Jeera(Cumin seeds) Rice is an everyday meal for people who love to eat rice. It is an aromatic one-pot meal that can be cooked in under 30 minutes. It’s a very simple and quick recipe that needs only a handful of ingredients to make and mostly available in everyone’s pantry.

It’s a really simple process, and once you make it, you will love it and make this more frequently. Yes, I have screwed this up many many times, and have been left with rice that’s stuck to the bottom; undercooked, or too mushy. However, if you order jeera rice at any Indian restaurant, you’ll know that it’s none of those things.

This recipe is a makeover of cooking simple rice. It gives you fluffy, fragrant, and non-sticky rice to serve with any north-Indian meal. My husband likes it even with plain curd or yogurt and pickle because good quality basmati rice has so much flavor on its own.

What type of rice to use?

Use very good quality long grain Basmati Rice to make jeera rice. Long grain and aged rice are the best and the key to making fragrant Jeera rice. Aged rice is less starchy and does not mush up after cooking. It can also be cooked with sona masuri or any short grain edible rice if basmati rice not easily available.

What is the ideal rice to water ratio to make Jeera Rice?

If making this rice over the stovetop in a pan, use a 1:2, rice to water ratio. This ratio also works for pressure cookers and rice cookers.

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice for 20 minutes. Drain all the water and set it aside once you are ready to cook.

2. Gather ingredients – Red onion, cashews, green chili, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, bay leaf, green cardamom, and cilantro sprigs.

3. Heat up 2-3 table spoons of oil or ghee or butter. I have used extra virgin oil for this recipe.

4. Add whole spices to the pan. Once Jeera(cumin seeds) start to splutter, add thinly sliced onion and chopped green chili. Saute the onion on a medium flame until deep golden and begin to caramelize.

5. Add drained rice to the pan. Stir the rice with the spices for a minute. Then add water, salt and stir.

6. Bring the rice to a quick boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for approximately five to six minutes, till the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through. When the water level goes below the rice, add cashews and turn the flame off and let the rice cook in the steam.

7. If the rice is undercooked and needs more water, then pour some hot water and give a stir. Cover and cook until it is done. Fluff it up with a fork.

8. Garnish with chopped cilantro and cashews. Serve with boondi raita, pomegranate raita, lentils, or curries of your choice.

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