This tangy and spicy lemon rice is is a popular south Indian dish. It makes for a perfect side or or a light meal.
Lemon juice and zest make this rice both tart and bright! Adding a serrano pepper (or two if you’re like my husband) gives it some heat and the dal and peanuts add a bit of crunch. We can’t forget the curry leaves – those give the lemon rice LIFE! And by life I mean an aromatic flavor that can’t be replicated by any other spice or herb – so make sure you get your hands on some (you can find fresh curry leaves for super cheap at your local Indian grocery store or you can pay a small fortune and find them on amazon).
This is the perfect spring/summer dish. You can enjoy this as a light meal served with a side of raita (yogurt thinned out with a bit of water, salt and roasted cumin powder) or as a snack. I crave lemon-flavored food during the warmer months (have you tried my lemon cheesecake with lemon curd yet?). Now we just need spring to get its act together and give us some warmer days!
Have you ever tried lemon rice before? I remember the first time I tried it was at an Indian restaurant many years ago with my husband/then boyfriend (who is south Indian). The restaurant we were at had lemon rice as part of their buffet. I ate (a lot of) it and was amazed – the flavor was just so different than the north Indian food I grew up eating. I remember asking Roby if he had ever tried anything like it before and he literally laughed as his response because he thought I was kidding (the answer was yes… just in case I needed to spell that out). Trust me when I say this is a very popular south Indian dish – loved by kiddos and adults alike.
This past weekend my husband and I were in Miami for an Indian wedding. We left our son, Tony, with his grandparents who threw him an Easter party! My mom made this lemon rice recipe from my cookbook and served it at the party. She said everyone absolutely loved it! Here’s a pic from the party – it’s of my son with his grandpa who is dressed as the Easter Bunny!
You can enjoy this fragrant rice as a light meal, a side dish or a snack. Serve this lemon rice with a side of raita (my beet raita would be great!), salad and a side of Indian pickles (achar).
Instant Pot Lemon Rice
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This popular South Indian rice dish is light, tangy and refreshing. The citrus flavor in the rice really comes through. You can eat this for breakfast, as a snack or as part of a meal. I enjoy eating lemon rice with a side of yogurt and Indian pickles.
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice, soaked for 15–30 minutes
- 3 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon split chickpeas (chana dal)
- 1 tablespoon split and skinless black lentils (split and skinless urad dal)
- ⅓ cup raw peanuts*
- 15 curry leaves
- 1 Serrano pepper or green chili, slit but intact, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, optional
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Soak the basmati rice in cold water for 15-30 minutes. Drain the water, rinse and set aside.
- Press the sauté button, add the oil and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the mustard seeds, split chickpeas, split/skinless black lentils. After 1-2 minutes, or once the lentils turn golden in color, add the raw peanuts and stir-fry.
- Add the curry leaves, Serrano pepper, ginger, coriander powder, salt and turmeric. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add lemon juice, lemon zest, water and rice. Mix well.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 6 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. Open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
Notes
- *I prefer using raw peanuts in this dish, which can easily be found at any Indian grocery store or online. You can use roasted peanuts or cashews instead, just wait to add them in with the spices.
Does the lemon juice have to be fresh-squeezed or can it be the bottled kind (RealLemon). If using the bottle kind, is 1/4 cup the right amount?
You can use bottled lemon juice too and yes, the same amount 🙂 let me know what you think!
Can’t get much zest out of a bottle. 😉
Thank you for the recipe, I am trying it today.
Diane, very true! The zest is optional but definitely adds more zing/lemon flavor! Can’t wait to hear what you think of it 🙂
Hi Ashley, I tried this recipe word to word but I got burn signal. Frankly when I saw the recipe, I was doubtful about it and was fearing if I would get a burn signal and the same happened. Usually I use 1:2 ratio for rice to cook. But here you told to use 1:1 ratio. Moreover recipe says to soak rice for 15 to 30 min. A soaked rice cooks faster than unsoaked rice, so why pressure time is 6min on high pressure? I got burn signal even before pressure build up and coundown timer started. Please clarify my questions. Thank you.
Anusha, could it be that your valve was open by any chance? If you join my instant pot for indian food facebook group you can try asking about this there – many people have made the lemon rice successfully and have shared pictures! We can all help troubleshoot what went wrong.
Hey I tried it too, this time I tripled the quantity n it gave me a burnt error, but I changed the pressure level to normal and continued, also I took out some pressure, 3 min after it was done cooking and left some pressure for natural release. It came out gr8. My first time was classic… thanks for the recipe
Thank you for sharing – really glad it worked out for you 🙂
Anusha, could it be that your valve was open by any chance? If you join my instant pot for indian food facebook group you can try asking about this there – many people have made the lemon rice successfully and have shared pictures! We can all help troubleshoot what went wrong.
