Chitranna ( kn, ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ; also known as lemon-rice) is a rice-based dish widely prepared in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...

. It is prepared by mixing cooked rice with a special seasoning called ''Oggarane'' or ''Gojju''. Characteristic for the seasoning are

mustard seed Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about in diameter and may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are an important spice in many regional foods and may come from one of three diff ...

s, fried

lentil The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest p ...

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small an ...

s, curry leaves, chillies,

lemon juice The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...

and other optional items such as scrapes of unripe

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...

. Added

Turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

powder gives Chitranna its yellow color.

Garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeas ...

and

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the on ...

s are also used in the seasoning by some, although traditionally they do not form part of the recipe. The dish is especially popular in the south Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

, where it has become a part of the daily diet.

History

Chitranna rice dish finds mention in medieval Indian cookbooks Manasollasa (1130 AD) and Pakadarpana (1200 AD) as "''Chitrapaka''".The 'Pāka darpaṇam': The text on Indian cookery - https://www.ancientscienceoflife.org/article.asp?issn=0257-7941;year=2014;volume=33;issue=4;spage=259;epage=262;aulast=Kodlady

Varieties

Depending on the ingredients, various types of Chitranna can be prepared: * ''Nimbehannu Chitranna'' ( kn, ನಿಂಬೆಹಣ್ಣು ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ) : This is the famous 'Lemon Rice' prepared by mixing cooked rice with

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

and

* ''Eerulli Chitranna'' ( kn, ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ) : Onion Chitranna; Fried onion, mustard seeds, split chickpeas and green chillies are mixed with cooked rice * ''Mavinakayi Chitranna'' ( kn, ಮಾವಿನಕಾಯಿ ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ ) : Mango Chitranna; Raw, unripe mango is ground into a paste and mixed with cooked rice * ''Kayi-Sasive Chitranna'' ( kn, ಕಾಯಿ-ಸಾಸಿವೆ ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ) : Grated coconut and mustard seeds are ground into a paste and mixed with cooked rice * ''Heralekayi Chitranna'' ( kn, ಹೆರಳೇಕಾಯಿ ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ) : This is made by using Citron Lime and Rice.

References

Karnataka cuisine Indian rice dishes {{karnataka-stub