Lemon Rice Recipe | Chitranna Recipe (South Indian Style)

Lemon Rice also called Chitranna or Nimmakaya Pulihora is a crunchy, flavorful, tasty and tangy dish that’s straightforward to make and tastes so good. Lemon juice, fried nuts, fragrant herbs and spices mix completely to present this steamed rice a tremendous spicy, tangy and nutty taste. The nuts add a crunch for the proper rice dish texture. This vegan lemon rice recipe is certain to change into one in all your favourite rice dishes.

Extra on Lemon Rice

This is without doubt one of the hottest and generally made rice recipes from the South Indian delicacies. I’ve had lemon rice in lots of eating places and even in just a few South Indian temples.

Simple to make, my lemon rice recipe features a combination of fried mustard seeds, urad dal (black gram), chilies (sizzling inexperienced peppers), herbs and spices.

This fried tempering combination is then poured over steamed rice. Fried peanuts and cashews are added, together with lemon juice, and every thing is blended collectively.

You can also make chitranna with freshly cooked rice and even with leftover rice. The peanuts and cashews add crunch to this tangy and aromatic chitranna recipe.

I desire to completely prepare dinner the rice. You may prepare dinner rice grains al dente in case you desire that texture. Other than Fried Rice, Pulao or Biryani, in all different rice recipes, I desire to prepare dinner rice grains totally.

For the rice you’ll be able to select to make use of any number of non-sticky rice that you just desire or is a staple in your kitchen. Lengthy grained aromatic rice like Basmati rice additionally work nicely within the recipe.

Step-by-Step Information

How one can make Lemon Rice

Cook dinner Rice

1. First rinse 1 cup heaped rice a few occasions after which soak in sufficient water for about 20 to half-hour. You should use quick grained rice or a protracted grained rice like basmati.

In my step-by-step photograph information, I’ve added quick grained rice. Within the video, basmati rice is used.

2. Then drain all of the water from soaked rice. Add rice in a 2-litre or 3-litre stress cooker. Add ¼ teaspoon salt or add salt as required.

3. Add 1.75 to 2 cups water.

4. Stress prepare dinner rice for 8 to 10 minutes or for two to three whistles on a medium to medium-high warmth. When the stress settles down by itself within the cooker, then open the lid.

You may even prepare dinner rice in a pan or within the Immediate Pot. Observe the steps as listed under:

• Pan technique: Take rice, salt and a pair of cups water in a pan. Cowl and simmer till all of the water has been absorbed and rice grains are tender and fluffy. Examine when the rice is simmering and if the water has dried up with rice grains undercooked, add some extra sizzling water and proceed to prepare dinner.
• Immediate Pot technique: Add rice, salt and 1 or 1.25 cups water (relying on rice kind and high quality) within the metal insert of a 6 quart IP. Stress prepare dinner for five minutes on excessive. Do a fast stress launch after 5 minutes.

5. Empty the cooked rice in a bowl or plate and put aside in order that it turns into heat or cool at room temperature. You may also fluff the cooked rice and let it cool within the cooker itself.

1 heaped cup of uncooked rice will yield 3 to 4 cups of cooked rice. Nonetheless, this could very relying on the kind of rice.

6. Squeeze juice from 1 lime or 1 small lemon right into a small bowl. You’ll need about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice.

If you need a extra tangy style, then you’ll be able to add extra lemon juice. Put aside.

Fry Nuts

7. Warmth 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a pan. Add ¼ cup peanuts. The sesame oil that’s added is made out of uncooked sesame seeds and is also called gingelly oil. It has a completely completely different taste and aroma than the south-asian toasted sesame oil.

If you happen to should not have sesame oil, then add sunflower oil, canola oil, avocado oil, peanut oil or grapeseed oil.

You probably have roasted peanuts prepared, then you definately may give a miss to this step. I typically have additional roasted peanuts within the pantry available as a snack or to be added in recipes like these.

8. Fry the peanuts on a low to medium warmth till they change into golden and crunchy.

9. Take away and put aside.

10. In the identical pan add 1 tablespoon cashews.

11. Fry cashews till they flip golden. Put aside.

Fry Lentils, Seeds, Spices

12. Now add 1 tablespoon sesame oil in the identical pan. When the oil turns into sizzling, decrease the warmth and add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds.

