Lemon Garlic Rice

If you could taste sunshine, what do you think it would taste like? Lemons, of course. There’s something about Fall that makes me want to pack as much sunshine into my life – and my belly. And lemons, with their bright, happy flavor, can make any meal that much sunnier, especially when they take centerstage. This Lemon Garlic Rice is inspired, just a little, by one of my favorite South Indian dishes. But while that lemon rice needs more specialized ingredients and spices, this one is really simple and needs just nine ingredients you likely have on hand. It is just as tasty, and the chewy baked bits of tofu make it even more so. When you take a mouthful of this rice, you’ll be startled by the explosion of flavors and textures. There’s the tang of the lemons and the spice of the garlic, and then there’s the velvety smoothness of the rice and the chewiness of the tofu. It’s all quite amazing, but you don’t have to take my word for it. I add a ton of garlic to this recipe, because I have been madly in love with garlic my whole life and can never get enough of it. You can cut it down, but really, why would you unless you happen to love bland food? And if that were the case you wouldn’t be here, would you?

How to make lemon garlic rice

Soak your rice for a few minutes before you cook it. Just for 30 minutes, no longer. That will give you lovely, long grains of rice in your cooked dish and your lemon garlic rice will look as pretty as it tastes. Add the zest of your lemon to the rice. This really amps up the flavor, and you want to pack in as much lemon flavor into this dish as you possibly can. Cook the rice for the exact times described in the recipe – no more, no less. That way you can ensure you get perfect rice each time you make this. One rule of thumb to follow, whenever you make rice, is to never, ever, stir it in the middle of cooking. Once you’ve put the lid on your rice, you need to let it cook and then stand another 10 minutes after you turn off the stove. Once you take the lid off after 10 minutes, you can fluff the rice up with a fork. You can make this rice soy-free by not adding tofu – just use more cashews. And you can make it nut-free, of course, by not adding any cashews.

Ingredients

Lemons Garlic Rice Vegetable oil Cumin seeds Cilantro Turmeric Baked tofu or Air Fryer Tofu Raw cashews

And, of course, you’ll need salt and ground black pepper Check to get new recipe updates by email.

Serving suggestions

Any spicy curry would be fantastic with this lemon garlic rice, like a Mirchi ka Salan, Chana Masala, Aloo Palak or Palak Tofu Paneer. Or just eat it by itself.