Lemon Rice - Easy + Quick South Indian Recipe
If you’re looking for a vibrant, refreshing and easy lemon rice recipe to brighten your table, this one’s for you. Bursting with delicious flavor and authentic South Indian spices, it’s quick to prepare, healthy and incredibly versatile.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 288kcal
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups cooked rice or 1 ⅓ cup uncooked
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 3 tablespoon chana dal
- 2 dry red chillies
- 1 sprig curry leaves or ~12 leaves
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida hing
- 1 brown/yellow onion sliced
- 2 green chillies sliced
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ teaspoon salt plus ¼ teaspoon if needed/more to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tomato chopped
- 4 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 5 tablespoon chopped coriander/cilantro 3 tablespoon after cooking tomatoes, 2 tablespoon after adding the rice
Optional:
- 2 tablespoon cashew nuts
- Handful of fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the rice and set aside (see above for detailed steps).
- Heat oil in a medium/large pan, add mustard seeds and dry red chillies, cook for 1 minute or until the mustard seeds start to crackle.
- Add the urad dal and chana dal and cook for another 15 seconds.
- the curry leaves and cook for 30 seconds, add asafoetida (hing), and stir to combine.
- Add the sliced onions and green chillies and cook for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add one tablespoon of water to soften the ingredients while cooking the onions.
- Add turmeric and salt and stir to combine and cook for another 15-20 seconds.
- Add tomatoes and cover and cook for 2-3 minutes (to soften the tomatoes and help them cook).
- Stir in the chopped coriander and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add the rice and gently stir to mix. Add lemon juice and the remaining coriander, garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Wash and rinse rice prior to cooking: Rinse rice before cooking to remove excess starch, which helps achieve fluffy, separate grains.
- Cook onions until translucent/slightly caramelised: this enhances the flavors in this dish.
- Use a non-stick frying pan: this will help cook the ingredients evenly and ensure the rice does not stick to the pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 4g | Vitamin A: 368IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 39mg | Folate: 50µg | Iron: 1mg | Zinc: 1mg