Recipe & Images AMBER BREMNER
My current home came with well-established citrus trees that gift us more than we can handle, every year. Limes are the most well used—so versatile in both sweet and savoury dishes, and even just a cheeky squeeze can give a lift where it’s needed most. Try freezing excess limes, pre-chopped, to add to next summer’s drinks.
Think of this pilaf style rice dish as an upgrade on regular rice. It’s fragrant with the mellow flavour of cooked lime, and the fresh sharpness of lime zest and juice added just before serving. Try it as a side with curry, stir fried vegetables or marinated tofu, or just add a few greens and call it a simple meal.
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1½ cups basmati rice
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 lime, washed and quartered
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely grated
5mm slice of fresh ginger
¼ tsp salt
TO SERVE
½ cup roasted cashews
½ cup finely chopped coriander
zest and juice of a lime
more lime for squeezing
In a saucepan that has a lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned. Wash rice by rinsing well in a sieve, then add to the saucepan. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring to coat the grains of rice with oil and to prevent sticking. Add the stock, water, quartered lime, garlic, ginger and salt. Turn heat up and bring to a simmer, then cover and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 15 minutes undisturbed, then turn the heat off and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
To serve, remove and discard the lime segments and slice of ginger. Gently fluff the rice and stir through the cashews, coriander and zest and juice of a lime. Serve with extra lime segments for squeezing, if you like.
