Chile Peanut Rice

This is another great recipe if you want to use up rice.  These days we seem to have rice that is already dolled up, and only occasionally are searching from something to do with the leftovers, but this is really nice.

• 3 cups cooked basmati rice (from about 1 cup dry rice)
• 2 Tbsp. (or more) fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
• 1 tsp. (or more) kosher salt
• ½ cup ghee or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp. black mustard seeds
• 10 fresh curry leaves
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
• 1 medium onion, sliced into thin strips
• 2 small Indian green chiles or serrano chiles, halved lengthwise (no need to stem them)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves with tender stems
  • Combine rice, lime juice, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

  • Heat ¼ cup ghee in a shallow medium pan over medium. Once ghee melts (or oil begins to shimmer), add mustard seeds. As soon as they begin to pop and dance around in the ghee, which should be within seconds, remove pan from heat. Add curry leaves, making sure they get fully coated in ghee (there may be more popping and splattering, and that’s okay!). The leaves should immediately crisp up in the residual heat.

  • Return pan to medium-low heat and add peanuts. Cook, stirring, until peanuts turn a medium shade of brown and become fragrant, 5–8 minutes. Pour peanut mixture over reserved rice mixture and toss gently to incorporate.

  • Heat remaining ¼ cup ghee in same pan over medium. Once ghee melts (or oil begins to shimmer), add onion and chiles, spreading in an even layer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned and starting to caramelize, 5–7 minutes. Stir onion mixture into rice. Taste and add more salt and lime juice, if needed. Garnish with cilantro before serving.