Lemon rice recipe is the simplest and easiest of all south Indian variety rice. If you are looking for comfort food for your soul as well as to prepare.
This one pot rice recipe is delicious though all mixed rice varieties are my favorite. I can eat without getting tired even every day for lunch.
This most commonly found in Indian lunch box both in kids as well as adults, because it is that easy!
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📖 About
Lemon rice is a south Indian style one pot dish (variety rice) packed with flavors with simple ingredients available at home.
Because of the fact it is easy to make, widely made in households and popular as well.
Lemon rice is also known as Elumichai sadam in Tamil and Chitranna in Kannada which has slight variations.
😍 Comfort food
I just hate the usual cooking sambar, poriyal, kootu, rasam 😯. Give me a mixed rice and some vadams, I will be the most happiest person in the world.
But I know most of the guys and kids hate this lemon rice. One main reason could be they got bored out of the frequency in their lunch box.
Even I have heard elders speaking about a wife giving lemon rice for the hubbys/ kids lunch box like a sin! At my home also no exception.
Vj never like variety rice, so do Aj. Aj don’t even touch lemon rice or any other variety rice for that reason.
He likes only spicy, masala kind of rice like tomato rice/ pulao, biryani. Ah, look at the taste of this guy! Spicy food lover 😎.
🍛 Side dish for lemon rice
One fine day, when I was talking to Vj something about lemon rice, he told, who said I don’t like lemon rice, I do like if I get thenga chutney (Coconut chutney) as side dish.
First I thought he is talking about thengai thogayal. Then he again said thenga chutney ground with pottu kadalai and a bit watery to add (pottukadalai chutney).
I was surprised as I heard that for first time. Then when I was talking to Jeyashri, I was expecting her too to get surprised by that combination.
But when She too joined and said yeah I too like that combination and people DO eat like that. Then I knew, I only had no idea about that combination😌.
And yes I tried it twice after that with chutney, its really awesome. So you too can try this. May be you love it?!
Goes well with
I have seen some people eat it with lemon pickle. If you are looking for vegetable side dish, you can pair it up with Aviyal or mixed veg kootu.
Lemon rice goes best with some fryums/ vadam/ vathal/ appalam too. Many sweat by south Indian Potato curry as well.
How to cook rice
1. Wash rice 2-3 times firstly. Drain water and cook rice with water ratio 1 :2 for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker.
Once done, transfer to a broad bowl and add a teaspoon of oil and a teaspoon of salt and mix carefully once and keep aside.
If you are cooking basmati rice, after washing, quickly soak in hot water for 10 mins for longer grains.
You can also reduce water quantity 1 & ½ cups for one cup of rice, if you want firmer rice.
Check out my detailed post on how to cook Basmati rice.
📝 Variations
- Rice – Basmati, sona masuri, Parboiled rice, all goes well in this recipe.
- Lemon – I use Indian lemon for desi flavor, you can use meyer lemon as well as lime.
- Peanuts – You can use cashews in place of peanuts.
I add lemon in rice / after switching off the stove. My MIL adds to the tempering and give it a boil too.
You can add finely chopped ginger and coriander leaves for extra flavor. I also think of adding lemon zest, but never have tried.
💬 Related
Recipe card
Lemon rice recipe
Ingredients
- 2 & ½ cup Cooked rice
- 2 Lemon small size Indian lemon
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- Salt – As needed
To temper
- 2 tablespoon Sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Urad dal
- 1 tablespoon Chana dal
- 3 tablespoon Peanuts
- 3 Red chilli
- 4 Green chilli
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 1 Curry leaves
Instructions
- Cook rice with water ratio 1 :2 for 3 whistles. After done, transfer to a broad bowl and add a teaspoon of oil and a teaspoon of salt and mix carefully once and keep aside.
- Squeeze lemon and collect the juice. Heat a kadai/ pan with oil, add mustard, once spluttered, add urad dal, channa dal, peanuts and redchilli. Fry till golden.
- Then add green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric. Give a quick stir and add the lemon juice. If you want you can add a tablespoon of water and switch off the stove. Add salt and mix well.
- Add it to the cooled rice and mix well. Adjust salt, sesame oil as desired.
Video
Notes
- After tempering, just switch off the stove and add lemon juice if you don’t want to loose the vitamins. You can also directly squeeze the lemon over the cooked rice like my mom does.
- Add turmeric generously. Then only you may get the colour.
- Adding red chillies and green chillies help a lot in flavour + spiciness.
- I used basmati rice , but you can use any rice or even do with left over rice.
- Give some standing time for the lemon rice to get the tastes incorporated well.
- Usually the tanginess should be more when you taste immediately. But later it will get absorbed and taste balanced.
🍋 Lemon rice method
How to cook rice for lemon rice:
1. Wash rice 2-3 times firstly. Drain water. Cook rice with water ratio 1 :2 for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker.
Once done, transfer to a broad bowl and add a teaspoon of oil and a teaspoon of salt and mix carefully once and keep aside.
