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Jeera rice
Cumin rice
Jeera rice: fluffy basmati cooked with ghee-fried cumin seeds and whole spices
Jeera rice is the plain-but-not-plain rice of North Indian restaurants and homes, cooked on weeknights from Delhi to Lucknow to go with dal makhani, rajma, chole or any gravy curry. Cumin seeds are fried in ghee with a bay leaf, cardamom and cloves until they crackle, then rinsed basmati is cooked in the same pot, so every long grain is scented and separate. The usual mistake is stirring the rice while it cooks, which breaks the grains and makes it sticky. Chef's tip: if you have 20 minutes to spare, soak the rinsed rice first; the grains cook up longer and even fluffier (that pushes it past 30 minutes).
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz basmati rice
- 2 tbsp gheeor sunflower oil for a vegan version
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 green cardamom podslightly crushed
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ¼ cups water
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse 10 ½ oz basmati rice in several changes of cold water, swirling gently, until the water runs almost clear. Drain well in a sieve.
3 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a heavy pan with a tight lid over a medium heat. Add 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf, 2 green cardamom pods and 3 cloves and fry until the cumin crackles and turns a shade darker, about 30 seconds. Don't let it go black.
1 minStep 3: Add the drained rice and stir gently for 1 minute, until the grains are coated in ghee and turn opaque at the tips.
1 minStep 4: Pour in 2 ¼ cups water and 1 tsp salt and bring to the boil. Taste the water: it should be lightly salty.
3 minStep 5: Cover tightly, turn the heat to its lowest and cook for 12 minutes without lifting the lid or stirring. The rice is done when the water has gone and small steam holes cover the surface.
12 minStep 6: Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes to firm up, then fluff gently with a fork, scatter over 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jeera rice take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of basmati rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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