South Indian Lunch Menu #3 / Variety Rice Lunch Menu

Today I'm going to share a simple south Indian variety rice lunch menu. Its a simple and quick lunch menu and also perfect for the lunch box. The menu is lemon rice, curd rice, ladiesfinger curry, vadagams and pickle. It's is perfect for summer, very light and yummy recipes.



Here is the separate links for the recipes. You can check the separate links or check for the recipes in the below post.

Lemon Rice
Ladiesfinger Curry
Curd Rice ( Recipe Below )
Pickle

Also you can check for other lunch menu recipes

• South Indian Lunch Menu #1

• South Indian Lunch Menu #2

Lemon Rice
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Lemon Rice is one of the popular and common rice dish in South India.Its very easy and prepared in jiffy when you have cooked rice in hand or you have any leftover rice in the fridge you can use that too

Ingredients

• Cooked Rice - 2 cups
• Split Bengal gram - 1 tbsp
• Roasted Groundnuts - few (optional)
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Green Chillies- 4, slit lengthwise
• Curry Leaves few 
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Lemon juice from one
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Method

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan/ kadai / wok, when hot add split bengal gram and fry till its turn brown in color. Then add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.

• Add green chillies,turmeric powder, curry leaves, roasted groundnuts and salt fry for 1 min(do not burn).

• Then add the cooked rice to it and mix well.

• Cut the lemon into half and take out the seeds, turn of the flame and squeeze the juice to the rice and mix well and serve.

Note:

1. Cooked rice should be completely cool before adding to kadai, other wise it will become soggy.
2. Do not squeeze the lemon with seeds to the rice otherwise it taste bitter sometimes.
3. You can also fry some cashew nuts along with the channa dal   ( optional )

Ladies Finger stirfry / Curry

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Vendakkai curry - an easy south Indian style ladies finger curry without coconut. It pairs well with rice and chappathi. I added sambar podi/ powder to this recipe. That gives a very nice taste to this curry.

Ingredients

• 250 gms of Ladies Finger / vendakkai / Okra
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 Tomatoes, medium sized chopped
• 2 Dry Red Chillies
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilly powder
• 1 tsp Sambar powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp of Oil

Method

• Wash and pat dry the ladies finger before chopping to avoid the slime. I usually wash it and strain the water completely and place them in a kitchen towel to dry.

• Now chop the ladies finger into small pieces.

• Heat oil in a pan, when hot add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.

• Next add the ladies finger and fry for one minute.

• Cover the pan with the lid and cook in a medium flame for 2 minutes. in between stir it 2 or 3 times.

• Remove the lid/cover and add the onion, tomatoes, chilly powder, sambar powder and salt and mix well.

• Cook the curry in low medium flame and keep stirring in between to avoid burning.

• Sprinkle water if needed. Top/pour oil if  the curry sticks to the pan.

• Once done transfer to a bowl and serve with rice or chappathi.

Curd Rice

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Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Cooked Rice
• 1/4 litre Curd
• 1 tbsp of Oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Channal Dal / Bengal Gram
• Few Cashew Nuts
• 1 Dry red Chilly
• Few Curry Leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Place the cooked rice in a large bowl. Add curd, salt and 2 tbsp of water. Mix well and keep aside.

• Heat oil in a wok, when hot add bengal gram and mustard seeds. Wait till the mustard seeds splutter.

• Add cashew nuts, curry leaves and dry chilli and fry. Do not burn.

• Add this tempering / tadka to the rice and mix well.