12. When the mustard seeds begun to crackle, then add 1 teaspoon urad dal (spilt and skinned black gram).

I don’t add chana dal (break up and skinned bengal gram) to my lemon rice recipe, however if you wish to add these, soak the lentils in sizzling water for 20 to half-hour. Drain the water after which add them to the oil at this step.

Ensure they’re pat dried or the additional water or moisture in them will make the oil splutter an excessive amount of.

13. On a low warmth, fry the urad dal until they flip golden.

14. Subsequent add 12 to fifteen curry leaves, 1 teaspoon chopped inexperienced chillies and a pair of dry crimson chilies (ideally seeds eliminated).

15. Sauté for some seconds till the crimson chilies change coloration.

16. Change off the warmth and add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 beneficiant pinch asafetida (hing).

17. Combine very nicely.

Make Lemon Rice

18. Now pour this tempering combination within the cooked rice.

19. Add the fried peanuts and cashews.

20. Add lemon juice – about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons.

21. Add salt as required.

22. Combine very nicely.

23. Examine the style and add extra lemon juice or salt in case you like. Preserve the lemon rice or chitranna coated for the flavors to mix for 4 to five minutes.

Whereas serving garnish with some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) in case you desire.

24. Serve lemon rice with papaddums or vadams and coconut chutney or simply have it plain. You may even pack lemon rice in tiffin or for a journey journey.

Serving Recommendations

Serve chitranna with pappadums or with a aspect vegetable salad and even Coconut Chutney additionally goes nice with this dish.

It can be made as a tiffin field. As lemon rice may be served at room temperature, it additionally makes a fantastic picnic lunch merchandise. It’s a lightweight dish and you may have it as a lightweight lunch or breakfast additionally.

Make Forward & Storing

You probably have any leftovers then retailer within the fridge for a day. Leftover rice shouldn’t be good for well being and should not go well with some folks health-wise. So I counsel to complete the lemon rice in a day. For that reason I additionally counsel to not make a big batch of lemon rice to freeze or refrigerate.

Skilled Ideas

• Rice: Any non-sticky number of rice grains can be utilized in lemon rice recipe. This implies you should use short-grained rice and even lengthy grained rice like basmati.
• Soaking rice: For any rice recipes, I at all times counsel to soak rice. It helps in cooking rice sooner and the rice grains prepare dinner superbly. If you don’t soak rice, then improve the cooking time and add a bit extra water.
• Overcooked rice: If in case you overcook rice and so they change into lumpy, then don’t worry. Merely break the lumps when the cooked rice is cooled.
• Leftover rice: Some hours previous or a day previous leftover rice works excellently within the recipe. Add about 3 to 4 cups of leftover cooked rice.
• Spices and lentils: Spices like mustard seeds and both dry crimson chillies or inexperienced chillies are completely wanted in chitranna recipe. You may nonetheless let go of urad dal and asafoetida (hing) if they don’t seem to be out there to you.
• Herbs: Curry leaves add a singular aroma. If you happen to discover it troublesome to obtain them, then you’ll be able to skip them. Although I’ve not added coriander leaves (cilantro), you’ll be able to add them. About 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger additionally provides taste to the chitranna recipe. 
• Nuts: Each cashews and peanuts add a number of texture and crunch in lemon rice. You may also simply use one kind of nut. Don’t use nuts like almonds, pecans, walnuts and so forth because the authenticity of the recipe can be misplaced. 
• Lemons: Use lemons that are ripe and contemporary. You may also use limes. 
• Fat: The fats used to make lemon rice is oil. The oil that’s historically used is sesame oil made out of wooden pressed uncooked sesame seeds. This sesame oil can be known as as gingelly oil and may be very completely different from the south-asian toasted sesame oil. Sesame oil provides a substantial amount of nutty taste. If you happen to should not have sesame oil, then merely use sunflower oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil or any impartial oil. 
• Gluten-free model: Skip the asafoetida or use a gluten-free asafoetida within the recipe.

Extra South Indian Rice Recipes To Attempt!

Simple • 40 minutes

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Simple • 50 minutes

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Ghee Rice

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curd rice

1 hr 20 minutes

Rice Recipes

Bisi Bele Bath (Authentic Karnataka Style)

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This Lemon Rice recipe put up from the archives first revealed in August 2013 has been republished and up to date on November 2022.