Lemon Rice - How to Cook Lemon Rice

Lemon rice is flavour packed, easy to make South Indian rice dish. Fresh lemon juice, herbs and spices add refreshing taste in this dish. You can serve lemon rice with plain yogurt or as a side dish with curry it makes one of the quickest lunch recipes that are simple and delicious. All you need is basic pantry ingredients and 20 minutes.

If you love turmeric yellow rice that is healthy, quick and packed with spicy lemony flavour and looks gorgeous on the table this is the dish for you. Not only for lunch or dinner this is one of the popular breakfast dishes which is often made with leftover rice. 

About Lemon rice

Lemon rice is also known as Chitrana in Karnataka or Elumichai sadam in Tamil Nadu. This easy and simple recipe is made with cooked rice, tempering of a few spices and a lot of lemon juice or Indian lime juice. In this lemony rice dish, fresh lime juice gives it a refreshing and tangy flavour. You can use lemons but In India, mostly lime is used which has a stronger flavour, and are more tart than lemons.

Why do I love Lemon Rice?

First of all, this makes my life easy! 

1. Flavour packed and can be made with leftovers.
2. Easy to make and super quick lunch recipe.
3. Easy main with yogurt, pickle & poppadom 
4. Vegetarian rice dish that can be made vegan.
5. One of the most popular lunch box recipes from South Indian cuisine. 
6. Can be made with basic pantry ingredients.
7. On the table in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients for Lemon Rice

Rice: Any medium grain rice or long grain rice work great.

Spices & Seasonings: Turmeric. Salt, hing/asafoetida 

Tempering ingredients: Urad dal, Chana Dal, Ghee

Fresh: Curry leaves, green chilli, lime juice, coriander leaves.

How to Make Lemon Rice ?

First step is making cooked rice. You can cook rice with any of the given method. Instant pot rice, cooked rice in rice cooker and rice cooked in open pot all work fine. I am sharing with you all these methods.

Instant Pot Rice

Lemon rice in the rice cooker

Rice cooker lemon rice is one of the easiest things to make. If you want to cook lemon rice completely in a rice cooker without using a stovetop you can do so easily. First prepare tempering or tadka of the lemon rice (As I have shown in step by step recipe) in the rice cooker itself.

Switch on the rice cooker on cooking mode, add ghee or oil and follow the rest of the steps of tempering. Prepare this tempting mixture switch of the rice cooker. Take out the tempering in a separate bowl and keep it aside.

Now wipe the inner pot of the rice cooker and add rinsed and soaked rice. Add water and salt. Cover with rice cooker lid and cook rice as per cooking program. 

After the rice is done cooking add the tempering mix along with a generous quantity of lime juice and mix everything well. Your rice cooker lemon rice is ready.

Lemon Rice Stovetop Method

For this method first cook rice either on the stovetop or rice cooker or make Instant pot rice. You can even use leftover rice if you have that in the fridge. 

While I was making this recipe I cooked rice in the rice cooker.

First, rinse rice two-three times in plenty of water till the water runs clear. Now add these drained out rice to the rice cooker.

Add double the quantity of water as per rice. For 1 cup rice add 2 cups water. Add salt, mix everything together and cover with a rice cooker lid. Switch on the steamed rice program and once the rice cooker switches to keep warm function. Rice is ready to be used.

For making Lemon Rice tempering

On the stovetop place a pan and add ghee or oil as per your preference. 

Now add raw peanuts and roast them on slow heat for 2-3 minutes.

Drain them out of the pan and in the same pan add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal. Fry them for a few minutes on slow heat and then add chopped green chillies and grated ginger, dried red chillies and curry leaves.

Saute’ them for a minute and then add turmeric mix and cook for 1 minute. Add 2-3 tablespoon water and cook this dal for 2-3 minutes to make dal slightly soft.

Now add cooked rice and mix gently with tempering, add lime juice and cook for a minute more. Add roasted peanuts and toss well. Sprinkle some chopped coriander and enjoy a delicious bowl of lemon rice.

Recipe Notes and Tips 

• You can cook rice in the instant pot, on the stovetop in a pan or pressure cooker or rice cooker. You can use pre-cooked rice or make lemon rice with leftover rice.
• I have used split urad dal in the tempering you can use skinned urad dal.
• You can soak chana dal for a few minutes before but I used raw as I like the crunch you can use after soaking for a few minutes.
• If you are using lemons you can also add some zest as well for a more lemony flavour.
• If you can’t find raw peanuts you can use roasted peanuts but then you do not need to roast peanuts in ghee. 

Is lemon rice good for health?

Lemon rice is a healthy meal option. It is made with fresh ingredients, without too much fat and is homemade. I have provided approximate nutrition values with the macronutrient breakup in the recipe below. In case you are on some restrictive diet you can check the nutrition if this is suitable for your diet type.

If you want to use brown rice instead of white rice it can be a healthier option.  

What to Serve with Lemon Rice?

