I make jeera rice every other day since it is easy to deal with my fussy kids. They love this with almost any curry, dal & even with a raita. Sometimes they also carry it to school with some veggies. One dish I never fail to make when I have people at home for dinner is this Jeera rice. Most times I am jammed with lack of ideas over a dinner menu as I opt for simple dishes that taste delicious and hearty. So this jeera rice is always my choice to go with chana masalaPaneer makhaniAloo gobirajma masalaPunjabi Chole Sometimes I also fry the spices in ghee ahead of time and keep the pot ready so that I can just saute the rice and pour water when I need the hot rice.
About Jeera rice
Jeera refers to cumin in Indian language. As jeera is used predominantly to make this rice dish it is known as jeera rice. It is commonly known as cumin rice by the non-natives. There a lot of spices used to make our everyday Indian food. Cumin plays a key role not only to flavor & add texture to the foods but also to enhance the nutritional values. These tiny seeds are a good source or iron, zinc, copper & many other nutrients. Cumin or jeera has natural medicinal values & work great on the digestive system. So jeera rice is great to include in your meal as it helps in digestion, especially when you plan for a heavy meal. Jeera rice is one of the most ordered rice dishes in Indian restaurants. It is pretty much eaten with every other popular dish like dal makhani, butter chicken, paneer butter masala, dum aloo, egg curry etc. It just goes so well with any sides like curries, dal or even with stew.
2 ways to make jeera rice
Basically jeera rice is made in 2 ways. I have shared both the recipes here on this post. Here is how they are made: 1.One pot jeera rice recipe: This is good for a home preparation as it is quick to make even by newbies & bachelors. In this method, the spices along with cumin are tempered in ghee or oil on a low heat until aromatic. Then the basmati rice is fried along with the spices and then cooked with water. This way of making jeera rice is as simple as cooking plain rice but you just makeover with some spices added to it. You will have some fragrant, fluffy & nonsticky rice to serve with your everyday sides. This one pot dish can be made in a regular pot, traditional pressure cooker or Instant pot. I have instructions for all of them in the recipe card below. 2.Restaurant style jeera rice recipe: This is great to make when you have some precooked rice and you want to use up by flavoring it. Often this method is followed in the Indian restaurants as it is convenient for them to cook plain basmati rice in large quantity. Then temper the rice as needed to make different dishes like jeera rice, pulao, fried rice, lemon rice etc. I have shown this method of making restaurant style jeera rice in the step by step photos – method 2 Serve jeera rice with Paneer butter masala Paneer tikka masala Palak paneer Dal makhani Butter chicken Method 1
How to make jeera rice (stepwise photos)
Pressure cooker method
- Rinse 1½ cups basmati rice a few times until the water runs clear. Then soak it for at least 20 mins. You can also follow the instructions on the pack. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons ghee or oil in a pot or cooker. Add the following whole spices:
1 bay leaf2 inch cinnamon piece4 cloves4 green cardamom 2 teaspoons jeera (cumin seeds). 1 strand of mace (javitri) (optional). You can also skip all the whole spices and just use jeera but you will miss on the other flavors.
- Saute them on a medium to low flame until jeera gets roasted well and begins to smell good. This is the key step that brings out the flavor from jeera.
- Optional – You can also add 1 thinly sliced onion and 1 deseeded green chilies. Earlier I would use onions, In the recent times I have begun to skip them as my kids don’t prefer onions in jeera rice. Some people also use red chilli. If you like you can deseed and use them now. If using onions saute them until golden and get caramelized.
How to make jeera rice
- Add drained basmati rice.
- Fry for 2 to 3 mins on a high flame. Do not stir vigorously the rice grains will break. This step will help keep the jeera rice fluffy and will prevent from turning mushy.
- Measure & pour water. If making in pressure cooker, pour 2½ cups. If cooking in pot, pour 3 cups. Then add ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt and stir. Taste the water and adjust salt as needed.
- Cover and pressure cook on a high flame for 1 whistle. If cooking in a pot, Cover and cook on a low heat until all of the water is absorbed and the jeera rice is fully cooked. Turn off the stove and keep the pot covered for at least 15 mins for the rice to be done well.
- When the pressure releases naturally, open the lid. Fluff up the jeera rice gently with a fork. You can also add a bit more of ghee if desired.
