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Hot and Spicy Indian Lemon Rice Recipe

Published: Jun 17, 2021 · Modified: Nov 22, 2021 by Enozia Zehra · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

Lemon Rice Recipe
Lemon Rice Recipe
Lemon Rice Recipe

Flavourful, super easy to make, and incredibly versatile- that's what this Indian lemon rice recipe is all about. Whip up this easy dish using a handful of pantry staples and team it up with a nice Indian curry or just have it as is! 

With the perfect balance of flavors, this rice recipe might just become your next favorite. Ready to go ahead and give it a shot? Here's what you need to know before you do! 

Wooden bowl of yellow rice with peanuts and coriander leaves on top
Jump to:
  • What Will I Need to Make this Indian Lemon Rice?
  • How to Make Spicy Lemon Rice
  • Can I Make the Lemon Rice in an Instant Pot?
  • Can I Make & Store it For Later?
  • Substitutions for Ingredients
  • How Do I Fix Sticky Rice?
  • Can I Use Leftover Rice For this Recipe?
  • Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
  • What to Serve With Indian Lemon Rice?
  • Hot and Spicy Indian Lemon Rice

What Will I Need to Make this Indian Lemon Rice?

  • Rice: ½ cup
  • Water (for boiling): 1 cup 
  • Oil (sunflower oil or canola oil): 1 tbsp
  • Black mustard seeds: 1 tsp
  • Fresh curry leaves: 9 - 10 leaves
  • Dry red chili: 2 
  • Hing (asafoetida): A pinch
  • Peanuts - 12 to 15
  • Garlic (minced): 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
  • Red chili powder: 1 tsp
  • Fresh lemon juice: Half a lemon
  • Salt: ½ tbsp or as per taste

How to Make Spicy Lemon Rice

Start by rinsing the rice and soaking it in water for 15 minutes. 

Once the rice is properly soaked, boil it in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. If you are using an open vessel, then boil the rice for 15 minutes on medium heat. Make sure to not overcook the rice and remove any excess water if left. 

Once the rice is cooked, let it cool down to room temperature. 

Next, heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies, and hing. Sauté. 

Next, add the peanuts and sauté. 

Skillet with oil curry leaves peanuts and hing cooking

Once the peanuts are about 80% done, add the minced garlic. Sauté for about a minute. 

Add the turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt next. Sauté. 

Skillet with chilies peanuts and turmeric simmering in hot oil

Add the lemon juice and saute for a few seconds. 

Tampering of spices

Lastly, add the cooked rice and mix properly. Lower the flame and sauté for 1-2 minutes. 

Serve hot with Indian pickle.

Close up image of bowl of yellow rice with curry leaves red chile and peanuts mixed in

Can I Make the Lemon Rice in an Instant Pot?

Rinse and soak the rice for 15 minutes, then drain and set aside.

Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode, and add the oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies, and hing. Saute for 1 minute until the seeds begin to pop.

Add in the peanuts, and saute for 2 minutes.

Next, add in the garlic, turmeric, chili powder, and salt. Saute for 1 minute.

Pour ½ cup water into the pot and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any cooked on bits of food.

Add in the rice, remaining water, and set the lid to seal.

Pressure cook on the rice setting for 4 minutes then allow to naturally pressure release for 10 minutes.

Stir and serve.

Can I Make & Store it For Later?

You absolutely can! This recipe is great for meal prep. Just make it ahead of time and store it in airtight glass containers to retain its maximum freshness. Refrigerate the lemon rice for up to 3 days, or freeze it for 30 days or more.

Storing it in glass containers is great because it allows you to easily reheat the rice in the microwave, without affecting the taste and texture of the dish.

Substitutions for Ingredients

You don't really need a lot of fancy ingredients to make this quick lemon rice. In fact, most of the ingredients in the list can be tweaked or even left out depending on your taste, personal preference and on what you have at home in stock. 

The only ingredients you really need for this recipe are- of course, plain rice, lime juice and salt. The rest is all optional. 

The curry leaves, roasted peanuts, garlic, mustard seeds are all actually meant to add a nice flavor and textural difference to the recipe. 

You could also make this rice recipe healthier by swapping your regular rice with brown rice or even quinoa.

If you're allergic to nuts but still want to retain that crunchy texture, you can add sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead.

Lemon rice in wooden bowl with gold spoon on wood table

How Do I Fix Sticky Rice?

