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Easy & Healthy Indian Lemon Rice

A simple, tangy South-Indian style Lemon Rice — nutritious, vegan, and ready in under 30 minutes.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Course: Dinner, lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients
  • 1 cup basmati or regular rice (uncooked) or use about 2–2.5 cups cooked rice
  • 2 tbsp oil (vegetable or sunflower)
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp urad dal (split black gram) optional but adds nice crunch
  • ½ tsp chana dal (split Bengal gram) optional
  • 1-2 green chilies (slit) adjust to taste
  • 8-10 fresh curry leaves
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp salt or to taste
  • 2 tbsp roasted peanuts (unsalted) optional, adds crunch
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice about 1 large lemon

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker or pot

Method
 

  1. Rinse the rice until water runs clear. Then cook the rice with 1.5 cups water in a pressure cooker or pot. Once cooked, spread the rice on a wide plate to cool and let the grains separate.
  2. Heat oil in a pan over medium flame. When hot, add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
  3. Add urad dal and chana dal. Sauté for about 1 minute until they turn light golden.
  4. Add slit green chilies, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Stir gently for 30 seconds.
  5. Add roasted peanuts, salt, and mix well.
  6. Now add the cooled cooked rice. Mix gently so that rice grains remain separate and the spice mixture coats the rice evenly.
  7. Switch off flame. Drizzle fresh lemon juice over the rice and gently toss to combine. Taste and adjust salt or lemon if needed.
  8. Serve warm. You can enjoy this lemon rice on its own or pair with yogurt, pickle or a simple vegetable side.

Notes

For best taste use freshly cooked or well-cooled rice so that lemon rice grains stay fluffy. Roasted peanuts add crunch — skip if you prefer lighter version. Adjust green chilies and lemon juice as per taste.