Nutty Lemon Rice is a vegan and gluten-free fried rice recipe. And I love this because it is kid-friendly as well.
This is a super simple dish for your lunch or dinner and easy to make. Make on stovetop pan/ pot or in an instant pot, this won't take much of your time. You can use your leftover rice for this recipe to give them a nice flavor twist. I also make arancini with my leftover rice.
Though this rice is similar to the popular cilantro lime rice, it is a little different with a different flavor and taste.
Nutty Lemon Rice - Quick Vegan Dinner
Nutty, because this rice contains lots of crunchy bits of nuts. Peanuts are the main nuts we use here. However, you can add nuts like cashews and almonds for a rich, enhanced flavor. This rice has a dominant tangy lemon flavor, making the dish superb for kids.
You can make this on the stovetop with fresh or leftover rice or quickly using your instant pot. It is one of the simplest recipes and has the perfect blend of flavors.
Ingredients for lemon rice
Basmati Rice - Long grains are the best (at least, I prefer them the most for my rice recipes). However, you can also make them with Jasmin rice.
Onion - sliced onion
Ginger - around 1-inch ginger crushed. You can also add garlic to the rice. However, I love it with ginger only.
Lemon - lemon juice + lemon zest. You can substitute lemon with lime, too.
Nuts - Add a handful of peanuts to add a crunchy bite to the fried rice. However, you can add some cashews and almonds for extra bite and richness to the rice.
Spices: Cumin and mustard seeds, Turmeric powder, salt, cayenne pepper or paprika (substitute for green chilies), asafoetida, or something. Turmeric powder is essential for lemon rice. Asafoetida brings on a nice flavor and prohibits the flatulence that the nuts may cause.
Herbs & chilies - Curry leaves, coriander leaves, green chilies like serrano peppers or jalapeno, or any chili you can take.
However, if you can't resist the heat, you can skip the green chilies or substitute a pinch of cayenne paprika or chili powder.
Cooking Rice Perfectly
If you are making this from freshly cooked rice, then there are two things you need to do to get better: non-sticky rice.
1- Don't overcook the rice
2 - wash off rice with clean water
If you make this in an instant pot, there is no opportunity to get the starchy water out. I prefer to remove the water once my rice is cooked, though the instant pot takes less time for the whole preparation.
How to make Nutty Lemon Rice?
Cook the rice until just cooked. Pass it through a colander and then rinse it under tap water. This will prevent the rice from being sticky and overcooked.
Heat 4 tbsp oil in a pan. Fry peanuts until a little brownish. Don't over-fry; otherwise, they will taste burnt. Remove from oil once done. Similarly, fry cashew nuts as well. Note: Don't add peanuts and cashews together since the cashews are cooked quicker than the peanuts.
In the same pan, add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 10-15 curry leaves, the zest of 1 lemon, 1 tsp minced ginger, and 1 tsp green chilies. Saute for a second.
Then add sliced onions and saute until translucent. Add fried nuts, turmeric powder, and chili powder (optional). Add rice to the pan and mix gently. Add salt, lemon juice, and lots of freshly chopped cilantro leaves. Lemon rice is ready. Serve hot with curd or raita or any curry or lentils.
Instant Pot Lemon Rice
The proportion of rice to water in the instant pot is 1 1. For every one part of rice, you need to add 1 part of water.
Start the SAUTE mode to make the lemon rice in the Instant Pot. Add oil when it shows HOT. Then saute or fry the peanuts for 30 seconds until they are done. Remove the peanuts from the Instant Pot to a clean plate.
Then, add the cumin and mustard seeds to the same oil and let them splutter for 10 seconds. Then add the sliced onions, minced/ crushed ginger, curry leaves, lemon zest, and green chilies. Skip green chilies if you don't like spicy food.
Saute for 1 - 2 minutes until the onion looks translucent. Then add asafoetida, turmeric powder, and paprika (if not using green chili), and stir once to mix them well. Then, add the rinsed rice, water, salt, and lemon juice.
Now, CANCEL the SAUTE mode. Turn the lid and set the pressure valve to SEALING. Start the PRESSURE COOK modeโset the time for 5 minutes.
Building the pressure inside the instant pot will take 4-5 minutes. After that, the timer will start. Once the timer beeps and cooking is done, let it be on NPR (natural pressure release) for 10 minutesโquick-release rest pressure.
Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Now add finely chopped cilantro leaves and the fried nuts/ peanuts.
Similar Easy Rice Recipes :
Nutty Lemon Rice
Nutty Lemon Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cup cooked rice (1.5 cups uncooked rice)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 12 - 15 curry leaves
- 3 green chillies cut into slits
- 1 tsp ginger finely minced
- 1 medium onion sliced
- ยฝ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt or as per taste
- ยผ cup peanuts (+ cashew nuts + almonds)
- 2 lemons or 4 tbsp lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon (optional but adds a strong flavor)
- fistful of coriander leaves finely chopped
- ยผ tsp hing or asafoetida
Instructions
- Make rice first. Strain with help of a colander then wash it once with regular water to stop excess cooking.
- Heat oil in a pan. Shallow fry peanuts and cashew nuts. Remove once they turn light brown.
- Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them crackle first.
- Add minced ginger, green chilies, zest of lemon.
- In next 10 seconds, add sliced onions and curry leaves. Saute till translucent.
- Then add turmeric powder, paprika (substitute for green chilli) and mix well.
- Now add in cooked rice, fried nuts, and salt followed by lemon juice.
- Give it a gentle nice stir.
- Cover with a lid and keep on low heat for about a minute.
- Turn off heat and add a fistful of freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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