Tangy Lemon Rice with Peanuts
Day-old rice tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and crunchy peanuts, finished with a generous squeeze of lemon. Ten minutes if your rice is already cooked.
By Vegan Cook. Published 5 August 2026
Ingredients
Serves 4.
- 3 cupscooked rice, cooled or day-old (day-old rice keeps the grains separate)
- 1/4 cupraw peanuts
- 1 tspmustard seeds
- 1 tspchana dal (split chickpea lentils, used here for a nutty crunch), optional
- 10fresh curry leaves (a fragrant leaf sold at Indian and Asian shops, not the same as curry powder), optional
- 2dried red chillies, broken in half
- 1/2 tspground turmeric
- 1green chilli, slit lengthways
- 3 tbsplemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)
- 3 tbspneutral oil
- 1 tspsalt, or to taste
Cookware
- Wide pan
Method
Read each step end-to-end before starting.
- 01
Toast the peanuts
Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the peanuts and fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the oil in the pan.
- 02
Fry the spices in oil
In the same oil, add the mustard seeds and chana dal if using. This step fries the whole spices in hot oil to release their flavour, the flavour base of the dish. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves, dried red chillies and green chilli. Let them sizzle for 15-20 seconds. Stand back, as the curry leaves will splutter.
- 03
Season
Add the turmeric and stir for a few seconds until it coats the oil evenly.
- 04
Combine
Reduce the heat to low and add the cooled rice. Toss gently but thoroughly with a spatula, lifting from the bottom, until every grain is coated yellow. Warm through for 2-3 minutes without pressing down on the rice.
- 05
Finish
Turn off the heat, add the salt and lemon juice, and toss again. Fold the toasted peanuts back in just before serving so they stay crisp. Taste and add more lemon if it needs more brightness.
Allergen profile
Every recipe here is fully plant-based. Cross-contamination risk depends on your kitchen, so check all packaging.
Swap note
For a peanut-free version, substitute roasted chana dal (dalia) or cashews — note cashews would add a Tree Nuts allergen instead.