- Serve it with your favorite curry or dal.
Pro Tips
Perfectly cooked jeera rice should be fluffy, non-sticky & aromatic. To make it the best do follow the tips given below: 1.Choosing rice: Always use the best quality aged basmati rice as it is the key to making fragrant jeera rice. Aged rice grains are less starchy so do not mush up after cooking. If you do not have basmati rice, you can use any other kind of rice that is less starchy. 2.Preparing rice: Rinse the rice well a few times in lot of water. I rinse it thrice. This helps to get rid of the excess starch from the rice grains & makes the rice non sticky. Avoid using the grains without thorough rinse even if they are organically grown. 3.Soaking rice: Soak the rice for at least 20 mins. Refer the package for soaking instructions & time. Well soaked basmati rice grains expand & cook up well to long fluffy grains. 4.Frying Jeera: Saute the Jeera well in ghee or butter along with other spices, on a low flame for 2 to 3 mins to bring out the aroma. This is another key step to make flavorful jeera rice.Frying the spices elevates the flavor & aroma of the entire dish. 5.Frying rice: To make jeera rice always fry the drained rice along with spices on a medium to high flame. While frying do not stir up much as the rice grains may break. This makes the cooked up jeera rice fragrant. 6.Onions: It is totally optional to use onion in the recipe. Yes they do add some flavor but can be skipped as this reduces the preparation & cooking time. 7.Spices: Jeera or cumin is the key in this recipe, but spices like cardamoms, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon & mace do elevate the flavor of jeera rice to a considerable amount. So I always add these. If you do not have them you may avoid them and make.
Variations
I experiment a lot in my kitchen with various dishes as my little boys get bored eating the same dishes repeatedly. Though the following variations of jeera rice are very uncommon, they have always been a quick way to whip up dinner in no time. These variations are more nutritious than a regular jeera rice plus they cut down the need to cook another side dish when you have no time. These ideas are my own and are not a part of jeera rice recipe. If you are experimental like me in the kitchen then do try these variations: 1.You can follow the one pot method and make vegetable jeera rice. Add some mix veggies to the pot after frying the spices. This will be similar to a veg pulao but with milder aroma as there is no ginger garlic & mint used here. Plus the taste & flavor is totally different. 2. The second restaurant style jeera rice can be easily transformed to a roasted egg jeera rice. The same can be made with fish & prawns. To make this just fry eggs or marinated prawns or fish until golden. Set aside. Then saute the spices until fragrant. Then add the rice and mix gently. I made this several times with all 3 of them & was surprised at how good this turns out.
Restaurant style Jeera rice
This method is more flavorful with the aroma of butter and cumin. This is good to make for occasions or when you have guests home since a good amount of butter goes into this. For this recipe, you can cook the rice in whatever way you like. The rice grains have to be fluffy and not mushy. In the instructions below I have shared how to cook rice perfectly in a pot. You can also cook in a pressure cooker or instant pot. Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice2 to 3 tbsp ghee or oil1 bay leaf1 star anise4 green cardamoms2 tsps jeera or cumin1 to 2 green chilies slit4 cloves1 strand of mace or javithri3 to 4 tbsps fresh fine chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
- Wash rice very well a few times. Drain and soak it for 20 mins. Drain the rice to a colander. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Then add some salt. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the drained rice and cook on a medium high heat until the rice is just done.3. The rice has to be al dente meaning just cooked and not mushy. Then drain off the rice to a colander and keep it covered.
- After 2 to 3 mins, fluff up the rice with a fork. You will have al dente cooked soft yet fluffy rice. Cool this completely.
- Add 1 tbsp butter to a hot pan. Next add star anise, mace, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, bay leaf and green chili. Saute for 1 to 2 mins.
- Lower the heat, add jeera.
- Saute until you begin to smell them good. It takes around 2 to 3 mins. Switch off the stove. If using butter it will froth up, you can just ignore it.
- Add 1 tbsp more of butter along with finely chopped coriander leaves. If your rice isn’t got enough salt you can add a bit more to the pan.
- Then add the tempering to the rice. Mix gently all the spices & herbs. Make sure the rice is cooled completely before mixing it otherwise it will clump up and turn mushy. Serve jeera rice with any gravy, curry or dal. Related Recipes
