticks
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds, optional
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoons chana dal, optional.
1 tablespoon cashewnuts
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 green chili slit. Use more if you like it hot.
6 curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida, optional
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, optional
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

 Method
1. Soak the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat a large wok with the oil. Add the mustard seeds if using. When they pop, add the cumin seeds, chana dal, cashew nuts, ginger, chili, curry leaves and asaf0etida. Stir on medium-low heat till fragrant and the chana dal and cashews are golden.

3. Add turmeric, lemon juice, salt and 1 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil.

4. Immediately dd the soaked rice noodles to the wok. Using tongs, gently toss till everything is well combined. Mix in the lemon zest if using. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with Sri Lankan Cashew curry, pumpkin curry or just on its own.

 

Mango Blueberry Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing Recipe

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My sister regularly gets this blueberry mango quinoa salad with lemon basil dressing at the Marks and Spencer grocery store in UK. She also regularly raves about it to me. She says it’s the perfect healthy salad for summer – fruity, tangy, fresh and filling.

Marks and Spencer’s version of this salad has quinoa, barley, red rice, sprouts, mango, blueberry, and cucumbers. I simplified it a bit, and used only quinoa plus the fruits and cucumber.

Cut the cucumber and mango about the same size as the blueberries, so everything looks uniform. Add the fruits to the salad just before serving to ensure they are fresh and juicy. This salad recipe has as much fruits and vegetable as there is quinoa. If you want it less fruity just use less fruits or more quinoa.

The dressing recipe here will make a little more than you need. Toss  half the dressing with the quinoa. Serve the other half on the side – this always pleases the people who like their salads extra tangy!

You can customize this blueberry mango quinoa salad recipe any way you like. Here are some suggestions to add to this recipe if you want some variations:

-          Cooked chickpeas
-          Any kind of sprouts
-          Walnuts
-          Cubed jicama
-          Cubed carrot
-          Fresh mint

Here is another recipe for blueberry mango quinoa salad with lemon basil dressing ala Marks and Spencer from foodwired

Blueberry Mango Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing Recipe

Serves about 2

For the quinoa
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water

For the fruits and veggies
½ cup fresh blueberries
½ cup cubed ripe mangoes
½ cup cubed cucumbers
1/2 tablespoon dried cranberries

For the lemon basil dressing
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
10 Basil leaves, chopped finely
Salt and pepper

Place the quinoa and water in a medium skillet and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or till the quinoa is cooked. Remove the lid, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let it cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa is cooking, combine the fruits in a bowl and refrigerate till you are ready to serve the salad.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, except the chopped basil. Refrigerate till you are ready to serve. Chop and add the basil to the dressing just before serving. If you add it earlier, it will go black.

Add half the dressing to the quinoa and mix gently.

Assemble the salad just before serving – toss the quinoa, fruits and cucumbers together. Serve other half of the dressing on the side. Serve  immediately.

Jalapeno Lemonade

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This is a sweet, refreshing lemonade with a touch of heat from jalapenos that will be great for a summer barbecue. Serve it ice cold, or spike it with some tequila! Dont be afraid of the jalapenos in this recipe, they add a mild, and very pleasant flavor. And you can make the lemonade as hot or mild as you like.

In case you are curious about this jalapeno water splash photo, here is the exif info:

Shutter speed: 1/1250
Aperture: f/18
ISO: 800
Exposure: manual
Lens: Canon 60mm macro

Setup: A bowl of water by a window. Camera on tripod, set to ‘continuous shooting’ mode. I dropped jalapeno slices into the water while continuously shooting. I think I took about 100 photos to get to this one.  

In order to capture the splash, you need to set your shutter speed very high (1/1250 in this case). Because the shutter speed was high, the camera lets less light in; to compensate for this I had to bump up the ISo to 800.

Squeezing a few lemons and mixing with water and sugar is so easy, I really dont know why we buy lemonade in the store!

What does jalapeno lemonade taste like? When you first sip it, its just like regular lemonade. When you swallow, the mild spice will hit your throat. This recipe is very mild. Use 2 jalapenos if you want it spicier.

Here is a similar recipe for jalapeno lemonade on serious eats inspired by Crate & Barrels jalapeno lemonade mix. My recipe is slightly different – i used a pinch of salt, which brings out the sweet and hot flavors in the lemonade; I also made my jalapeno lemonade less sweet. Here is another jalapeno lemonade recipe on kalamazoo gourmet that doesnt require boiling the jalapenos in simple syrup.

