Here’s a very easy keto lemon rice (South Indian style lemon-y stir fry) recipe using cauliflower rice.
There are 2 special tips in this Keto Lemon Rice recipe:
- Roast the cauliflower – this gives it a good caramelized flavor and eliminates the raw, gassy taste. So, don’t be lazy, take the extra few minutes to roast it – it is well worth it, buddy!!
- Roast and powder a tiny amount of fenugreek seeds and add it at the end. This tip is from my mom and it gives it that authentic temple lemon rice taste. I am so thrilled with this wonderful tip!! Thanks, amma!!
Last week, I wrote used cauliflower rice to recreate another popular South Indian traditional tamil dish called sesame rice. I also have a previous low carb lemon rice recipe in my blog, but that had some oats added to it. This one has no grains added to it.
Step by Step Pictures
Prep the cauliflower rice by either manually grating the cauliflower, or using the food processor as shown below.
Roast cauliflower rice on a nonstick pan to get it caramelized and toasty…
Next, get tadka (seasonings) ready
Fry tadka items in oil…frying all the spices, herbs, chilis, nuts in hot oil gives the dish a good flavor and crunchy bits in the lemon rice.
Now add the roasted cauli rice…
On the side, roast and ground fenugreek seeds…
Final garnish:
1) Lemon juice
2) Roasted ground fenugreek powder
Stir and serve!! Yuumm!!
Recipe
Easy Vegan Keto Lemon Rice is a South Indian stir fry recipe where the white rice is replaced by cauliflower rice
- 3 cups Cauliflower Rice
- 1/2 Lemon
- 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Urad Dal
- 1 tsp Chana Dal
- 1 tsp Chopped Ginger
- 2 tbsp Cashew Nuts
- 2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
- 5-6 Curry Leaves
- 1/4 tsp Hing
- 1/2 Jalapeno or Green Chili (Chopped) (less than the traditional recipe)
- 1/2 Red Chili (less than the traditional recipe)
- 1/3 tsp Turmeric Powder
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Process cauliflower florets in a food processor or manually using a grater to get cauliflower rice.
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Spread 3 cups of cauliflower rice on a non-stick flat pan on medium-high heat. Roast it well for 4-5 minutes until the edges crisp up. (This step will eliminate the raw cauliflower smell. Do not add salt, we don't want it to release water or get soggy.)
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Place a kadai/wok on medium-high heat, add the sesame oil and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to sputter add the split urad dal, channa dhal, and fry for a while till the daal changes its color to red.
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Add cashew, roasted peanuts, turmeric powder, ginger, green chili, red chili, curry leaves and continue frying.
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Add cauliflower rice, salt and roast thoroughly on high heat for a few seconds mixing well.
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In a small pan, roast fenugreek seeds till they change color and appear well roasted. Powder them in a coffee grinder.
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Remove the dish from heat. Add roasted fenugreek seed powder, lemon juice at the end and mix well.
Strict Keto followers can omit the lentils in the recipe and replace with other seeds or nuts permitted in their diet.
Conclusion
I hope you give this keto lemon rice a try. I am not the kind to hype up recipes. However, I would encourage all of you to try making this recipe. I had a hard time wrestling this dish away from my kids, just to take photos, who just loved this recipe.
This is no surprise since my older daughter just loves lemon rice (the traditional version). The fact that she adored this keto version too made me so happy. And the little one, my picky eater, loved it as well.
For adults, consider this – since the cauliflower is so much less in calories and carbs, you can use the required oil and a generous amount of nuts in this recipe without much guilt. After all, what is lemon rice, without all the crunchy bits and pieces inside it? All the satisfaction without the guilt!! Isn’t that wonderful??
Do post your comments and feedback below. I look forward to reading them!!
Pinterest Video:
Here’s my Pinterest video of the recipe:
Swetha, lemon rice is my favorite too – it brings back memories of my mom making it just for me. I haven’t eaten lemon rice in ages but now thanks to your recipe and the tweaks, I have something great to pamper myself with. Thank you. Other than you, I haven’t found anyone else being creatively innovative with Indian recipes. Great hack!!
Awww…Thank you for sharing, Rita!!
Love your recipes, Swetha! What sesame oil do you use – toasted or cold pressed? Thanks again!
Thank you Smita! I use cold pressed sesame oil.
When I find good cauliflower I generally just steam it until the center is 120°F, then brush it with oil, sprinkle with chef’s salt and roast it at 450°F until nicely browned (~30 min) and serve with a spicy tahini sauce. But with your adjustments this sounds interesting enough to experiment with. The hardest part will be cleaning up the food processor. I love your approach. Keep up the good work!.
Thanks Doc, an honor to hear that from you. I also love your technique for cauliflower. Sounds super delicious, will try it soon.
Yum! I made cauliflower rice years ago and tried it in tabbouleh and other salads, but it was rather bland, so I gave up the experiments. Love this recipe and all the spices, and the idea to roast it, so will try it. And now I am curious about the traditional lemon rice as well!
Lemon Rice is a South Indian specialty. The authentic ones done in temples or by experienced cooks are just Mwaahh!! 😋