Lemon rice is a combination of rice and lemon juice along with green chilies, ginger, urad dal, chana dal, and a few aromatic spices. It is quite easy and quick to make lemon rice at home. Go through my detailed recipe to learn them.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Lemon rice is a very famous and favored recipe of South India.
- Serve the rice hot with papad, green chutney, any pickle, coconut chutney, or green chutney.
- Lemon rice tastes tangy, citrusy, and slightly spiced.
- Other similar recipes are tamarind rice, coconut rice, and curd rice.
The Ingredients:
- 3 pieces lemon (medium size, juice only)
- 1 cup rice (washed and presoaked)
- 1.5 cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp asafetida (hing)
- 1 tbsp urad dal
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 1 tbsp ginger (finely chopped)
- 4 pieces green chilies (whole, without stalk)
- Curry leaves (a handful)
- 1 piece onion (medium size, finely chopped)
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp peanuts
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
One of my childhood neighbors, who now has shifted to Bangalore after marriage, taught me this recipe, a favorite in South India. She visited during holidays and brought this dish one evening. The smell made me run to her door just like old times. I asked her for the recipe immediately. She laughed and gave it to me.
I made it that very night. My husband said it felt like a homecoming, and my sons loved the nostalgic touch. Now, it is our old friend’s dish. That memory reminded me that even time, regional borders, and distance cannot erase the flavor of shared childhoods, and some tastes stay close, no matter how far we go.
How to Make Lemon Rice? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: Take a cup of washed and presoaked rice in a pressure cooker. Add 1.5 cups of water and ½ tsp of salt.
Step 2: Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook the rice to 3 whistles on a high flame. When done, remove it from the gas stove and keep it aside to cool down.
Step 3: In the meantime, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a kadai. When it is smoking hot, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 tsp of mustard seeds, ¼ tsp of asafetida (hing), 1 tbsp of urad dal, and 1 tbsp of chana dal. Stir them all continuously and cook for a couple of minutes until the dals are fried nicely and become crispy.
Step 4: When the dal is cooked, add 1 tbsp of ginger (finely chopped), 4 pieces of green chilies (whole without stalk), a handful of curry leaves, 1 piece of onion (medium size, finely chopped), and salt to taste. Fry them until the onions turn translucent.
Step 5: Now, add ¼ tsp of peanuts.
Step 6: Mix everything nicely and cook them for a couple of minutes until they turn crispy.
Step 7: Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder. Mix it and let it cook for another 20 seconds.
Step 8: Now, add the cooked rice and salt to taste.
Step 9: Mix everything nicely.
Step 10: While the rice cooks for another minute, squeeze out the juice from 3 pieces of medium-sized lemons in a bowl.
Step 11: Turn off the flame of the gas stove and add the lemon juice to the cooked rice. Mix it nicely.
Step 12: Finally, add chopped coriander leaves to it.
Step 13: Mix it nicely. Check the doneness.
Step 14: Your homemade, tasty lemon rice is ready. Garnish it with some chopped coriander leaves and serve it on a plate and enjoy it hot along with fresh and cool cucumber raita.
Recipe Card
Lemon Rice
Ingredients
- 3 pieces lemon medium size, juice only
- 1 cup rice washed and presoaked
- 1.5 cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp asafetida hing
- 1 tbsp urad dal
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
- 4 pieces green chilies whole without stalk
- Curry leaves a handful
- 1 piece onion medium size, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp peanuts
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
Instructions
- Take a cup of washed and presoaked rice in a pressure cooker. Add 1.5 cups of water and ½ tsp of salt.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook the rice to 3 whistles on a high flame. When done, remove it from the gas stove and keep it aside to cool down.
- In the meantime, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a kadai. When it is smoking hot, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 tsp of mustard seeds, ¼ tsp of asafetida (hing), 1 tbsp of urad dal, and 1 tbsp of chana dal. Stir them all continuously and cook for a couple of minutes until the dals are fried nicely and become crispy.
- When the dal is cooked, add 1 tbsp of ginger (finely chopped), 4 pieces of green chilies (whole without stalk), a handful of curry leaves, 1 piece of onion (medium size, finely chopped) and salt to taste. Fry them until the onions turn translucent.
- Now, add ¼ tsp of peanuts.
- Mix everything nicely and cook them for a couple of minutes until they turn crispy.
- Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder. Mix it and let it cook for another 20 seconds.
- Now, add the cooked rice and salt to taste.
- Mix everything nicely.
- While the rice cooks for another minute, squeeze out the juice from 3 pieces of medium size lemons in a bowl.
- Turn off the flame of the gas stove and add the lemon juice to the cooked rice. Mix it nicely.
- Finally, add chopped coriander leaves to it.
- Mix it nicely. Check the doneness.
- Your homemade, tasty lemon rice is ready. Garnish it with some chopped coriander leaves and serve it on a plate and enjoy hot along with fresh and cool cucumber raita.
