on Sep 07, 2018, Updated Aug 24, 2020 Can we just pause for a minute and admire that color please? And those fluffy grains of rice, each one separate? That’s the beauty of this simple, easy lemon rice – it takes minutes to make but is packed with flavor and looks gorgeous. I’ve grown up eating this for breakfast and I really don’t know why. But I guess my mum would put this together when she had extra rice leftover from the previous night. Squeeze some lime juice, stir fry a few things and you have this piping hot, lemony rice dish that’s ready in five minutes tops! She would grate some coconut on top and really – I can’t forget the smell! Also, let me clarify this – this recipe is actually made with limes, at least in India. Limes have a stronger flavor, are more tart than lemons and therefore perfect for this recipe. But lemons will work just as well here. We are not going to differentiate between the two for this recipe. Traditionally, two different kinds of dals or lentils are added to chitranna (thats what its called in South India), but I’m breaking some rules here, and making this with cashew nuts instead. Because I love the crunch and bite of cashews and the day I made this, I had run out of both those lentils. But I really couldn’t tell the difference.
Is Lemon Rice healthy?
The approximate nutritional values of this lemon rice are provided in the recipe below. I define healthy as anything that is made at home with clean, fresh ingredients that are not heavily processed, and by that definition, I think lemon rice is healthy. If you wish, you can swap the white rice for brown rice to make it healthier. Brown rice has more fiber, but the cooking times for this recipe will change.
Use Lime Zest + Juice for more flavor
Most lemon rice recipes only use lime juice in them, which is added in the end, but I like to start by adding lime zest while the rice is cooking, and then finish with lime juice. I think zest is really where all the good flavor is and we often ignore it. When a recipe is basically flavored with limes, it makes a big difference if you use both. This recipe has an intense lemony flavor, but not so much that you’ll pucker up, but enough for you to enjoy it and want more. A good idea is to serve this with vegetable raita so that you get your share of veggies, and the yogurt really balances everything out. But you can easily serve this with chana masala, cauliflower chickpea curry, grilled chicken and fish.
More Healthy Rice Recipes:
Healthy Cauliflower Rice Low Carb Mexican Cauliflower Rice (Paleo, Vegan, Keto) Raw Mango and Turmeric Brown Rice Black Rice Salad Bowl with Spicy Peanut Dressing Mango Rice
