Easy Lemon Rice Recipe | How to cook Chitrannam

Lemon Rice

Lemon rice is a simple, tangy rice dish and is very popular in Southern India . This comfort food is one such dish which can be served as breakfast or lunch or dinner.

Preparation involves Cooking rice, tempering with spices, fried Canada, peanuts/cashews and mixing with fresh lemon juice which gives a nice flavor to the rice. It tastes best when served after resting it for atleast couple of hours. When we are running out of time or feeling tired to cook, lemon rice is the best option.

This is a must have for many South Indian families during festivals. Because this rice item can be cooked upfront and also it’s flavor gets enhanced after resting it for few hours, this is also a good dish to pack as food during travel. My mom always packs Lemon rice whenever we go for outing or family get-together

Trivia: Lemon Rice is popularly known as Chitrannam in Telugu and Chitranna in Kannada

Learn how to prepare this recipe with step by step instructions along with photos.

Please do try our other rice recipes:

Vangi bhath Recipe | Egg Plant Rice | Brinjal Rice

Peas Pulao Recipe| Matar Pulao Recipe

Lemon Rice

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine South Indian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2-3 cups Cooked Rice
• Lemon Juice as required
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 3-4 Green chilies
• 1 inch Ginger
• 1 sprig Curry Leaves
• 3 tbsp Coriander Leaves
• 1/2 tsp Mustard
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1 pinch Hing
• 1 tsp Urad dal
• 1 tbsp Chana dal
• 2 tbsp Fried Cashew
• 2 tbsp Salt or as per your taste
• 2 tbsp Oil

Instructions

 

• Finely chop ginger, coriander leaves and vertically slit the green chilies.
  
• Squeeze lemon juice and keep aside.
  
• Wash rice thoroughly and soak for 10-15 mins. Cook the rice but do not make it mushy. I prefer to cook in rice cooker. Cool it completely
  
• Sprinkle lemon juice over the cooked rice, mix well and keep it aside.
  
• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, cumin seeds when splutters, add urad dal and chana dal.
  
• When the dal turns golden , add ginger, curry leaves and green chilies.
  
• Add hing, turmeric and salt.
  
• Finally add coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
  
• Add this mixture to the cooked rice and mix well. Garnish with fried cashew.
  
• Lemon rice is ready to serve. Enjoy the lemon rice as it is or you can also have it with gutti vankaya curry.
  

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Note:

You can add peanuts while tempering along with other chana dal.