Lemon rice is a great main dish along with some chilled curd or raita and some pickle and popadom on the side. Lemon rice side dish is excellent either with some dal, chana masala, paneer tikka or Chettinad egg curry, Paneer ghee roast etc. 

How to Store Leftovers?

This is one of the quickest meal recipes you can make so I advise you to make it fresh. You can cook rice and freeze them. When you are in the mood for lemon rice, take out rice and heat them in the microwave. Make a fresh tempering with the steps listed in the recipe card and add to the rice and enjoy a warm comforting bowl of lemon rice.

But in case you have leftovers you can store them in the fridge for 2-4 days. You can store rice in freezer-safe containers, stash bags or ziplock bags for up to 3 months. Always able them with storage date so you remember.

More Such Recipes You Can Try

• Chana Sundal 

• Beans Poriyal 

• Curd Rice 

• Vegetable Kurma 

• Coriander Lemon Soup 

• Egg Fried Rice 

• Delicious & Easy Rice Recipes

📖 Recipe

Lemon Rice Recipe 

Easy Lemon rice recipe that is flavour packed, easy to make South Indian rice recipe. You can serve lemon rice with plain yogurt or as a side dish with curry it makes one of the quickest lunch recipes that are simple and delicious. All you need is basic pantry ingredients and 20 minutes

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: indian cuisine, south indian

Keyword: lemon rice, lemon rice recipe, rice recipes, south indian, south Indian breakfast

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 287kcal

Author: Rekha Kakkar

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Non-Stick Pan (US)

Ingredients

Rice Ingredients

• 2 cups Rice
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Tempering ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Turmeric.
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida hing
• 1 teaspoon Urad dal
• 1 tablespoon Chana Dal
• 2 tablespoon Ghee
• 2 Curry leaves sprig
• 2 green chilli
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoon coriander leaves
• 4 tablespoon raw peanuts

Instructions

Cooking Rice in Rice Cooker

• First, rinse rice two-three times in plenty of water till the water runs clear.
• Now add these drained out rice to the rice cooker.
• Add double the quantity of water as per rice. For 1 cup rice add 2 cups water. Add salt, mix everything together and cover with a rice cooker lid.
• Switch on the steamed rice program and once the rice cooker switches to keep warm function. Rice is ready to be used.

Cooking Rice on Stove Top

• First, rinse rice two-three times in plenty of water till the water runs clear.
• Now add these drained out rice to the saucepan.
• Add double the quantity of water as per rice. For1 cup rice add 2 cups water. Add salt, mix everything together and after first boil reduce the heat to slowest and cover with a lid.
• After 10 minutes switch off the heat and let the pot stand covered for 6-7 minutes.

For making Lemon Rice tempering

• On the stovetop place a pan and add ghee or oil as per your preference.
• Now add raw peanuts and roast them on slow heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Drain them out of the pan and in the same pan add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal.
• Fry them for a few minutes on slow heat and then add chopped green chillies and grated ginger, dried red chillies and curry leaves.
• Saute’ them for a minute and then add turmeric mix and cook for 1 minute. Add 2-3 tablespoon water and cook this dal for 2-3 minutes to make dal slightly soft.

Assembling Lemon rice

• Now add cooked rice and mix gently with tempering, add lime juice and cook for a minute more.
• Add roasted peanuts and toss well.
• Sprinkle some chopped coriander and enjoy a delicious bowl of lemon rice.

Notes

• You can cook rice in the instant pot, on the stovetop in a pan or pressure cooker or rice cooker. You can use pre-cooked rice or make lemon rice with leftover rice.
• I have used split urad dal in the tempering you can use skinned urad dal.
• You can soak chana dal for a few minutes before but I used raw as I like the crunch you can use after soaking for a few minutes.
• If you are using lemons you can also add some zest as well for a more lemony flavour.
• If you can’t find raw peanuts you can use roasted peanuts but then you do not need to roast peanuts in ghee. 

Nutrition

Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 441mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

Lemon Rice Stepwise Recipe with Pictures

First, rinse rice two-three times in plenty of water till the water runs clear.

Add double the quantity of water as per rice. For 1 cup rice add 2 cups water. Add salt, mix everything together and cover with a rice cooker lid.

Now add these drained out rice to the rice cooker.

Switch on the steamed rice program and once the rice cooker switches to keep warm function. Rice is ready to be used.

On the stovetop place a pan and add ghee or oil as per your preference. Add mustard seeds.

Add urad dal, chana dal. Fry them for a few minutes on slow heat.

Then add chopped green chillies and grated ginger and curry leaves.

Now Add dried red chillies and fry them.

Add cashew and fry them for 30 seconds on slow flame.

Tip in salt as per your taste.

Now add turmeric mix and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoon water and cook this dal for 2-3 minutes to make the dal slightly soft.

Add this tempering or tadka to the cooked rice. 

Pour lime juice Sprinkle some chopped coriander mix nicely and enjoy a delicious bowl of lemon rice.