This lemon rice recipe is a delicious side dish to serve with any main dish.
The South Indian-inspired yellow rice can be served with Indian as well as Western fish, meat, and vegetable meals.
This is a quick and easy version prepared with a few ingredients.
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When you visit Goa, the first thing that you do is to take a walk around the beach and chill in one of the beach shacks.
You check out one of the sticky, salty menu cards and discover in the side dishes something called lemon rice.
It doesn't sound fancy, but if you are a serious lemon or lime lover like me, then you should not miss out on this lemon rice recipe!
What's Lemon Rice?
Lemon rice is a flavorful rice side dish that goes well with any kind of main course meal.
However, lemon rice goes best with seafood meals.
My husband introduced me to this lemon rice recipe by preparing and serving delicious and fresh stir-fried prawns with lemony rice.
My husband's aunt is from Kerala in South India, so she was the one to introduce the lemon rice to the family during festivities. It quickly gained fame, as you can see!
Note: This is not the authentic Southern Indian lemon rice version but rather a quick and easy recipe to make lemon rice at home.
Ingredient Notes
The citrus flavors in this lemon rice recipe will add some aroma to your rice.
The dark mustard seeds are an essential addition too, which gives a comforting nutty flavor to the dish and some texture as well.
Another great addition is turmeric, which might be known to some as Curcuma yellow spice.
Turmeric gives this lemon rice recipe not just a gorgeous hue but also a well-rounded taste experience, and together with the mustard seeds and lemon juice, it is a brilliant flavor experience, which anybody should experience!
The lemon adds a nice, tangy, addictive touch to the side dish, and it's going to be your new favorite go-to side dish at home.
Tip: You can also add cashews or peanuts to your lemon rice! Proper South Indian lemon rice calls for nuts and curry leaves.
How to make it?
Step 1
Briefly cook mustard seeds in oil to bring out the nutty flavors
Step 2
Take it from the heat, add ginger and garlic to it. Take back to the heat and stir-cook briefly.
Season with turmeric, pepper, and salt.
Step 3
Take it from the heat and leave it to cool for a few minutes. Stir in fresh lemon juice.
Mix in cooked plain rice.
📖 Recipe
Quick Indian Lemon Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Basmati Rice
- 2 Cups water
- 1 Tablespoon Oil olive oil, canola oil or coconut oil
- 1 Teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds dark variety
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger + Garlic *see Notes
- 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Ground aka Curcuma spice
- To Taste Salt
- Pinch Black Pepper Ground
- Juice of one Lemon
Instructions
- Wash the rice and cook until done but not mushy. Basmati rice usually takes about 10-12 minutes to cook on a medium heat setting, follow the package instructions. Strain so that no water is left.1 Cup Basmati Rice, 2 Cups water
- In a pan heat up the oil and add the mustard seeds. Temper the mustard seeds – careful mustard seeds jump up – until you get the nutty mustard seed aroma.1 Tablespoon Oil, 1 Teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds
- Add the ginger garlic paste, the turmeric powder, salt, and pepper and stir fry for another minute or two.1 Tablespoon Ginger + Garlic, 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Ground, To Taste Salt, Pinch Black Pepper Ground
- Take from the heat and let cool for a few minutes before adding and mixing in the lemon juice.Juice of one Lemon
- Pour the whole mixture over the cooked rice and mix well. Serve hot.
Notes
- Use Ginger Garlic paste as it mixes into the dish. You can also buy the paste. OR chop ⅓ ginger and ⅔ garlic fine and use that instead.
Nutrition
Uses
Serve this lemon rice with seafood; it's the perfect addition to fish and shellfish!
We love it with a Goan (Indian) shrimp dish known as Prawn Recheado (prawns fried in a pungent recheado chili paste) or anything recheado flavored, such as Fried Mackerel or Okra stuffed Recheado.
BUT, this flavored rice dish is so very versatile, and it can be served with all cuisines in this world!
Otherwise, I recommend this lemon rice with butter garlic squid or butter garlic pan-fried shrimp, pan-fried trout, and all salmon dishes, such as parchment-cooked herb-flavored salmon.
Yet, this lemon rice goes well with non-seafood meals too. I like a vegetable dish, such as a ratatouille, with this dish, or a simple vegetable stir-fry does the trick too.
Storing
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (this may vary if you used leftover cooked rice).
To not damage the fragile citrus flavors, reheat the rice gradually over a lower heat setting.
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The post Lemon Rice Recipe was first published on the 27th of December 2014 and has been enhanced and updated ever since.
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