Lemon rice always reminds me of train rides. I am sure some of you associate the two as well because in most cases, whenever we go on an overnight train journey, a small bundle of lemon rice wrapped in wilted banana leaf will be handed over to everyone. We have always had lemon rice with chuttaracha chammanthi, thick coconut chutney ground with smoked red chillies, and curd or raita. 
For more authentic South Indian rice recipes, check out this puliogare recipe, thengai sadam (coconut rice), ellu sadam (sesame rice), and carrot rice recipe, an easy lunchbox dish perfect to make a day ahead too.
I also have another distinct memory associated with lemon rice. One of eating it at a temple when I was very little. I forgot where or when but that was probably the best lemon rice I have ever tasted. It’s been ages since I have eaten from a temple but if I see it when I pass by, I am grabbing some!
For more authentic South Indian rice recipes, check out this puliogare recipe, thengai sadam (coconut rice), ellu sadam (sesame rice), and carrot rice recipe, an easy lunchbox dish perfect to make a day ahead too.
On to the Lemon Rice Recipe now.
Lemon Rice
Serves: 2-3
Preparation time: 30 mins
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked rice (leftovers work perfect)
3 tbsp raw peanuts
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 tbsp juice of lemon or lime
Salt to taste
For tempering:
2 tbsp gingelly oil / nallennai / sesame seed oil (Indian version)
2-3 red chillies torn into halves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp chana dal / kadala paruppu
A generous pinch of hing / asafoetida / perungaayam
A few curry leaves
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing (optional)
How to Make Lemon Rice:
1. Heat oil for tempering in a pan and add the peanuts. Roast until nicely browned. Drain and set aside.
2. To the hot oil, add the ingredients for tempering. Take care not to burn the chillies. When the mustard seeds start to pop and the dal has turned a golden brown, add the turmeric powder and salt. Now add peanuts, mix well and remove from fire.
3. Add cooked rice to the above mixture and mix well. Squeeze lime on the rice and mix again. Depending on the lime / lemon you use, the sourness will vary. Make sure you make it slightly more sour than you need it because when you let it sit for an hour or two, the rice will absorb the flavours.
4. Garnish and serve.
Notes:
– Lemon rice is fantastic to carry with you on a trip. Wrap in banana leaves or pack it in your throwaway containers with some chuttaracha chammanthi and you are set!
– The lemon rice tastes just fine when it turns cold but if serving at home, serve warm.
This just turned out lovely! Reminds me of my lunch days during pre u in chennai…all we ate every lunch was coconut rice/ tomato rice/ lemon rice / curd rice! Delish!!
Just tried the recipe. Super taste!
So cool, thank you Val. Glad you like the lemon rice recipe!
Your lemon rice is super tasty! I am back for it and this time also taking the papaya burfi with me. Yummyumm! Thank you!
Happy Pongal!
Amazing! I've watched my husband make these dishes before, but I've never been confident to try it myself.
Well, stuck at home alone, I thought I'd give it shot.
So tasty! I actually think this might be one of the tastiest dishes I've ever made by myself. Thanks so much for your simple (and not intimidating) instructions.
– An American Learning to Cook Indian
Dear American learning to cook Indian, I am so glad the lemon rice recipe helped and thanks for letting me know that. Appreciate it! 🙂
hi Admin,
Tried to cook lemon rice today following urs step!
Thanks. It was good!!
Do you know/or have links to make puli kozhambu ?
If so please share.
Thanks,
Learner/Beginner in art of cooking
Don't have puli kozhambu yet but here's the recipe link for easy vathal kozhambu, you can try that! https://www.cookingandme.com/2008/10/easy-vathal-kuzhambu.html
I just made my first batch of your lemon rice today!! I'm excited to eat it! 🙂
oooh , waiting to see how the lemon rice turned out, preeti 🙂
I had never had lemon rice untill i made them few days back and i loved it.
I love your brighter colour in the rice, not thinking aobut the rice i am getting hungry.
Oh wow awesome presentation…..I love the sour taste of lemon in rice…Looks droolworthy….
He hee,I was about to ask you "Don't you fell in love with those bowls,u did presented the same for past two posts..:D"
Indeed it makes the Lemon rice looking divine! Bright color u hav got!
I remember the same trips,where ever we go,my mom used to prepare like this and also tamarind rice and curd rice with same coconut thogayal,which u call it as chuttaracha chammanthi!!
Will try sending in some entries for the event soon!
yes, the peanuts are what attract me to lemon rice too 🙂
I just found this blog and I i think I'm going to be reading it a lot 🙂
You have a lot of interesting recipes.Thank you for sharing them.
P
Hehe you guys are SO mature 😀
I'm just back from a small weekend trip to Mysore and had lemon rice there that was prepared by my granny.Her recipe was very similar to yours. Love the peanuts in it.
