South Indian Lemon Rice with peanuts, curry leaves and fresh lemon juice. This flavorful rice is tangy, vibrant and crunchy. Makes a great quick meal and is also vegan.
Rinse rice until water turns clear. Then transfer to a pressure cooker with 1.5 cups water. Cook on high heat for 2 to 3 whistles. You can also cook in your Instant pot, high pressure for 5 minutes with natural pressure release.
Meanwhile soak urad dal and chana dal in water for 10 to 15 minutes as the rice cooks. Then drain the water from the dals and set aside.
Once the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork and transfer to a large bowl and let it cool down. Then add the salt and the lemon juice and mix well until combined and set it aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the peanuts to the pan. Cook the peanuts until roasted and they turn light golden brown. Don't burn them. Remove peanuts on a plate lined with paper towel.
To the same pan, now add mustard seeds and let them pop.
Add the soaked & drained dal to the pan. Saute until they turn light golden brown.
Add the curry leaves and chili. Saute for few seconds. Then add the turmeric, hing and mix. Remove pan from heat.
Transfer tempering to rice along with the roasted peanuts. Mix all the seasoning well with the rice. Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste at this point.
Serve lemon rice with a side of pickle!
Notes
You can also make this lemon rice using 3-4 cups of cooked rice. So this is a great way to use leftover rice. Follow the same recipe as it is except cooking the rice part.
You can also add cashews to this lemon rice for that extra crunch and taste.
To make it gluten-free skip the hing (asafoetida) or use gluten-free hing.