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lemon rice on a plate
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South Indian Lemon Rice

South Indian lemon rice is a beautiful, sunshine-yellow dish with anti-inflammatory turmeric and the crunch of roasted peanuts and lentils. This is a simple, one-pot meal ready in 25 minutes in the instant pot or stovetop pressure cooker. A delicious recipe that's also vegan and gluten-free!
Course Brunch/Lunch
Cuisine Indian
Keyword easy Indian rice recipe, Instant Pot lemon rice, South Indian lemon rice
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 283.1kcal

Equipment

  • 6-quart Instant Pot Duo

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white Basmati rice
  • 2 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon chana dal split chickpea lentils
  • 1 tablespoon urad dal split skinless black gram lentils
  • ¼ cup peanuts
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1-2 green chillies
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

Preparation (5 minutes)

  • Rinse the rice in a colander until the water runs clear. Drain and soak it in 1.25 cups water.
  • Grate the ginger.

Cooking (20 minutes including pressure release time)

  • Turn the instant pot to saute (normal) and when the display shows HOT, add the oil. Tip in the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
  • Add the peanuts, chana dal and urad dal and fry until they turn golden. 
  • After 30 seconds, add grated ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric and half cup water. Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the rice and the water in which it was soaked, lemon juice and salt. Mix everything with a spoon and cancel saute.
  • Close the lid, turn the steam release handle to sealing and press the pressure cooking button (high). Set the timer to 4 minutes. When the timer beeps, wait for 10 minutes, then release pressure and open the pot. Perfectly steamed lemon rice is ready to be served.

Notes

  1. All ingredients can be found in Indian grocery stores or Amazon.
  2. The chana dal and urad dal (lentils) are optional. The lemon rice won't suffer much for lack of them.
  3. Lemon juice can be substituted with lime juice.
  4. Do not omit the the curry leaves and mustard seeds. Besides the lemon, these ingredients give this dish its distinctive tangy taste and aroma. 
  5. If curry leaves are not an option, use some cilantro or coriander leaves instead. The rice won't taste the same, but it's better than nothing.
  6. I used canola oil in this recipe, but peanut oil or avocado oil would work too.
  7. You can also use cashew nuts instead of peanuts or in addition to them. 
  8. Basmati rice was used in this recipe but you can use any short-grain, non-sticky rice too. 

Nutrition

Calories: 283.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.1g | Protein: 5.8g | Fat: 12.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 599.9mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 0.7g