If you're one of those who always seem to end up getting their rice sticky and mushy, you're not alone. While in most cases, rice gets mushy because it is overcooked, but if you've been following the cooking instructions and are sure you're not overcooking your rice, here are a few tips that could help.

Turn off the heat and get the rice out just a minute before you feel it gets cooked completely. Drain off the excess water, and wash the rice under a stream of cold water to stop it from cooking any further.

Also, remember to use the correct rice to water ratio when you're cooking the rice. Try to cook your rice dishes on low heat as much as possible.

Avoid stirring the rice too much while it is cooking. Leave the lid on and resist the urge to stir the rice after it is cooked. After the rice is done cooking, let it rest for 5 minutes, and right before you serve, fluff the rice with a fork.

Can I Use Leftover Rice For this Recipe?

You definitely can! In fact, this recipe is the perfect way to utilize that extra steamed rice that you might have leftover from yesterday's dinner. You can tweak the seasonings and spices in this recipe as per your taste, but in general, it can be a wonderful way to reduce food wastage too.

Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe

While this Indian lemon rice recipe is actually super easy, there are a few easy tips and tricks you could implement to make sure it reaches perfection. 

  • Opt for long-grain rice such as Basmati rice. This will help keep the grains separate and not clumped together. 
  • Swap the garlic in the recipe for some fresh ginger julienned instead to lend it a nice flavor. 
  • To make the rice spicier, you can also add in a green chili pepper. 

What to Serve With Indian Lemon Rice?

Super flavorful and light, Indian lemon rice can be paired with a wide variety of foods and dishes. Here are a few ideas to get you started. 

  • This fragrant rice tastes amazing when teamed up with an Indian curry like Aloo matar paneer. 
  • You can also enjoy it as is with a side of Indian pickle and some poppadum. 
  • You can also team it up with some authentic Indian palak paneer and some chutney.
  • It also tastes great with a meat-based gravy like Chicken kofta korma. 
Ready Lemon Rice

Hot and Spicy Indian Lemon Rice

Lemon rice, known as Chitranna in the local language, is aSouth-Indian rice based recipe. It is a very simple dish that usescooked rice and a tiny bit of seasoning to make it flavorful.
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Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 Serves
Calories 149 kcal

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup Rice
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 tsp Oil
  • 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  • 10 leaves Curry Leaves
  • 2 pcs Dry Red Chili
  • 1 pinch Hing (asafoetida)
  • 15 pcs Peanuts
  • 1 tsp Garlic (minced)
  • ½ tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp Red chili powder
  • ½ pc Lemon juice
  • ½ tsp Salt

Instructions
 

How to Make Lemon Rice in Stovetop Pressure Cooker

  • Start by rinsing the rice and soaking it in water for 15 minutes.
  • Once the rice is properly soaked, boil it in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. If you are using an open vessel, then boil the rice for 15 minutes. Make sure to not overcook the rice and remove any excess water if left.
  • Once the rice is cooked, let it cool down to room temperature.
  • Next, heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry redchilies, and hing. Saute.
  • Next add the peanuts and saute.
  • Once the peanuts are about 80% done, add the minced garlic. Saute forabout a minute.
  • Add the turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt next. Saute.
  • Add the lemon juice and saute for a few seconds.
  • Lastly, add the boiled rice and mix properly. Lower the flame and saute for 1-2 minutes.
  • Serve hot with Indian pickle.

How to Make Lemon Rice in Instant Pot

  • Rinse and soak the rice for 15 minutes, then drain and set aside.
  • Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode, and add the oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies, and hing. Saute for 1 minute until the seeds begin to pop.
  • Add in the peanuts, and saute for 2 minutes.
  • Next, add in the garlic, turmeric, chili powder, and salt. Saute for 1 minute.
  • Pour ½ cup water into the pot and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any cooked on bits of food.
  • Add in the rice, remaining water, and set the lid to seal.
  • Pressure cook on the rice setting for 4 minutes then allow to naturally pressure release for 10 minutes

Notes

  • The boiled rice should be completely dry and cooled down before being added to the tempering. Otherwise your dish will turn out to be soggy.
  • Although lemon rice is usually not spicy, you can add chopped green chilies to the tempering if you like it a bit on the spicy side.

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcalCarbohydrates: 20.4gProtein: 3.2gFat: 6.3gSaturated Fat: 0.9gSodium: 882mgFiber: 1.1gSugar: 0.5g
Keyword Indian Rice, Lemon Rice
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