Lemon Rice | Chitranna
Lemon rice is a tangy rice based dish prepared with cooked rice, lemon juice and tempering of South Indian spices.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Rice (180g)
- 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
- ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
- ½ tsp Chana Dal
- 1 tbsp Cashew Nuts or groundnuts or both
- 2 sprigs Curry Leaves
- 2 Green Chillies sliced vertically
- 1 Onion medium-sized, finely chopped
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ½ tsp Asafoetida Powder
- 1 tsp Salt adjust according to taste
- 1 Lemon juice of one whole lemon
- 2 tbsp Grated Coconut (optional)
Instructions
- The first step is the wash the rice until the water runs clear. Add the washed rice to a cooker and add twice the amount of water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles and turn the flame to a low and allow it to cook for two minutes. Turn off the cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Once the cooker pressure has released, remove the stopper from the cooker and remove the rice and spread the cooked rice grains on a large plate for it to cool down. Allow the rice to cool down completely before using it for the lemon rice.
- Place a kadai on medium heat. Once the kadai is warm, add the oil.
- Once the oil is warm, add mustard seeds, channa dal and cashew nuts / groundnuts. Lower the heat and roast the nuts on a low heat.
- Next, you can add the curry leaves and sliced green chillies. Toast them in the oil for a few seconds.
- Now, add the onion, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and saute the onions until the onions are soft.
- You can now turn off the heat, add the cooked and cooled rice to the kadai. Season with salt, lemon juice and garnish with grated coconut.
- Now comes the main step.Take your time to mix all the ingredients very well; every single grain of rice should be coated with the turmeric and lemon juice.
- You can eat lemon rice with a side of raita or curd. Add a few slices of cucumber seasoned with salt and pepper as a side salad.