Made this tonight. My husband and I were floored with how delicious it is. Just incredible, so good. There’s something special that happens in combining the smooth, rich, umami flavors of nuts, coconut and oil that contrasts and balances out the brightness of the lemon. A very pretty dish, too. Watch out, though- it’s hard to stop eating this one.
Lizzie, that’s so great to hear!! Thanks for letting me know how you and your husband liked the rice 🙂
Hi, Ashley, I loved your lemon rice but had some leftovers, and the next day it was a bit on the hard side when I took it out of the fridge and heated it up in microwave. What do you suggest? Any better method to warm it up and make it soft again? Thanks!
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Hi Irene, so glad you liked it! Hmm maybe you can try reheating it by putting a wet paper towel over top? If you try that, please let me know how it works!
My son has a severe peanut allergy. But why muck up a good recipe? We can’t wait for him to go back to college in two weeks.
😉
Jana, LOL aww, use cashews! It’ll still be delicious!
I love this recipe! I’ve tried a few of your recipes now, all of them fantastic. Can’t wait to buy your book. I have a question though- how could I scale this recipe to make twice as much in the instant pot if I’m having guests and want to make more? I feel like the water to rice proportion might be different but I’m not sure. Thanks!
Thanks, Jordan! I’m so glad you’re liking my recipes 🙂 As for scaling the recipe – if you want to double it then double the ingredients but keep the cook time the same (the pot will just take longer to reach pressure due to more content in the pot). I’ve had readers tell me they have doubled and even tripled the recipe without issue 🙂
Can I substitute basmati rice for sona masoori? Will the water quantity and cooking times be the same?
I doubled the quantity but followed instructions exactly – the rice turned out to be quite mushy/ sticky. I’m not sure what went wrong!
In all your recipies – 1 cup do you usually mean the little plastic cup provided w instant pot?
Hi Anya, I use a US measuring cup – not the rice cup. However, if you are using equal proportions of rice and water then the consistency of the rice still should have turned out okay so I’m not sure what went wrong. All brands of basmati are a little different so you may need to adjust the cook time – try less time next time?
My rice also turned out a little sticky/mushy 🙁 do you think reducing the cooking time works?
All basmati rice is a bit different so yes I’d definitely try reducing the cook time to find the best time for the brand you are using 🙂
If I increasing the serving size do the timings increase as well?
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The cook time stays the same 🙂 So to double this recipe just double all of the ingredients but leave the cook time the same. Hope that helps!
What brand of rice do you use? As you mentioned the cooking time can vary from brand to brand. I’m currently using the TJs basmati white rice, have you tried this lemon rice receipt with the TJs basmati rice? If so did it require 1:1 ratio and 6 mins cooking time?
I use Aahu Barah and love it! Here’s a link: http://amzn.to/2wkU9O7
Hey so when I followed the same exact steps, my rice got burned and insta pot started showing “burn” so I opened it ASAP and looked, rice was uncooked but the bottom rice were all burned. Any idea where I went wrong? Thank you 🙂
Hi Namrata, was the pressure valve closed from the start? Otherwise sometimes too much steam can escape, causing there to be less water. That’s my guess but it’s really hard to say what could have caused it for sure… any other details you can provide would be helpful for troubleshooting!
I made this yesterday for lunch. I had never made lemon rice before but have had it at restaurants and friends’ places. This was fantastic…. and quick! My fam wiped the pot clean! I think its a great combo with your coconut chicken curry. I think I am gonna make this again tomorrow and will double the recipe
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Jen, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 Love that you’re making it again so soon!
Hi, any advice in how much of a Serrano pepper to add if I don’t want the rice to be very spicy? I’m aiming for kid friendly.
Hi Tasaha, you can always leave it out completely. Or if your child can tolerate some heat, remove the rib (inside spicy portion of a pepper) and then maybe use an inch and see how that goes?
Hi – I tried this recipe and it tasted really good!! My rice however was super sticky and not at all fluffy. Any tips? In addition do you have a stovetop variation for this recipe? Thanks!!
This is soooooooo good!!! I didn’t have any problem with the burn sign so I wonder if different brands of basmati make a difference? I used Kohinoor Extra Flavourful. I love the little bite in the peanuts and channa dal. I didnt have anymore split urad dal so used split masoor dal instead and it worked perfectly. Another winner!!
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Melissa, I’m so happy to hear that you liked this so much! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you – and about subbing masoor dal for urad dal!
Mind-blowing! Thank you!
i’m a white girl who loves the Keralite food of my husband’s culture. He was floored I made this, and honestly I was too. I kept eating and eating thinking “I can’t believe i made this myself.” Hubby thought the same thing. I double the recipe and between 2 people it was gone by the end of the day. I’ve spread the recipe to my best food friends as a “drop everything and make this!” Can’t wait to try others.
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Lauren, that’s so awesome! Way to go! Glad you guys liked this so much 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how it turned out – let me know what you guys think of any other recipes you try!