Lemon Rice Recipe - Elumichai Sadam/Chitranna

If you love lemon rice, then give this recipe a try! All you need is some cooked rice, lemons, ginger, green chillies, salt and turmeric and you will be on your way to make this super simple and delicious recipe that can be had any time of the day.

Archana Doshi
10135 ratings.

The Lemon Rice Recipe also known as Elumichai Sadam in Tamil or Chitranna in Karnataka is a rice that is packed with flavors from lemon, green chillies and curry leaves. Different flavored rice is a very popular way of reusing leftover rice from the previous day. Making use of leftover rice, makes it easy to pack your lunch box for work or school. 

Serve the Lemon Rice (Elumichai Sadam/Chitranna) along with papad and tomato onion raita, or plain yogurt.

If you like this recipe, try more recipes like

  1. Nellikai Chitranna Recipe (Gooseberry-Amla Rice)
  2. Mavinakayi Chitranna Recipe (Spiced Raw Mango Tempered Rice)
  3. Kayi Saasive Chitranna Recipe

Course: Lunch
Diet: No Onion No Garlic (Sattvic)
Prep in

10 M

Cooks in

20 M

Total in

30 M

Makes:

4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Cooked rice , in grainy form
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu)
  • 1 teaspoon White Urad Dal (Split)
  • 1/4 cup Raw Peanuts (Moongphali)
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves , roughly chopped
  • 1 inch Ginger , grated
  • 2 Green Chillies , finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
  • Salt , taste
  • 1 tablespoon Sesame (Gingelly) Oil
  • Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , a small bunch finely chopped

How to make Lemon Rice Recipe - Elumichai Sadam/Chitranna

  1. To begin making the Lemon Rice Recipe (Elumichai Sadam/Chitranna), make sure you have some cooked rice ready. It helps using a day old rice as the grains will be separated out well.

  2. Keep the remaining ingredients handy, as this recipe will be made in a jiffy.

  3. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan or kadai, add the mustard seeds, the urad dal and peanuts. Allow them to crackle and the dal and the peanuts to get roasted well until it gets a golden brown color. Do this on low to medium heat else they will get brown faster than you want them to and the peanuts will remain raw.

  4. Once the dal is golden brown and roasted, add the curry leaves, ginger, green chillies, turmeric powder and stir for a few seconds.

  5. Add the cooked rice, sprinkle some salt and give it a good stir until all the ingredients have combined well and the rice gets well coated. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and allow the lemon rice to steam along with the seasonings for a couple of minutes.

  6. After a couple of minutes, squeeze the lemon juice and give the rice a good stir. Check the salt and spice levels and adjust to suit your taste.

  7. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped coriander leaves and serve.

  8. Serve the Lemon Rice (Elumichai Sadam/Chitranna) along with papad and tomato onion raita, or plain yogurt.