Lemon Rice with Garbanzo beans

Lemon Rice is a classic recipe from South of India that many relish. It is the poor man's diet because all you need is lemons, rice and salt/turmeric, and is thecommon choice for "Annadanam" (Food charity) efforts in temples because of its simplicity. 

During my pregnancy, due to gestational diabetes, I had to restrict myself from eating too much rice. However in many of the festivities, mixed rice (lemon rice) was a common recipe, that I would tend to take no more than one morsel. There is a rise of Diabetes in India and many are going towards low rice and more protein (whole beans/lentil) diet.

So, I thought I will experiment with the lemon rice recipe and make a protein rich alternative, especially for the health conscious folks like me out there. The magic ingredient that I added to Lemon Rice is cooked garbanzo beans (Kondakadalai). The dish retained its signature taste of lemon rice and yet provided the needed protein to the diet in one serving.

Lemon Rice with cooked garbanzo beans (Kondakadalai)
Ingredients
Cooked Rice (can use brown rice): 3 cups
Cooked Garbanzo beans - 2 cups
Lime/Lemon (medium size) - 2
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Chopped Cilantro leaves - 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Black gram seeds (Urad dal) - 1 tbsp
Yellow split pea (Chana dal) - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 2-3
Ginger - 1 tsp (grated)
Refined oil - 3-4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 5-6 leaves
Turmeric - 3 tsp
Salt - as needed

Directions
Cooked the rice and garbanzo beans separately in pressure cooker until well cooked and soft.
Garbanzo beans needs to be soaked overnight before cooking them and cook it with salt and 2 tsp turmeric. You can also use the canned garbanzo beans directly in dish. Heat 1-2 tbsp oil and roast the peanuts and keep them aside. Add the rest of oil in a heavy pan and add mustard seeds, chana and urad dal. Once the mustard seeds sputter, add curry leaves, green chillies (chop these long so we can pick them out) and ginger, 1 tsp of turmeric and salt. Add the roasted peanuts, cooked garbanzo beans and rice and mix it well. Squeeze the lemon and mix well at the end. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves. and serve it hot. It can be eaten alone or with fritters.

The aroma of the lemon comes through when you squeeze it fresh on top after the entire rice is mixed. If you add it in with oil before adding rice, it looses its potency. Lemon is a great antioxidant (has a high percentage of ascorbic acid that is heat labile). Hence it is often recommended to add at the end of the batch right before packing. Similarly, we should add it at the end right before garnishing on the rice and when the heat is off.

The dish was excellent in that it provided the tangy taste of lemon rice and yet had the added protein and fiber from whole garbanzo beans.

Quick Bean Chile



Bean Chile is a common dish cooked in the Midwest in US served with rice or bread. Mexican chile is a variation of this that is famous in Texas and the southern states of US. In India, similar bean dishes include Chole (made with garbanzo beans) or Rajma (made with red kidney beans). At home, I also make Sambhar (lentil soup) and substitute lentils with cooked beans.

 

It is the best protein source for vegetarians and is also good for heart as it lowers cholesterol. It could be recommended for diabetics as it has loads of fibre that slows sugar intake into blood.

 

Quick Bean Chile: The little big vegetarian book - Page 426 

Ingredients for Chile: All kinds of beans (garbanzo beans (yellow, red and brown); Kidney beans (red, black, brown); pinto beans, fava beans, lima beans); 250 g (1 cup) homemade tomato sauce (see recipe below); 1 bay leaf; garlic (5 cloves); 1 tsp chopped cilantro, 1 tbsp chopped parsley; salt and black pepper for taste; 2 fresh red or green chile; 2 onions chopped, 1 tbsp ground coriander, seeds from 4 pods of cardomon, 1 tbsp grated ginger; 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.

 

Cook the beans separately in pressure cooker with salt. Heat oil and butter and saute onion, garlic and spices for 7-8 mins until brown. Pour the tomato sauce (see recipe below), add the cooked beans and bay leaf. Mix and cook in medium heat for 15 min. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley/cilantro. Serve hot with bread. I served it with butter roasted Pav (similar to burger bun).

 

  

 

Homemade tomato sauce (3 cups)

Ingredients: 4-5 cloves of garlic, 6 tbsp extra vigin oil, 2 tbsp finely chopped oregano (used powder), 1 tbsp finely chopped marjoram (used powder), 1 tbsp finely chopped basil (used powder), 1 kg tomato peeled and chopped (used with peel); 60 g sundried tomatoes (did not use), salt and black pepper to taste, 2 fresh red chile (used green chile).

 

Saute the garlic in oil, over low heat for 2-3 min, add the spices and tomatoes and let it cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper, squash the tomatoes and cover with lid and let it cook for 30-45 min over low heat. Goes well with Pasta, Pizza (if you heat it longer to make it thicker), and rice.

 

The chile was excellent with Italian flavor (similar to thick Minestrone soup that you will get at Pizza Hut or any Italian joint). Went very well with Pav. Great variety for bean lovers.. check it out..