Indian Lemon Rice Recipe

Love flavored rice

In India, and especially in the South of India, we have a variety of flavored rice recipes that will make you drool!

We call it Kalanda Saadam. 'Kalanda' means mixed and 'Saadam' means rice. These dishes are an integral part of South Indian cuisine. Some regions also call it Chitranna.

These dishes are packed with delicious flavors and are super easy to make! Be it Mustard Rice, Tomato Rice, Coconut Rice, Tamarind Rice, Peanut Rice, or Curd Rice!

In many households, all these rice recipes are mostly made using leftover rice unless they're being made for a special occasion. In that case, fresh rice is used.

Indian-style lemon rice and coconut rice are mainly offered in temples as prasadam and the flavors are to die for!

I have always felt that somehow the prasadam we get in temples tastes way better than when made at home!

There is a Vishnu temple in Trichy (South India) called Srirangam temple. Besides it being a huge ancient temple with beautiful architecture, the lemon rice that's served to all the devotees there is out of this world!

In fact, we never leave the temple without eating it! If you ever get a chance, do visit this temple. Not just for the prasadam, but it's a beautiful temple.

For those who can't visit this temple, let me show you how easy it is to make it at home.

One of my favorite childhood traveling memories includes this cilantro lemon rice. When my brother and I were children, we used to travel by train on an overnight journey to visit my grandparents in Trichy.

We would always carry homemade food with us for the train journey. It would always be the same dishes because they were travel friendly.

Masala Idli, Curd Rice, and Lemon Rice were staple train fare because they would keep overnight without spoiling.

When life gives you lemons...

Make lemon rice! That was the first thought that crossed my mind as I opened the box of vegetables and fruits from Get Florida Produce!

I was yet to feature the recipe of lemon rice on my blog and the first thing I saw when I opened this box was lemons! It was a sign.

BTW, the produce I received was of top quality, fresh, and free of packaging. They sent me a box filled with apples, mangoes, pears, onions, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, oranges, lemons, and lots of greens!

I was also happy to see curry leaves because they are not available in the leading grocery stores here. I need to go to the Indian grocery store whenever I need them. This definitely saved me a trip!

Side note - It's a great idea to include curry leaves in your daily diet. They are packed with antioxidants and helps cleanse our bodies. You can add them to anything and everything!

I make Curry Leaves Fritters whenever I get them in bulk.

Why make this

We all know how good and beneficial it is to include lemons in our diet. It's rich in vitamin C, helps build immunity and prevents infection. The absorbic acid in it helps absorb iron from the food.

Using lemon juice to make this Indian lemon rice is a fabulous idea!

It is an extremely flavorful rice recipe! The strong lemony flavor gives this rice that extra zing and zest. It's the perfect mix of spice and tangy flavor.

While you can make this recipe of lemon rice on a stovetop or Instant Pot, I prefer to make it in the Instant Pot. It's convenient, easy, and makes a one-pot meal!

I love the way white rice cooks in the Instant Pot especially for such recipes. The grains are separate and they cook faster.

• A good way to use lemons
• Minimal prep required
• Very simple and easy recipe
• Cooking time is just 4 minutes in the Instant Pot
• Can also be made on the stovetop
• Has a mild sour and spicy taste
• It's travel-friendly
• Is vegan and gluten-free
• Is an aromatic and flavorful way to dress up rice
• Loved by all across ages

Did you know?

Add one teaspoon of lemon juice to the water for your rice, then cook as normal. It will help keep your rice beautifully white and make your food tastier.

Instant Pot

First rinse the rice well. There is no need to soak the white rice before cooking it in the Instant Pot.

1. Turn on the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add oil and once it's hot add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal. Cook till the lentils turn light golden.
2. Add curry leaves and dried red chilies. Saute for 10 seconds.
3. Then add the chopped green chilies and onions. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
4. Next, add the grated carrots and cook for 40 seconds.
5. Add rinsed rice.
6. Then add water, turmeric powder, and salt.
7. Turn off the saute mode, close the lid, keep the valve in sealing position and cook in pressure/manual mode for 4 minutes. You can also select the rice mode in the Instant pot to cook this white rice.
8. While it's cooking, squeeze the juice from the lemons.
9. When the pot beeps, release the pressure after 10 minutes. Then add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and cilantro. Mix it with the rice.

Serve this rice warm. I like to enjoy this South Indian lemony rice by itself along with some roasted papad.

However, you can serve this Cilantro Lemon Rice with a side of coconut chutney, sambhar, rasam, yogurt, korma, or pickle. On festive occasions, its served with Dal Vada along with Coconut Rice.

It's normally served as a side dish but it makes a great breakfast or snack. We sometimes even have it for lunch or dinner. You can also serve this at parties, pack in lunchboxes, and pack it for travel.

For this lemon rice recipe, preferably use freshly squeezed lemon juice. But if that's unavailable to you, then you may use packaged lemon juice. Always remember to add the lemon juice last. Do not cook lemon juice. It will make the rice taste bitter. Adjust the quantity of lemon juice based on your preference. Soak chana dal 10 minutes before adding it to the pot. This ensures it's soft and not hard to chew when cooked.