Lemon Rice Recipe (Chitranna Rice)
South Indian style tangy, vibrant and refreshing, vegan, GF, no onion, no garlic Lemon Rice recipe (Chitranna Rice) is made with precooked rice , turmeric, lemon juice and finished with a tempering of mustard seeds, lentils, peanuts and curry leaves.
Servings 3
Ingredients
- 1 cup Leftover cooked rice
- 1 teaspoon Chana Dal / Bengal Gram
- ½ teaspoon Urad Dal
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds/Rai
- 3 tablespoon Peanuts
- 3 Whole dry red chillies
- 2 Fresh green chillies finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 3 tablespoon Sesame Oil or any other oil
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 Sprig of curry leaf
- A pinch of asafoetida/hing
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- We will be using leftover precooked rice for this recipe. If you don't have that you may cook it fresh and keep it to cool down completely.
- Next, prepare tempering by heating sesame oil in a pan. Add peanuts first. Once fried take out in a bowl.
- Next add mustard seeds, once it crackles add urad dal, chana dal, dry red chillies, finely chopped green chillies and curry leaves.
- When the lentils are roasted (brown) then add turmeric powder, asafoetida/hing, fried peanuts and mix well. Switch off the flame.
- Add this tempering to the cooked rice. Taste and adjust the salt accordingly.
- In the last, add freshly squeezed lemon juice, mix everything well, cover with lid and let it rest for 10 mins to absorb all the flavors before serving.
Notes
1. Here I have used long grain Basmati rice, however you could replace that with any variety of short grain rice like Kolam or Sona Masuri. Quinoa also can be used here.
2. The preferred oil here in this recipe is Sesame oil. Sunflower oil, vegetable oil or clarified butter/ghee could also be substituted here.
3. It's a common practice to consume Lemon Rice at room temperature. Any leftovers, store in refrigerator.
For leftovers, no need to reheat the rice when consuming, just leave it on counter top till it attains room temperature.
4. Make sure to pack your lemon rice at room temperature when travelling or packing it for tiffin box. Otherwise the shelf life will be compromised.
5. If allergic to peanuts nuts, simply omit or substitute with cashew nuts.