I just found this blog and I i think I'm going to be reading it a lot 🙂
You have a lot of interesting recipes.Thank you for sharing them.
P
I knew someone who said her family would add boiled eggs to lemon rice, even on journeys!
Temple prasadams have a way of being tasty!
oh yum yum yum…I almost forgot this one..can you believe it?? this country is surely giving me amnesia and am wondering what this SJ is doing on your blog breaking copyright laws of N??
psst loved your coconut bowl and sheesh I didn’t notice it too in the previous posts…
lemon rice in banana leaves in train journeys..truly the stuff that makes wonderful memmories!
Beautiful pics
great pictures & delicious lemon rice nags …..
Now do you know why I want to beat up N and S? See how they bully me…
I have never had rice in wilted banana leaves in train & I so want to have it. It sounds like a charm:-) with nostalgia. We love lemon rice & most of the time our left over gets converted to this.
Hehe you guys are SO mature 😀
WTH, now SJ copies my comments also?
But I love lemon rice. I love it coz its tangy. And the colour! Ya, whatte colour!
I always have Lemon Rice or tamarind Rice when we go to the temple or to the Udupi restaurants. The color of this rice looks perfect
The 2nd pic looks very good!! As N says “Whatte a colour” !! My mom adds onions to to this.
I am obsessed with lemons! This is wonderful!
Simple recipe but awesome presentation. My friend also makes such tasty lemon rice…
Total comfort food. Lemon Rice is an all time favorite. My mom used to always make this with cashews instead of peanuts. Cashews for Lemon Rice and peanuts was for Puliyogare (Tamarind rice)..and I tend to follow the same 🙂 But looking at your lovely pics, the peanuts, do look tempting. Will try it the next time. Thansk for posting !
Wow…simple beauty! We share same recipe somewhat different method and ingredients. Yours rice bowl look so decent Nags.:)
hey, Nags why do people post this recipe and make me feel that I have to eat it right now!, It’s my dream food !, believe it or not all through my pregnency whoever asked me what do you want to eat ? i said chitranna, my MIL used to complain to my hubby because i ate three much of it!, I really have lot of stories when it comes to cinema (chitra) rice…, that’s what we called it some times…, beautiful clicks nag i love them…, looks gorgeous
Wow… Lemon rice always reminds me of going on long trips and taking lemon rice with us to eat during the journey. Looks great!
Lemon rice is gorgeous! It looks perfect!
your lemon rice is making me hungry…the bowls are so cute. nice way to serve rice in this bowl.
I always love to see lemon rice, it’s a pretty dish!
Its really tempting nags.. Ur photography rocks… Always keep starring at ur pictures..keep it up.
I forgot to mention,it’s HB 🙂
Third pic looks so good.I love lemon rice for it’s simpleness. Oh ye I did notice your shell bowls 😀 By the way, check out my food blog. It’s in the making still though.
i never tried adding peanuts..My mom used to add..Next time i will..As usual, great pics:)
Love the look of that lemon rice! 🙂
I’m just back from a small weekend trip to Mysore and had lemon rice there that was prepared by my granny.Her recipe was very similar to yours. Love the peanuts in it.
Great pictures nags..
Oh wow awesome presentation…..I love the sour taste of lemon in rice…Looks droolworthy….
woww..its looking superb…perfect in color..and i just loved the presentation Nags…that serving vessel is superb…i hav to get one like that.. 🙂
I had never had lemon rice untill i made them few days back and i loved it.
I love your brighter colour in the rice, not thinking aobut the rice i am getting hungry.
Hi Naga, whenever I make lemon rice at home, R always says they used to pack it on their annual train journey during vacation. And yes, I always make this with leftover rice, same recipe:D I used to go to the Hanuman temple in Motinagar where they served lemon rice on Saturdays, I looked forward to it:-) In Singapore, the Murugan temple in Jurong also served a very nice rice variety for prasad. I so wanted to send this in for the event, but now I will post something else:-)
yes, the peanuts are what attract me to lemon rice too 🙂
He hee,I was about to ask you “Don’t you fell in love with those bowls,u did presented the same for past two posts..:D”
Indeed it makes the Lemon rice looking divine! Bright color u hav got!
I remember the same trips,where ever we go,my mom used to prepare like this and also tamarind rice and curd rice with same coconut thogayal,which u call it as chuttaracha chammanthi!!
Will try sending in some entries for the event soon!
Shreya – do send me your version if you can’t think of anything else to make 🙂
Lena – These are coconut shell bowls I picked up from Bali. Honestly, I think its the lemon rice that’s making them look good cuz the last two recipes I posted were also clicked in the same bowl and you didn’t notice, did you? 😀