Little Millet Lemon Rice (Samai Lemon Rice)

little millet lemon rice served in a copper color bowl and coriander on the side.

4.80 from 5 votes

Little Millet Lemon Rice (Samai Lemon Rice)

South Indian style lemon rice made with little millets. Little millets or Samai are cooked and tossed in a tempering of mustard seeds, lentils, curry leaves, turmeric.

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine Indian, South Indian

Keyword lemon millet rice, litttle millet lemon rice, millet lemon rice

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Method Stovetop

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 420kcal

Author Bhavana Patil

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.

Video

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.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition