Authentic Lemon Rice

Lemon rice 🍋 is one of the most popular and traditional rice recipe from South India. It is the most commonly made recipe. It is also called as ‘Chitranna’.

The flavor from the fresh lemon along with the aroma of ginger and other spices used together with the yellow color from turmeric makes this dish unique and flavorful!!

It is a very popular travel recipe in India because it can be cooked fast and it stays fresh without spoiling for a long time. Not only in India, wherever Indians are, we use this as the best travel recipe. It is also served as ‘prasadham’ in temple.

The rice used in this recipe can be prepared at that time or pre-cooked, left over rice can be used. The rice grains should not be starchy after cooked and they should be separate.

This lemon rice 🍋 tastes good along with chutney especially coconut chutney, papad, egg masala, pepper chicken, potato fry ( best one), pakoda etc.., I like to taste it with sambhar. This combination too works well.



INGREDIENTS

1 cup= 220 ml.

  • Uncooked Rice- 1 and a half cup
  • Lemon/ lime- 2
  • Chana dal- 1 tbsp
  • Peanuts- 3 tbsp
  • Ginger- 1/2 inch ( finely chopped)
  • Green Chilli- 1 ( finely chopped)
  • Red chilli- 1 ( 1 more can be used)
  • Turmeric powder- 1/4th tsp ( little bit more can be used if you would prefer)
  • Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal- 1 tsp
  • Asafoedita powder- 1/4th tsp
  • Salt- as needed
  • Curry leaves- 1 sprig
  • Coriander leaves- 3 tbsp ( finely chopped)

PROCEDURE

Clean the rice well. Cook it and drain the water.
Squeeze the juice from lemon/lime.
Mix it with rice and keep it separate.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds splutter, add urad dal.
Add chana dal and peanuts in medium flame. Let them turn golden. Roast the peanuts to crispy.
Add finely chopped green chilli, ginger. Give a good stir.
Add the curry leaves and red chilli. Let the red chilli crisp.
Now add the asafoedita powder, turmeric powder and salt. Saute for 30 seconds in low flame. Let it not burn. Remove it from flame now.
Now add it along with the rice mixed with lemon juice above and mix everything together.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

TIPS

  • Use sesame oil or peanut oil for good taste.
  • Any variety of rice can be used to prepare this recipe but short grain rice is the best for this recipe.
  • Use fresh lemon/lime juice for good taste. The quantity of lemon juice can be increased or decreased according to your preference. The mentioned above quantity is good.
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