Lemon rice is a simple tangy flavored South Indian rice pilaf recipe prepared with lemon juice, peanuts, and spices in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.
Fresh Lemon juice enhances its taste and gives it a distinctive flavor. It is perfect for office lunch boxes and picnics. It takes less than 30 minutes to make this yummy Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Lemon Rice.
I am from Karnataka, South Indian State from India; we call this lemon rice recipe chitranna or nimbehannu chitranna.
It is prepared during all festivals at our home and for dinner or lunch as it's so easy to prepare with few ingredients. It is a No onion no garlic recipe. Feel free to add onions while sautéing. You may also like this variation of Raw Mango Rice from my blog. You can also replace rice with quinoa to make a Lemon Quinoa recipe for a healthier alternative.
Also, let me clarify this – this lemon rice pilaf recipe is made with limes in India. Limes have a more robust flavor, are more tart than lemons, and are perfect for this recipe.
But lemons will work just as well. We are not going to differentiate between the two for this recipe. Check out my recipe for Lemon Coriander Soup when you are looking for an immunity booster soup.
Ingredients for Lemon Rice
- Mustard seeds, Urad dal, and Chana dal: are part of any South Indian tempering. You can increase the quantity if you desire.
- Nuts: peanuts and cashews gives a nice crunch.
- Green chilies: I have used Thai green chilies for the heat. Also used 1 dry red chilies.
- Ginger: I have minced fresh ginger.
- Fresh Curry leaves: gives a nice flavor so do not skip it.
- Asafoetida: two pinches of hing. To make it gluten-free skip it or use GF asafoetida.
- Turmeric: is used for its color and amazing health benefits.
- Oil: You can use any cooking oil.
- Water: For making in Instant Pot add 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of Basmati rice.
- Lemon juice: freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Coriander leaves: for garnish.
How to Make Lemon Rice in Instant Pot
Firstly, Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Next, add ghee or oil, and once it's hot, add chana dal and urad dal. Sauté them for about a minute until they are light brown.
Next, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add green chilies, red chili, curry leaves, asafoetida, and ginger and saute for a few seconds.
Then add turmeric powder and give a quick stir.
Add rinsed rice, water, salt, and give a stir.
Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the pressure manually. Do Quick Pressure Release (QR) Manually if you do not have time.
Remove lid away from you. Add roasted peanuts, lemon juice, and garnish with fresh cilantro/coriander leaves. Gently mix everything.
Instant Pot Lemon Rice Pilaf is ready. Enjoy with pickle, papad, and raita.
How to Make Lemon Rice on Stovetop Pot
- Wash the rice and cook the rice in an Indian pressure cooker or Instant Pot electric cooker. Once cooked, spread it out on a wide plate and let it cool completely, this step helps to achieve separate and non-mushy rice.
- In a Kadai, add oil, once it's hot, add in the peanuts and fry them until they turn slightly golden brown. Take them out and keep them aside.
- In the same Kadai add chana dal, urad dal. Sauté for about a minute until they are light brown in color.
- Next, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add green chilies, red chili, curry leaves, asafoetida, and ginger and saute for a few seconds.
- Then add turmeric powder, give a quick stir, and turn off the gas.
- Now add the cooked rice, roasted peanuts, salt, and mix well. Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve immediately.
How to Serve Lemon Rice?
Serve this tangy and flavorful lemon rice with pickle, papad, raita, or kosambari (a type of salad). Plain yogurt would also work or can be eaten without any addon.
Variations and Suggestions
- You can also add onions during sauting gives a nice flavor to lemon rice.
- If mangoes are in season then you can add ¼ cup of grated raw mango during tempering, which gives a nice twist to the rice. Here is the recipe for Raw Mango Rice.
- There are people who add a little lemon zest to the lemon rice as well but I personally haven’t tried it anytime.
- You can simply replace rice with quinoa or millets to make a healthier option.
- Always add lemon juice after switching off the flame followed by a rough mix.
- Be careful about the water to rice ratio since you want lemon rice with each grain separate and fluffier.
FAQs
Traditionally lemon rice is cooked using sona masuri (short grain) rice in South India. However, you can use basmati rice, brown rice, and jasmine rice to make lemon rice.
I think the best results are with Basmati rice. Each grain is separate when cooked, plus it's lighter and fluffier.
Limes and lemons are from the same citrus fruit family, rich in vitamin C but different in color. Lemons are yellow and big, whereas; Limes are green and smaller.
Limes are sourer than lemons because limes contain more citric acid, and lemons have less.
Lemon Rice Recipe - Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
Equipment
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon split channa dal
- 1 teaspoon split urad dal
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 dry red chili (optional)
- 2 green chili finely chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 pinches asafoetida (hing)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1.5 cups water
- salt to taste
- juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoon roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoon roasted cashews (optional)
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves (cilantro) finely chopped
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add ghee or oil and once it's hot chana dal and urad dal. Sauté them for about a minute until they are light brown in color.
- Next, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add green chilies, red chili, curry leaves, asafoetida, and ginger and saute for few seconds.
- Add turmeric powder and give a quick stir .
- Add rinsed rice, water, salt and Mix well.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the pressure manually. If you do not have time then do Quick Pressure Release(QR) Manually.
- Remove lid away from you, Add roasted peanuts ,lemon juice and garnish with fresh cilantro/coriander leaves. Gently mix everything together.
- Lemon Rice is ready to be enjoyed with pickle, papad and raita.
Stovetop Method
- Wash the rice and cook the rice in an Indian pressure cooker or Instant Pot electric cooker. Once cooked, spread it out on a wide plate and let it cool completely, this step helps to achieve separate and non mushy rice.
- In a Kadai, add oil, once it's hot, add in the peanuts and fry them until they turn slightly golden brown. Take them out and keep them aside.
- In the same Kadai add chana dal, urad dal. Sauté for about a minute until they are light brown in color.
- Next, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add green chilies, red chili, curry leaves, asafoetida, and ginger and saute for few seconds.
- Then add turmeric powder, give a quick stir and turn off the gas.
- Now add the cooked rice, roasted peanuts, salt, and mix well. Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- You can add onions to this recipe too.
- Don’t have roasted peanuts? You can roast them in the instant pot before starting the recipe. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and roast the peanuts in it till they turn light brown and start crackling take them out and continue with the recipe.
- Always add lemon juice after switching off the flame followed by a rough mix.
- You can use lime or lemon juice to make this dish. Lime juice is more acidic than lemon juice so add accordingly.
- There are people who add little lemon/lime zest to the lemon rice as well but I personally haven’t tried it anytime.
- I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT
Nutrition
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Anonymous says
Such an easy one pot dish
bhavana says
thank you
Anonymous says
nice!
bhavana says
thank you
Anonymous says
easy