2. Squeeze lemon and collect the juice. Heat a kadai/ pan with oil, add mustard, once spluttered, add urad dal, chana dal, peanuts and red chilli. Fry till golden.
3. Then add green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric. Give a quick stir and add the lemon juice. If you want you can add a tablespoon of water and switch off the stove. Add salt and mix well.
4. Add it to the cooled rice and mix well. Adjust salt, sesame oil as desired.
I totally love this simple quick lunch – Lemon rice, curd rice + mango thokku and homemade javvarisi vadam (thanks mami). And ofcourse Vj’s favorite side for this is Coconut chutney!
Raji Seriously we used to make this combination always..and particularly dad love to eat lemon rice only with this combo.. Its really wonderful combo 🙂
Yummy lemon rice!well captured!
I love to have it with Coconut chutney also..nice clicks
http://great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com
wow Aishu's fav,most of the time she ask me to pack lemon rice…wonderful spread…
I love lemon rice- i prefer it to be spicy,tangy,hot and soft at the same time..nice spread
We love lemon rice too.. Quick, simple and tongue tickling!!! love your tips and notes!!!
Sowmya
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Same scenario here; I like variety rice and raja does not so I hardly make. But I will soon convince him just for a day showing your picture with the thayir sadham and the vadams, that may tempt him too.
Its my fav , but sen is like anna. Have to ask whether he too likes with coconut chutney. Feeling hungry now, u tempted me a lot 😉
Looks really good. And the rice is so perfectly cooked. May I know how you get so fluffy and thin grained rice? What brand of Basmati rice you use?
Hi Raji How r u?
Nice combo and neatly presented…
Though i am not a big fan of Lemon rice i love this when there is coconut chutney.
Raks have u tried the same thengai chutney with Vegetable fried rice and pulao ? if not pls try now ! divine ! my fav combination ! tooo thengai chutney well go with variety rice
super inviting
Love this too….the spread looks so yum
WE love lemon rice at home very much. My son likes to take it in his tiffin box.
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simple and delicious rice raji, We also love to have with coconut chutney, but I prepare it slightly in a different way 🙂
Wonderful Combo which I never miss! Beautiful Clicks.
Lemon rice and coconut chutney sounds yum Raji…like the sabudana vadam on the pic..its my favorite…Nice pictures
So that is the secret combo ..:) I too didn't have an the slightest clue about this combo.. Your spread looks very inviting..:))
Reva
Serve me this rice with spicy potato fry,i can have it anytime.
Janani, I used India gate Super Basmati rice in this one.
ha ha..yeah. All guys have strange combination when it comes to eating. Never had chutney along with lemon rice. But i like tangy lemon rice. love the pictures.
Looks absolutely mouthwatering!!
Mouthwatering,yummy tangy rice.
Looks delicious! The photograph is beautiful!
looks very tempting! I always make lemon rice with sona masoori or ponni rice.
Even me too never heard about this combo.Need to try out next time.
thats fantastic and simple lunch menu..:)
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One of my favourite love the pics..
I make this whenever I am in a hurry.. its so simple and yet flavourfull that we just love it!
Very good website. I recently started accessing to ur website and it is really handy and useful
Wow looks so tempting….have to try lemon rice with coconut chutney next time…beautiful clicks and awesome clarity!
i was the looking for the same and related info, what you describe on your article. I found your site through google search. Its helps me a lots and i understood that you are one of skill article writer/ blogger. I wish to follow your way for my own blog http://shironam24.com/ , So I have book marked your blog and hope to visit again to learn more. Thanks for your valuable efforts and time.
hai Raji. Im bhuvaneswari from salem. ur dishes are excellent& very simple. which place R U lived in salem. reply.
Near Junction.
thanks for posting lemon rice 🙂 really liked and tasted it lot 🙂
Beautiful presented … May I knw wher did u get those wooden bowl.. Looks nice..
I bought it in Bali, Indonesia
Thanks raks…
Are they really wooden? or plastic with the wooden-like design?
Cooking has been my hobby (not an obligation). Being a man has its advantages as far as kitchen is concerned. Though I have always loved lemon rice, I have never tried cooking it myself. Today, I thought I should learn cooking it and my search engine came up with a few recipe pages including yours.
You have nicely explained with clear instructions and additional tips. I particularly like the things you have mentioned under "notes".
Great job! And thanks.
Loved the prologue.. More like a neighbor share what happened in their home across the compound wall. ☺, love lemon rice.. Can live with just this.. Anytime!!
It's a book marked recipe. It's really useful for me thanks for sharing
Rak you ROCK!! I seriously love every recipe you make. Trust me I've tried a lot of them. I've only been cooking Indian food for the past few years and you have made it so much easier for me! Just so you know I am a white American married to a handsome south Indian. Thanks to you he loves my cooking. 😉 I always talk about how I need to meet you someday. Thanks again!!
I've tried this recipe twice. Very nice and healthy dish. It's simple to cook as well.
I made this..it turned out really well..looked just like in the snap…very easy recipie…and described in a very simple manner…even an amateur will be able to follow
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