Jeera Rice / Cumin Rice Recipe, How to make Jeera Rice

An Indian rice recipe mildly spiced and flavored with cumin. It is also one of the most popular rice recipe served in Indian restaurants. Making jeera rice is very easy. The tempering with cumin and the fragrant whole spices, takes the simple rice dish a level notch up.

Time: 20 min

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

For cooking rice-

·         1 cup Basmati rice

·         3 cup water

·         1 bay leaf/tej patta

·         1 green cardamom/hari elaichi

·         ½ inch cinnamon/dalchini

·         2 cloves/lavang

·         Salt to taste

For Tempering/Tadka-

·         2 tbsp. Ghee

·         1 tbsp. Cumin seeds/sabut jeera

·         1 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves/ dhaniya patti

 Direction:

1.   Rinse the rice 2-3 times, till the water runs clear of starch. Soak it for half an hour. Drain and keep it aside.

2.   Take a pan and add water to it. Bring to boil. Add all whole spices, salt and rice.

3.   Add 1 tsp ghee over it and mix. Simmer the rice on a low flame uncovered.

4.   Keep stirring the rice in between. If required add more water. The rice grains should be cooked till tender and yet separate. Drain the water and keep the cooked rice aside.

5.   Personally I don’t prefer draining the water after the rice is cooked. So the amount of water, I add is just enough for cooking the rice.

6.   Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin/jeera.

7.   Let it crackle. It should be fried well otherwise you will taste uncooked cumin in the rice.

8.   Add the rice to it. With a turning spatula, gently mix the rice with the tempering. Care should be taken as not to break the rice grains.

9.   Add coriander and gently mix or garnish it while serving.

Serving suggestion:

Hot or warm Jeera Rice goes very well with some north Indian curries and dal or vegetable/paneer curry of your choice.