Photo: Nithyasrm · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Indian & South Asian · Lunch · Dinner

Lemon Rice

Name: Lemon Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Indian & South Asian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Basmati or sona masoori rice; 2 1/4 cups Water; 1 tsp Salt; 1/4 cup Raw peanuts; 1 tbsp Peanut oil; 1 tsp Black mustard seeds; 1 tsp Urad dal (split black gram); 1 tsp Chana dal (split chickpeas); 2 whole Dried red chillies; 2 small Green chillies, slit; 1 tbsp Fresh ginger, finely chopped; about 20 leaves Fresh curry leaves; 1 pinch Asafoetida (hing); 1/2 tsp Ground turmeric; 1/2 cup Frozen green peas; 3 tbsp (about 2 lemons) Fresh lemon juice; 2 tbsp Fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Elumichai Sadam

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

Fluffy rice tossed with a sizzling tempering of mustard seeds, lentils, curry leaves and crunchy peanuts, then brightened with turmeric and fresh lemon juice. This tangy South Indian favourite is light, fragrant and good warm or at room temperature.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 40 min
Serves: 4

Easy
Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy Free

18%

Per serving357kcal18% of a 2,000 kcal day

8gProtein

61gCarbs

9gFat

2gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 68% · Fat 22% · Protein 10%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

1 1/2 cups280 gBasmati or sona masoori rice
2 1/4 cups530 gWater
1 tsp6 gSalt
1/4 cup36 gRaw peanuts
1 tbsp14 gPeanut oil
1 tspBlack mustard seeds
1 tsp5 gUrad dal (split black gram)
1 tsp5 gChana dal (split chickpeas)
2 wholeDried red chillies
2 small10 gGreen chillies, slit
1 tbsp6 gFresh ginger, finely chopped
about 20 leavesFresh curry leaves
1 pinchAsafoetida (hing)
1/2 tspGround turmeric
1/2 cup70 gFrozen green peas (optional)
3 tbsp (about 2 lemons)45 gFresh lemon juice
2 tbspFresh coriander leaves, chopped

Steps

1
Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs mostly clear, then drain.
2
Bring the 530 g water to a boil in a pot with half the salt, add the rice, cover and simmer on low for 12-15 minutes until the water is absorbed.
3
Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes, then spread the rice on a wide plate to cool slightly so the grains stay separate.
4
Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and add the peanuts; stir for 2-3 minutes until golden, then lift them out onto a plate.
5
Add the mustard seeds to the same pan and let them pop.
6
Add the urad dal and chana dal and stir for about 1 minute until light golden.
7
Add the dried red chillies, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
8
Stir in the asafoetida and turmeric, then add the peas if using and cook for 2 minutes until hot.
9
Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and the remaining salt.
10
Add the cooked rice and the fried peanuts and fold gently until every grain is yellow and evenly coated.
11
Taste, adjust salt or lemon, scatter over the coriander and serve warm or at room temperature.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a nut-free version, skip the peanuts and add an extra teaspoon of chana dal or some roasted sunflower seeds for crunch, and fry the tempering in sunflower or another neutral oil instead of peanut oil.
To make it gluten-free, use an asafoetida labelled gluten-free or leave the hing out, since most brands are blended with wheat flour.
Use leftover cooked rice (about 4 cups, well chilled) instead of cooking fresh rice to save time and get extra-separate grains.
If you can't find curry leaves, leave them out and add a little extra coriander at the end, knowing the flavour will be less fragrant.

Storage

Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate in an airtight container within 1 hour, then eat within 1 day. Reheat only once, until steaming hot all the way through, with a splash of water. Freezing isn't recommended as the peanuts soften and the rice turns dry.

Make ahead

Cook the rice up to a day ahead, spread it out to cool quickly, then refrigerate, and you can fry the peanuts and store them in a sealed jar once cool. Make the tempering and toss everything together shortly before serving so the peanuts stay crunchy.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: PeanutsMustardGluten

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (237 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	357 kcal	151 kcal
Protein	8.3 g	3.5 g
Carbohydrates	60.9 g	25.7 g
of which sugars	1.3 g	0.5 g
Fiber	2.4 g	1 g
Fat	8.8 g	3.7 g
of which saturated	1.3 g	0.5 g
Sodium	595 mg	251 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.