Lemon Rice Recipe - Make Lemon Rice with Leftover Rice or Make it Fresh
Lemon Rice Recipe – This relatively simple and quick rice recipe is lemon rice recipe or chitranna recipe from the Southern Indian states of Karnataka & Tamil Nadu
Chitranna or chitrannam is comfort food for many and is most commonly eaten for a meal. Chitranna has a delicate flavour of freshly squeezed lemon juice along with the aroma of the tempering spices.
Leftover rice makes it an ideal ingredient for this Chitranna recipe. in other words, the rice is dry and moisture free and thus easily mixes with the spices and lemon juice.
However, the chitranna can also be made with freshly cooked rice too. But care has to be taken to make it moisture free and dry before it is used in the recipe.
Lemon rice or Chitrannam or Yelumiccha Pazha Sadham is considered to be an important part of a South Indian meal. It plays a very important culinary role during festivals like Pongal, Ugadi or any auspicious occasions.
It also serves well as a simple lunch meal for a long journey.
Lemon rice with lauki aloo ki sabzi
Lemon Rice Recipe; Make Lemon Rice with Leftover Rice
There are always leftovers from meals. If you are just a bit creative you can recycle the leftovers into a tasteful dish.
So what do we do with leftover rice from a previous day’s meal? Well! lots can be done. However, we will see how to transform it into “Lemon Rice” in this recipe.
Lemon Rice has various names like Chitranna, Chitrannam, Elumichai Sadham, Yelumiccha Pazha Sadham & Nimmakaya Pulihora
This recipe tastes absolutely fresh and delicious. Nimmakaya Pulihora was once the staple food of South India. Now it is used as a quick snack or a snappy tiffin lunch all over. It is incredibly simple to make and kids love it too.
Chitrannam is yellow in colour since it uses turmeric and its flavours are fresh and appetizing.
To make lemon rice, you can use any kind of cooked or steamed rice. You can also make lemon rice with freshly made rice. Just ensure that the grains are apart. You can also add a few roasted peanuts to it (which I didn’t).
You can snack on it or have it as lunch or even for breakfast. It is a splendid recipe loved by all. You can have it with a sabzi. I served it with a lauki aloo ki sabzi. You can even serve it simply with some raita, papad & a green salad.
This Lemon rice recipe is a delicious side dish to serve with any main dish. The South Indian yellow rice can be served with Indian as well as Western fish, meat and vegetable meals.
Lemon Rice Recipe
- Preparation Time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 10 minutes/ Add 15 minutes if cooking rice fresh
- Cooking Gizmos: Wok or a Kadhai
- Serves: 3
Lemon Rice Recipe, Chitranna Recipe, Chitrannam Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Cooked Leftover Rice (You can make it fresh too)
- 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil I used Canola Oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon Mustard Seeds
- 2 Piece Dried Red Chillies
- 2 Piece Green Chillies Slit
- 1/4 Tablespoon Asafoetida Heeng
- 1 Tablespoon Chana Dal
- 3 Piece Green Chillies Slit the chillies
- 1/2 Tablespoon Ginger Paste
- 1/4 Tablespoon Turmeric Powder
- 10 Piece Curry Leaves
- 3 Piece Lemon Juice
- 0.5 Teaspoon Table Salt Please adjust it to your taste
Instructions
- Break up the leftover rice so that the grains don’t clump.
- Add canola oil to the kadhai and heat.
- Add the mustard seeds and chana dal.
- Crackle the mustard and saute the chana dal.
- Add the red chillies, green chillies and curry leaves.
- Saute for 12-15 seconds till you can smell the aromas.
- Add the asafoetida and turmeric powder.
- Saute for 2-3 seconds on low heat so that the spices don’t burn.
- Add the leftover rice and mix well gently.
- Add the lemon juice and mix well.
- Turn off the fire.
- Remove and keep covered for 4-5 minutes for flavours to blend.
- Serve with papad, chutney, raita or just eat it as it is.
Notes
- Make sure to use leftover rice for better taste and non-sticky chitranna.
- If preparing fresh, rest the rice to that the moisture goes away.
- You can adjust the amount of chilli based on your chilli handling.
Step by Step - Lemon Rice Recipe, Chitranna Recipe, Chitrannam Recipe
You can easily throw together this lemon rice meal if you are in a hurry, as it can be made with leftover rice. Add some papads on the side for a simple yet tasty meal.
FINALLY, TO SUM IT UP
Lemon rice recipe is all done. Serve hot
Lemon rice or Chitrannam or Yelumiccha Pazha Sadham is considered to be an important part of a South Indian meal. It plays a very important culinary role during festivals like Pongal, Ugadi or any auspicious occasions.
You can easily throw together this lemon rice meal if you are in a hurry, as it can be made with leftover rice. Add some papads on the side for a simple yet tasty meal.
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