Little Millet Lemon Rice (Samai Lemon Rice) is a South Indian-inspired dish made with nutritious little millets. The cooked millets are tossed with a flavorful tempering of mustard seeds, lentils, curry leaves, and turmeric, then finished with a refreshing hint of lemon.
Millets are an excellent substitute for rice, with a mild flavor and a texture similar to rice. They get digested slowly, giving sustained energy.
Today, I am sharing millet lemon rice inspired by the classic South Indian lemon rice. It is delicious, tangy, and packed with flavor. I used little millet in this recipe. It's perfect for lunch or dinner. If you enjoy quick, flavorful meals, don't miss my Indian style lemon quinoa.
Other Indian Millet Recipes
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How to Make Little Millet Lemon Rice
Cooking Millets
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method: Rinse the little millet thoroughly 2-3 times. Add ½ cup of millet and 1 cup of water to a pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Once cooled, gently fluff the millet with a fork to break up any lumps and keep the grains separate.
Instant Pot Method: Here is the detailed recipe: How to cook Millet in the Instant Pot.
Method
Heat oil in a kadai over medium heat. Add the raw peanuts and sauté until they turn lightly golden brown.
Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and urad dal. Sauté until the dal turns light golden brown.
Add green chilies, curry leaves, asafoetida, and sauté for a few seconds.
Add the finely chopped onions and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until they turn lightly golden brown.
Add the turmeric powder and salt, and mix well. Then, add the cooked little millet and gently toss until everything is well combined.
Finally, add the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
Serve millet lemon rice with plain yogurt, onion tomato raita, and kachumber salad on the side.
Tips to Make Lemon Millet Recipe
- You can make this samai lemon rice recipe without onions too.
- If you don't have a pressure cooker, bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Add ½ cup of little millet, cover with a lid, and cook over medium heat until the water is absorbed and the millet is tender. The millet should be slightly moist. Let it cool, then gently fluff with a fork to break up any lumps and keep the grains separate.
- You can substitute little millet with barnyard millet or foxtail millet to make this lemon millet rice.
More Lemon Recipes
Little Millet Lemon Rice (Samai Lemon Rice)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
To Cook Millets
- ½ cup little millet (samai)
- 1 cup water
For Millet Lemon Rice
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons peanuts
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 2 green chilies finely chopped
- 1 stalk curry leaves
- 1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- salt to taste
- juice of half lemon
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
Cooking Millets
- Pressure Cooker Method: Rinse the little millet thoroughly 2-3 times. Add ½ cup of millet and 1 cup of water to a pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Once cooled, gently fluff the millet with a fork to break up any lumps and keep the grains separate.
How to Make Little Millet Lemon Rice
- Heat oil in a kadai over medium heat. Add the raw peanuts and sauté until they turn lightly golden brown.
- Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and urad dal. Sauté until the dal turns light golden brown.
- Add green chilies, curry leaves, asafoetida, and sauté for a few seconds.
- Add the finely chopped onions and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until they turn lightly golden brown.
- Add the turmeric powder and salt, and mix well. Then, add the cooked little millet and gently toss until everything is well combined.
- Finally, add the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can make this samai lemon rice recipe without onions too.
- If you don't have a pressure cooker, bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Add ½ cup of little millet, cover with a lid, and cook over medium heat until the water is absorbed and the millet is tender. The millet should be slightly moist. Let it cool, then gently fluff with a fork to break up any lumps and keep the grains separate.
- You can substitute little millet with barnyard millet or foxtail millet to make this lemon millet rice.
Nutrition
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GinnyB
This was very good. I didn't use the peanuts (didn't have any) and I doubled the lemon juice. Will definitely make again. Thanks for this lovely and different side dish.
Bhavana Patil
Thank you Ginny for trying out the recipe and sharing your feedback 😊 Happy cooking, have a great day 😊
joseph
Great lemon rice !! That is a beautiful tart and a fantastic sounding recipe. Your posts are always easy to understand and Helpful. Thank You,