Indian Jeera (Cumin) Rice Recipe
This Indian jeera (Cumin) rice recipe will form the foundation of a lot of your Indian main courses. You could, of course, eat this dish as is, but let’s kick it up a notch by pairing it with a mouth-watering chana masala, rajma, or chicken curry!
Rice is a staple in Asian cuisine, though the type differs from country to country. East Asian nations such as China, Japan, Vietnam and South Korea usually opt for a sticker, short grain rice. South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh use longer grain more fragrant rice. These include both Basmati and even Jasmin rice.
The fragrant jeera (cumin) rice recipe calls for white long-grain Basmati rice since its fragrance is difficult to emulate and adds decadence to an otherwise simple meal. However, if you’re in the mood to make it healthier, feel free to substitute with brown Basmati instead.
Whole spices are a MUST in this dish as powdered spices will not only overpower, but color the rice. We want to preserve its white hue 🙂 No one likes to bite in to a clove or cardamom pod, so I recommend fishing the spices out once you add the water to the rice to prevent surprises when dining. Alternatively, you could place the spices in a filter-like pouch to make for easy extraction.
Fragrant Jeera (Cumin) Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Ghee (clarified butter) *skip for vegan version
- 2 tsp Sunflower/vegetable oil Use 3 tsp if not using ghee
- 2 cups Long-grain Basmati rice
- 1½ tsp Whole cumin seeds
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 Cardamom pods
- 2 Cloves
- 4 cups Water *Boiling & Cold
- ½ Medium-sized onion
- 1 tbsp Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Wash the basmati rice in a sieve under cold water to get rid of excess starch and set aside.
- Fill up a kettle with water and turn it on or heat up 4 cups of water on the stove.
- Thinly slice half a medium-sized onion (length ways).
- Heat up the ghee and oil in a deep saucepan on medium/high heat.
- Add in the whole spices (cumin seeds, bay leaf, clove, cardamom pod and cinnamon stick) and stir for 20-30 seconds.
- Incorporate the onions and sauté until translucent.
- Next, add the rice and stir until the grains are equally coated with the ghee.
- Turn the flame to low and add in a cup of the hot, boiled water and a cup of cold water.
- Switch the flame back to high and stir to make sure all the rice grains are fully submerged.
- Add a pinch of salt to taste and wait for a minute or so until the rice comes to a boil.
- After the rice starts to boil, turn the flame to low and cover the saucepan with a lid for 7-10 mins or until the rice is fully cooked and the liquid has evaporated.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and now the rice is ready to serve!