Lemon is a popular citrus fruit that is used in cooking all around the world. There are a number of ways one can use lemons, starting from making refreshing beverages, and adding flavour in soups to making delicious achars (pickles). Just adding a few drops of lemon to any dish can drastically change its flavour. While lemons can be consumed at any time of the year, depending on their availability, this vibrant yellow fruit is best to be consumed in the summer as it has cooling and several health-benefiting properties. For those who don't know much about lemons' health benefits, take a look at our list below.
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Health Benefits Of Lemons:
Lemon juice helps you keep hydrated. Photo Credit: istock
- Lemon juice keeps you hydrated in the summer season.
- It is a good source of vitamin C, which helps in aiding digestive issues.
- It has antibacterial and antioxidant properties that help in boosting the immune system.
- Lemons are rich in iron and may help in fighting anaemia.
- It is low in calories which helps with weight loss.
Here Are 5 Ways To Use Lemon In Cooking:
If you have a lot of lemons lying around in your fridge and you don't know how to use them, fret not, we are here to help you. In this article, we will show you how you can use lemons in cooking.
1. Mango Ginger Lemonade
Quench your thirst with a chilled glass of mango ginger lemonade. This lemonade recipe is not similar to the basic lemonade drink. It is absolutely refreshing and is loaded with flavours of sweet-succulent mangoes, tangy lemon, and spiciness of ginger. All you need to do to make this tasty drink is blend mangoes and their pulp with lemon, honey, ginger, and mint leaves. Pour it into a glass and enjoy it. For the full recipe, click here.
Opt for plain water or natural drinks with less sugar to keep yourself hydrated Photo Credit: Pixabay
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2. Greek Salad With Lemon Dressing
Salads are not everyone's favourite food. Why? Because most of us consider it bland and boring. But did you know you can enhance the flavour of salad with delicious dressings? Especially a lemon dressing would be perfect for a Greek salad. Make this humble dressing at home with fresh lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and a few other spices. Give it a mix and drizzle it over the salad. For the full recipe, click here.
3. Lemon Rice
A squeeze of lemon makes everything better. Prepare a tang-flavoured rice dish with fresh lemon juice in 20 minutes. This dish can be a great option for a lunch or dinner meal. All you have to do is mix boiled rice with a spiced tempering and generously add lemon juice to it. Mix all the ingredients well and serve hot lemon rice. For the full recipe, click here.
Add roasted nuts to the lemon rice. Photo Credit: Pexels
4. Lemon Chicken
Of course, we have not forgotten our non-vegetarian pals! You can make an exotic chicken dish with lemons. Our lemon chicken recipe is packed with flavours of authentic Indian spices and the sourness of lemons. Prepare this dish for a special occasion and impress your guests. This recipe only requires cooking chicken in masala and lemon juice for 30 minutes. For the full recipe, click here.
5. South Indian-Style Lemon Pickle
Who doesn't like Indian pickles? They are zesty and loaded with spices. One of the most loved pickles is the South Indian-style lemon pickle. If you have a lot of lemons at home, we suggest you pickle them in red chilli powder, salt, turmeric, and a few other spices. You can follow this recipe, to prepare a tangy South Indian-style lemon pickle at home.
Enjoy the summer with the freshness of lemons.