Lemon Rice with Roasted Almonds, peas, Ghee and Spices
Autumn is a time to nurture our body and soul with comfort food. The cold winds and rainy days calls for tasty and warming dishes to soothe our gut and heat our body. This recipe calls for the perfect blend of basmati rice, ghee, sweet peas, and the almonds make this dish even more satisfying.
In Ayurveda - the science of life and food - teaches us that these ingredients cooked together help build our ojas (vigour and vital energy that nourishes all tissues in our body = body, mind, spirit) because of its sweet, tasty and heavy quality. Ojas builds resilience and if you’re someone that gets cold a lot than this recipe is for you!
Ghee is a clarified butter - please give it a chance. We need good quality fat in our diet for many benefits. Ghee is the perfect lubricator, it oils the body from the inside out. And, in these cold seasons getting dry skin is common - so oil up! You’ll love the taste, as well. I’m hooked - I even include it in my homemade applesauce (recipe on my site).
This recipe calls for a lot of lemon juice. The sour taste from the lemon juice helps the body excrete fluids into the digestive organs, which also helps to relieve dryness. To my surprise I learned that the acid from the lemon once digested becomes alkalizing in the gut. How cool is that!
Enjoy your spices! The cumin, turmeric and mustard seeds will aid with digestion. They are all pungent spices (cumin is also bitter and has a beauiful aromatic sent), and will bring more blood flow to your digestive organs.
Recipe
1 cup basmati rice
1 cup sweet peas
1/2 cup almonds - rinse, soak and rinse again
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup ghee - clarified butter
1-2 whole lemons
1/2 tsp salt
optional: 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
wash your rice well - until the water runs clear
Instructions
Dry roast the cumin and mustard seeds in a small pan until they begin to pop - it will bring out the flavors of the spices
in a separate pot, roast rice and almonds in the ghee until slightly browned
add 2 cups water and spices than bring to a boil, cover, simmer 25 minutes
add the peas and continue simmering another 10 minutes or until rice is tender
squeeze lemon juice over the rice and carefully transfer to another bowl - do NOT stir the rice, or the rice will break apart. Presentation is huge!
enjoy this gorgeous and delicious warming dish
Genia’s Spoon Me Tips
Almonds are a great way to strengthen your body. Warm almonds contain more protein per serving than any other nut. They are high in calcium and magnesium which supports muscle relaxation and function, a blood tonic, has natural oils (we all need healthy fats), calms the nervous system, nourishes the bones and adds moisture to your skin. Almonds are a great snack to sustain you when you need that extra energy. They are warming for the body which is perfect for Autumn weather. I always wash my almonds and dry them on a towel. If you want to remove the skin of the almonds you can pop the skin off after they've been soaking in water for 10 minutes.
For those of you sitting in a sukkah (temporary hut) next week during the holiday - what better way to enjoy a cold Autumn day as you eat outdoors with a cozy, nurturing and delicious rice dish. I hope you make this dish and wow yourself and your guests. It’s an easy recipe to follow.
Much Love,
Genia