Jeera rice (Zeera Rice or Cumin Rice) is a popular Indian dish prepared with rice and cumin seeds. It is one of the most common and straightforward recipes and is quite prevalent in the Northern part of India.
In this recipe, Jeera is sautéed in hot oil or clarified butter (ghee), then cooked with long grain basmati rice. It is traditionally topped with chopped coriander leaves and onion rings. Unlike biryani or pulao, it is effortless to make. To enhance this dish’s flavor, some people add onion, cashew nuts, and whole spices to their preparation.
Here, I’ll use a rice and pressure cooker for both preparation methods. This will ensure that the cooked rice separates every strand of its grain. If you are a beginner, using a pan is highly discouraged, as you might just end up with a bowl of sticky rice.
Although Jeera rice can be complemented with any vegetarian curries. It goes particularly well with dishes such as dal tadka, dal fry, shahi paneer, paneer butter masala, dal makhani, etc. You can also pair this up with my paneer tikka masala recipe.
We will be preparing this dish in two methods: one in home style and the other in restaurant style.
Due to my husband’s preference, I used to prepare this home-style version regularly. Nonetheless, you may use any of these variations according to the occasion. Both methods produce the same flavorful, non-sticky, fluffy rice every time.
Now, lets get started with the recipe:
Jeera rice in two ways (Home and Restaurant style)
Course: Side DishCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Beginner2
servings5
minutes15
minutes400
kcalFlavored rice cooked with cumin seeds
Ingredients
- Using Cooked Rice (Method 1)
2 cups 2 long grain basmati rice (cooked)
2 tablespoon 2 ghee or clarified butter
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon 1 cumin seeds
2 tablespoon 2 coriander leaves (chopped)
- Using Pressure Cooker (Method 2)
2 cups 2 long grain basmati rice (soaked)
2 tablespoon 2 ghee or clarified butter
1 teaspoon 1 cumin seeds
3 3 green cardamom
3 3 cloves
1 inch 1 cinnamon stick
1 1 medium sized onion (sliced)
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon 2 coriander leaves (chopped)
2 2 star anise
Directions
- USING COOKED BASMATI RICE (Method 1)
- Making the rice:
Wash long grain basmati rice of your choice under running water 1 to 3 times.
Drain water completely.
Take the strained rice and add it in a large pot with some water to cook the rice thoroughly.
And the rice should be done by now.
- Frying the rice:
Heat a wok on medium-high heat.
Add some ghee or clarified butter and let it heat for a couple of seconds.
Add some salt to it followed by some cumin seeds.
Let it splutter for some time or till it gets aromatic and turns slightly brown in color.
Now, add the cooked rice. Give it a gentle stir until it combines nicely with the spluttered cumin seeds.
Switch off the flame and add chopped coriander leaves to it for garnishing.
Again give it a quick mix. Serve hot with any curry of your choice.
And it’s done!
Your easiest home style Jeera rice is ready to be served!
Enjoy!
- USING PRESSURE COOKER (Method 2)
- Soaking the rice:
Wash long grain basmati rice of your choice under running water 1 to 3 times.
Soak all the washed rice for around 20 mins.
After soaking, strain the water completely with the help of a colander. Set aside.
Meanwhile, let’s prepare for the next step.
- Making of Jeera rice:
Gather all the ingredients for the recipe. Take some blend of whole spices like green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, and cumin seeds. Add some salt to taste, some sliced onion, chopped coriander leaves, and clarified butter (ghee).
Heat a pressure cooker at medium-high heat.
Add some ghee or oil. Allow it to heat until you see smoke coming from the cooker.
To that, add the whole spices. Let them splutter for a minute or two.
Add some sliced onion and fry till it gets slightly brown.
Now, add strained rice into the cooker and mix it gently.
(Make sure you don’t break the grains while stirring.)
Then, add an adequate amount of water according to your requirement to cook the rice.
Put the lid on.
Let it cook for around three whistles, and then switch off the flame.
Allow the pressure to get released from the cooker which should take about 10-12 minutes.
After that, open the lid.
Add some chopped coriander leaves. Give it a good mix.
Dish out everything on a serving bowl. Garnish it with some onion rings and top it with star anise.
Serve hot with any sabzi of your choice or cooked lentils.
And yes! It is done!
Your restaurant-style Jeera rice is ready
Enjoy!
Notes
- Ensure you don’t soak the rice for more than 20 minutes as it can absorb too much water and might break the rice’s grains while cooking.
- Mix the rice gently with the fried cumin seeds as it’s soaked; else, it can lead to breaking the grains while stirring.
Nutrition Facts
2 servings per container
Serving Size250 servings
- Amount Per ServingCalories400
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
16g
25%
- Saturated Fat 6g 30%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 26mg 9%
- Sodium 1600mg 67%
- Total Carbohydrate
60g
20%
- Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
- Sugars 0g
- Protein 6g 12%
- Iron 10%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
){kind=link}