Learn how to make flavorful South Indian lemon rice recipe with simple ingredients like cooked rice, lemon juice, spices, and curry leaves. A quick, tangy, and delicious meal perfect for lunch or dinner!
Easy Lemon Rice Recipe: Tangy, Flavorful, and Ready in Minutes! 🍋
Lemon Rice is a tangy, and flavorful rice dish which is also known as Nimbehannu Chitranna or Nimmakaya Pulihora. This vegan lemon rice recipe is quick to make and can be an awesome tiffin recipe too.
This simple yet flavorful recipe is perfect for those days when you want to add a zesty twist to your meal.
Lemon Rice Recipe: A Zesty Twist to Your Everyday Meal!
Lemon Rice also known as Nimbehannu Chitranna is widely popular in Karnataka, a state of South India. Prepared by mixing with a special tempering known as Oggarane. It consists of nutty fried lentils, nuts, curry leaves, lemon juice, and other variations.
Medieval Indian cookbooks such as Manasollasa (1130 AD) and Pakadarpana (1200 AD) as “Chitrapaka” mentions Chitranna rice dish.
Ingredients For Lemon Rice Recipe
Nuts: Traditionally, cashews and peanuts are used in Lemon Rice. Try not to use walnuts, almonds, etc. as it would not be authentic. You can also use only one type of nut.
Rice: This rice recipe is made with already cooked or leftover rice. Short-grained rice is mostly used in this recipe. Overcooked mushy rice or fragrant long-grained basmati rice are not preferred.
Herbs: Curry leaves and Coriander leaves / Cilantro are the only two herbs used in this rice recipe. Topping the rice with chopped coriander leaves adds a freshness to the recipe and curry leaves are used in tempering which gives it an aroma.
Spices and Lentils: It is mostly about perfect tempering. Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, split black gram, and split chickpeas. Here I have used both fresh green chilly and also dry red chilly.
Lemon: You can also use lime juice. Make sure to squeeze some fresh lemon juice just before serving.
Turmeric: Turmeric powder adds a lovely yellow color to the rice.
How to Serve Lemon Rice?
This Rice can be served with pappadums and coconut chutney. It is light and fresh so you can have it for lunch or dinner. Some people even have it for breakfast.
It is also a great tiffin recipe as it is quick to make and can be served at room temperature.
So, the next time you have leftover rice or simply want to enjoy a refreshing twist, give this easy lemon rice recipe a try.
Prepare to be amazed by the burst of citrus flavors that will leave you craving for more!
Happy Cooking!
How to Cook Delicious Lemon Rice in Under 20 Minutes 🍋
Lemon Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon urad dal (split black gram)
- ½ teaspoon chana dal (split chickpeas)
- 1 no dry red chili deseeded and broken
- 2 nos green chilies chopped
- 5-7 nos curry leaves
- 1 np small onion sliced
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt as needed
- 7-8 nos peanuts
- 5-6 nos cashew nuts
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves garnish
Instructions
- Heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves to the pan. Let it crackle.2 tablespoon oil, 7-8 nos peanuts, 5-6 nos cashew nuts
- Add dry red chili, ½ teaspoon of Urad dal (Split black gram) and ½ teaspoon of Chana dal (Split chickpeas). Fry them until golden brown.
- Add the peanuts and cashew nuts to the frying pan until crunchy.¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, 5-7 nos curry leaves
- Add the chopped green chilies and the sliced onions to the frying pan. Fry everything on a low flame so that the tempering does not get burnt.2 nos green chilies, 1 np small onion
- Add ½ tablespoon of turmeric powder and two tablespoons of lemon juice.¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Quickly, add the cooked rice and salt to the frying pan. Stir the rice and make sure to mix it very well. Take it off the heat. and add the chopped coriander leaves.2 cups cooked rice, 2 tablespoon coriander leaves
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice before serving.
- Serve it with some coconut chutney and pappadums.
Notes
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. Avoid bottled lemon juice, as fresh lemons provide a vibrant and zesty taste.
- Be cautious not to overcook the rice while stir-frying. Overcooking can make the rice sticky and clumpy.
- Adding lemon juice at the end preserves its freshness.
- Lemon rice is often served at room temperature. Allow it to cool a bit before serving for the best flavor.
And there you have it—The Best South Indian Lemon Rice Recipe for you to try!
Thank you for taking the time to read the post!
I really hope you give one of the recipes a try and love it! Don’t forget to leave a star rating ★ in the comment section below. Your feedback will help others and also means a lot!
Connect with ‘Kurry Kitchen’ on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest, and don’t forget to hit that follow button.
Happy cooking!
MORE RECIPES TO TRY
Appetizer Ideas Chicken Recipe Ideas Chutney Recipes Dessert Ideas Dinner Ideas Dips Chutneys & Pickles Easy Meals Fall Recipes Family Dinner Ideas Healthy Meals Healthy Recipe Ideas Holiday Recipe Ideas Indian Curry Recipes Indian Dessert Recipes Low Calorie Recipe Ideas Main Course Party Food Ideas Recipe Roundups Snack Recipes South Indian Recipes Summer Desserts Summer Recipes Vegan Recipes Vegetarian Recipes
