Rice salad with herbs and lemon dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 2 tbsp. l. rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 medium red onion, cut into thin half rings
• 1 medium carrot, cut into thin strips
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basilica, chop coarsely
• 1 bunch watercress, remove tough stems, tear the leaves by hand

Preparation:

1. Zest one lemon thinly. Place half of the zest in a frying pan, add vegetable oil, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
2. Cook the rice in salted water with the remaining lemon zest until tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl, discarding the zest. Cool the rice to room temperature.
3. Prepare the dressing: Squeeze the juice of two lemons into a bowl. Add vinegar, brown sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove the zest from the lemon oil and add it to the dressing, stirring. Add the onion to the dressing and let it marinate for 15 minutes.
4. Add carrots, cucumber, peanuts, cilantro, mint, basil, and watercress to the bowl with rice. Add the dressing along with the onion and toss gently.