Lemon Rice

5 from 1 vote

A comforting recipe made using rice, Lemon Rice is bright, vibrant, citrus-y and delicious.

It comes together in under 30 minutes, needs a handful of ingredients and makes a great side or even a complete meal by itself!

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: South Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 417kcal

Author: Smruti

Cook the rice using a Instant Pot or traditional pressure cooker. Release the pressure and open the cooker. Add salt and lemon juice.
Fluff the rice and set aside.
In a wide pan add oil. Add the whole peanuts.
Let them fry for a few minutes till they are crisp and brown. Remove and set aside
In the same oil add mustard seeds and asafetida.
Then add cumin seeds, urad dal and chana dal.
Once they splutter, add curry leaves, cilantro and green chili. Mix well.
Add turmeric powder and turn down the flame.
Transfer the tempering along with the fried peanuts, remaining cilantro and lemon zest into the rice.
Mix well and enjoy at room temperature or as desired.

Adding some lemon zest takes the recipe from great to amazing. So do not skip that. Also, adding some lemon leaves is a great idea.

The recipe needs rice that has cooled down. So either use leftover rice or cool freshly prepared rice before using.

Peanuts add a lot of crunch to the recipe and so do urad and chana dal. Try and get them all for the perfect crunch. However, cashews, raisins and even cranberries can be added to the recipe for texture.

The same recipe can also be made with cooked quinoa, brown rice or millet of your choice.

The recipe is naturally Vegan and can be made gluten-free by picking a flour-free asafetida brand.