Jalapeno Lemonade Recipe

makes about 8 cups

for jalapeno sugar syrup
1 jalapeno, cut into 4 pieces (remove seeds for a milder lemonade)
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/8th teaspoon salt

other ingredients
1 cup lemon juice (juice of about 6 large lemons), strained
6 cups water

Place the chopped jalapeno and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling till about half the water has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Then add sugar and salt and stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer just until sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.  Let the syrup cool for about 5 minutes.

Place a strainer over a pitcher. Pour the jalapeno sugar syrup, lemon juice and 6 cups water through the strainer into the pitcher. Stir well. Serve chilled over ice cubes.

For tequila spiked jalapeno lemonade recipe: follow the recipe above, but instead of 6 cups water use 5 cups water + 1/2 cup (or more!) tequila. Serve on ice.

Spiked Blueberry Lemonade

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I almost feel bad giving you a recipe for lemonade. I mean, its a no brainer right? Just mix up sugar, lemon juice, and water, thats it. So, to spruce up the humble lemonade, I added some blueberries (and vodka!). The extra tang and brilliant color were fantastic! We loved eating the lemonade soaked blueberies in the end of each glass!

The lemonade will become a stronger color if you let the blueberries sit in the lemonade for a few hours. Use either fresh or frozen blueberries. Other berries would work well too — strawberries, blueberries, huckleberries..yum!  If you are using something with lots of seeds (like raspberries), you may want to puree the fruit and strain the puree before adding it to the lemonade.  

Alcoholic version - Spiked Blueberry Lemonade:  add vodka to this lemonade. You will not be sorry you did!

Blueberry Lemonade Recipe

makes about 8 cups

1 cup sugar
1 cup lemon juice (I used bottled)
6 cups water
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Place all ingredients in a pitcher and stir till sugar dissolves. Muddle the blueberries a little using the back of a wooden spoon to release their juices and color. Taste and adjust sugar if needed. Serve chilled.

For spiked lemonade – add 1 to 2 cups of vodka (preferably citron flavor) to above recipe.

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto with Arugula

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I wanted to make a comforting, hot dish for those chilly, rainy evenings we’ve had recently. I used a beautiful bundle of asparagus (which is is season now) to make some risotto. Fresh peas would also be great in this dish. You can pretty much use any vegetable you like in this risotto, but my favorites are asparagus, peas or wild mushrooms. I also like to stir in some arugula to my risottos. The fresh, peppery arugula is a nice contrast to the creamy arborio rice.

I used a crisp, dry, Gavi white wine in the risotto. I then served the same wine with the risotto.

Below: check out the cute dishes I picked up at the local thrift store! They were perfect for serving risotto. I’m not sure what the spout is meant for, but it works well as a spoon rest. Next time, I think I’ll use these dishes for baked eggs.

Perfect Risotto Tips

- use a short grain risotto rice like arborio, carnaroli or violone
- take care not to brown the rice while cooking it in butter
- always use simmering hot stock, not cold stock
- make sure you only add one ladle full (about 1/2 cup) of stock at a time
- use a good quality dry white wine. I used a Gavi; a crisp, dry white wine from Italy.
- the wine must be at room temperature. Don’t add cold wine to risotto!
- don’t stir the risotto too much while its cooking (but do stir occasionaly!)
- risotto is done when it looks creamy, but the rice is still slightly al-dente
- for a creamier risotto stir in a little butter or cream at the end

Note: I dont like soupy risotto, so I cooked mine very aldente as you can see in the photo above. But the recipe below will give you a creamier, more moist risotto, which is how traditional risotto should be.

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto with Arugula Recipe
serves about 4

10 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups arborio or carnaroli or vialone rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup arugula leaves, shredded
1/4 cup or more grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
salt

Place vegetable stock on a large pot and bring to a gentle boil. Place the chopped asparagus in the stock and blanch for about a minute. Asparagus should be bright green and still crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the asparagus from the stock and keep aside. Reduce heat and keep the stock on simmer.

In a skillet, heat the butter and add arborio rice. Stir the rice on medium heat for about 2 minutes, or till it is fragrant (but don’t let the rice brown). Add wine to the rice and let is bubble away. When most the wine has evaporated, add one ladle of the simmering stock to the rice. Cook on medium-high heat. When the rice has absorbed most the stock, add another ladle full of stock. Repeat this process till the rice has cooked through (you may not use up all the stock).  Check the rice for doneness as you go. When the rice is done, stir in arugula, parmesan, lemon juice, zest and salt.

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