Jeera rice is a very simple, mildly spicy rice flavoured with cumin and can be prepared in a few minutes. It is the simplest of all flavoured rice and goes well with most of the gravies that we usually prepare for roti/chapati. The tempering with cumin and whole spices takes this simple rice dish a level notch up. You can cook jeera rice without any veggies but I always prefer to add carrots and spring onions to add to the flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1 1/2 tbsp. Butter or Ghee
- 2 inch. piece Cinnamon
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2-3 Cloves
- 1-2 Star anise
- 2-3 tsps. Cumin seeds/Jeera seeds
- 1-2 tbsp. Fried Onion (optional)
- 1 no. medium carrot, grated
- 4-5 Spring onions, chopped
Method
- Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 20-30 minutes. Drain and keep it aside.
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Heat butter or ghee in a pan, add cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf, saute for a few seconds and then add jeera seeds.
- When jeera sizzles, add the chopped vegetables and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Next add the drained rice and fry on medium heat until the rice is well coated with the ghee/butter.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of water and needed salt. Taste the water to check for salt.
- When water starts boiling, lower the heat and cook covered until the rice is soft. Fluff it with a fork and serve hot with any side dish of your choice.
- If preferred, you can garnish with fried onions.
