Lemon rice is one of the easiest rice recipes that gets ready in just 10 minutes! It is made by mixing cooked rice with the tempering of whole spices, nuts and curry leaves.
3cupsCooked rice1 cup of raw rice gives around 3 cups of cooked rice
2tablespoonsOil
½teaspoonMustard seeds
½teaspoonUrad dal (split, skinless black gram)
¼cupPeanuts
2tablespoonsCashew nuts
1Dried red chilies
2Green chiliesslit
10Curry leaves
½teaspoonTurmeric powder
½teaspoonSaltor less if cooked rice is already salted
1 ½tablespoonsLemon juicefreshly squeezed
Instructions
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Add urad dal and saute until they turn light brown.
Add peanuts and cashews. Fry with stirring constantly until nuts turn golden brown.
Add green chilies, curry leaves and dried red chili. Saute for 30-40 seconds or until chilies have some blisters.
Add turmeric powder and stir.
Add cooked rice, salt and lemon juice.
Toss the rice gently to mix everything well and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the rice is heated through. Then turn off the stove.
Notes
Never add lemon juice to hot tempering otherwise it will lose its delicate lemon flavor and alters the lemon’s tangy flavor to slightly bitter.
Instead of lemon juice, you can use limes as well. But reduce the amount if using limes as they are a bit more tangier than lemons.
Storage: You can store this Indian lemon rice in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container. But if you’ve made it using leftover rice (a day old) then it is not advisable to store it again in the refrigerator. In that case, make the required amount and consume all.
Adjust the salt amount if your cooked rice already has salt in it.