Lemon rice is a simple tangy flavored South Indian rice dish which is prepared with lemon juice, peanuts, and spices.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 Lemon Rice.
I am from Karnataka ,we call lemon rice as chitranna or nimbehannu chitranna .It is prepared during all festivals at our home and also for dinner or lunch menu as its so easy to prepare with few ingredients.
Also, let me clarify this – this recipe is actually made with limes, at least in India. Limes have a stronger flavour, are more tart than lemons and therefore perfect for this recipe. But lemons will work just as well. We are not going to differentiate between the two for this recipe.
WHAT KIND OF RICE IS BEST FOR LEMON RICE?
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.
VARIATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE BEST LEMON RICE
- You can also add onions during sauting gives a nice flavor to lemon rice.
- If mango’s are in season then you can add 1/4 cup of grated raw mango during tempering, gives a nice twist to the rice.Here is the recipe for Raw Mango Rice.
- There are people who add 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 more healthier option.
- Always add lemon juice after switching off the flame followed by a rough mix.
- Be careful about water to rice ratio since you want lemon rice with each grain separate and fluffier.
HOW TO SERVE LEMON RICE?
This tangy and flavourful lemon rice commonly served along with some pickle, papad, raita or kosambari (a type of salad). A plain yogurt would also work or can be eaten as is without any addon .
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIME JUICE AND LEMON JUICE?
Limes and lemons are from the same citrus fruit family, rich in vitamin C but different in color. Limes are green and smaller, whereas lemons are yellow and big in size. Limes are sourer than lemons as limes contain more citric acid and lemons have less of it.
You can also try my other INSTANT POT rice recipes like
Instant Pot Lemon Rice Recipe Card
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Lemon rice is a simple tangy flavored South Indian rice dish which is prepared with lemon juice, peanuts and spices in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. It is one-pot dish and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp split channa dal
- 1 tsp split urad dal
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp ginger , minced
- 1 dry red chilli (optional)
- 2 green chilli , finely chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 pinches asafoetida (hing)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1.5 cups water
- salt to taste
- juice of one lemon
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
- 2 tbsp roasted cashews (optional)
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (cilantro) , finely chopped
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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.
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Next add mustard seeds, green chilies, red chilli ,curry leaves, asafoetida , ginger and turmeric powder. Stir and saute for 30 seconds till the mustard seeds splutter.
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Add rinsed rice, water, salt and give a stir .
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Press CANCEL button on Instant Pot.Close the lid on the pot, and turn valve from VENTING to SEALING position.
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Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 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.
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Remove lid away from you, Add roasted peanuts ,lemon juice and garnish with fresh cilantro/coriander leaves.Gently mix everything together.
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Lemon Rice is ready to be enjoyed with pickle , papad and raita.
1.You can add onions to this recipe too.
2.Don’t have roasted peanuts ? You can roast them in the instant pot before starting the recipe. Add 1 tbsp of oil and roast the peanuts in it till they turn light brown and starts crackling take them out and continue with the recipe.
3.Always add lemon juice after switching off the flame followed by a rough mix.
4.You can use lime or lemon juice to make this dish.Lime juice is more acidic than lemon juice so add accordingly.
5.There are people who add little lemon/lime zest to the lemon rice as well but I personally haven’t tried it anytime.
6.I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT
Note:Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Such an easy one pot dish
thank you