Lemon rice | lemon pulao (with preserved lemons)

This easy South Indian rice recipe will soon become one of your favourites! It is tangy, flavourful and very easy to make. This dish is flavoured with curry leaves, peanuts, mustard seeds and of course lemons! In Kannada this dish is called chitranna. Serve this rice dish with raita, chutney and salad or simple veggie side dish.

Do also check out some of my other rice dishes like

To give this rice an extra lemon flavour, I added some preserved lemons I made a month ago. If you don't know what preserved lemons are, they are lemons which are pickled with salt and their own juices. Leave for a month in a cool dark place for a month and over time, the lemon skins become super soft and they add a delicious tangy flavour without any of the bitterness. Preserved lemons are used often in North African cuisine and keep for a very long time if stored properly. To make preserved lemons I have written a quick recipe below! But first, lets get to the lemon rice recipe. If you do not have preserved lemons, you can replace it with 1-2 tbsp lemon juice + 2 tsp grated lemon zest.

Ingredients
Serves 4
200g (1 cup) basmati rice
250ml (1 cup) water
1 large preserved lemon finely chopped (1-2 tbsp lemon juice + 2 tsp grated lemon zest if you don't have preserved lemons)
Small handful peanuts (I used red skin peanuts)
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 tsp chana dal (spilt Bengal gram)
1 tsp split urad dal (split skinned black gram)
Salt to taste
Handful curry leaves around 10-12
Vegetable oil as required
Chopped fresh coriander to garnish

You'll need these spices
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder just added for colour

Pinch asafoetida

Method
Time - 1hr (includes rice soaking time)

Rinse the basmati rice really well in a colander to remove excess starch - this will give you fluffy grains of rice! When rinsed, leave to soak in cold water for 30 minutes.
Next, roast the peanuts. Take a large non-stick wide deep pan (you will also use this to cook the rice so make sure its big enough), and add a glug of vegetable oil. Add the peanuts and roast them on a low heat until golden and crunchy. Remove from the pan, leaving behind the oil and set them aside on a plate.
In the same pan on low heat, add the cumin & mustard seeds and let them sizzle. This doesn't take more than 10 seconds as the pan is already hot. When they crackle, add the skinned urad dal and chana dal. Roast until golden. This takes around 30 seconds - 1 minute.
Next, add the green chillies and curry leaves and let them sizzle for around 15 seconds. Add 1 tsp turmeric, kashmiri red chilli powder and a pinch asafoetida. Fry for 15-30 seconds so the raw aroma of the turmeric and spices goes away.
Next, add 250 ml (1 cup) water and bring to a gentle rolling boil. Add 1 tsp salt (or to taste).
Drain the soaked rice and add to the pan. Mix well. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat completely. Cover and let the pulao/rice simmer for 15 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the water and has fluffed up. Each rice grain should also turn a nice pale yellow.
When the rice is cooked, lightly fluff up with a fork. Add the chopped preserved lemon or the lemon juice + lemon zest (if you don't have preserved lemons). Mix well.
Finally, add the peanuts and a handful of fresh coriander over the top. Serve with yoghurt, chutney and a veggie side dish or salad!

For the preserved lemons you will need:

5 lemons
Salt
Water which has been boiled and then cooled
Large sterilised glass jar (see this recipe for how to sterilise glass jars)

Trim the stalk of 4 of the lemons (leaving a flat surface on which it can stand upright).

Cut the 4 lemons into quarters leaving the ends attached (so just cut down 3/4 of the way).

In the jar, add a 1/2 cm layer of salt in the bottom.

Next, inside 1 the 4 quartered lemons, add 1-2 tsp salt.

Put the lemon into the jar, open end facing down. Push hard in order to squish it and to release its juices. Depending on the size of your jar, you may be able to fit two side by side.

Over the squished lemon (s), add another 1-2 tsp of salt.

Add salt inside the remaining quartered lemons, add them to jar - ensuring that the lemons are compact and layered with the salt.

With the remaining 5th lemon, cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Pour this juice over the compacted lemons in the jar. Don't waste the rind of this lemon, also add it to the jar.

Add a final 1-2 tsp of salt over the top. The lemons should be completely covered in liquid - so add enough water which has been boiled and cooled to top up.

Seal the jar. Leave for a few weeks in a cool dry place to soften! Before using one, rinse of any excess salt!