Jeera Rice is a classic Indian rice dish where basmati rice is cooked or tempered with cumin seeds and a few whole spices. Light and fluffy, it pairs well with a variety of Indian curries and dals or can be enjoyed with pickle, curd or papad.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1 tej patta ((Indian bay leaf))
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 5 to 6 black peppercorns
  • 2 to 3 single threads of mace
  • 1 star anise (- optional)
  • 1 cup basmati rice (- preferably aged)
  • 1½ to 2 cups water (or add as required)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (- optional)

Method

Preparation

  1. Rinse basmati rice, 3 to 4 times in water or until the water runs clear of starch.
  2. Soak the basmati rice in water for 20 to 30 minutes.
  3. Later using a colander drain all the water from the rice and set aside.

Frying spices

  1. Heat oil or ghee in a heavy pan or pot. Keep the heat to medium-low or medium.
  2. Let the oil or ghee become hot on a medium-low to medium heat.
  3. Add cumin seeds and stir. The cumin will begin to crackle.
  4. Quickly add all the whole spices - cinnamon, black cardamom, green cardamoms, tej patta, star anise (optional), cloves, black peppercorns and mace strands.
  5. Fry for a few seconds or until the spices crackle and become aromatic. Do not burn the spices.
  6. Immediately add the soaked rice. Then lower the heat.
  7. Stir and sauté the rice for 1 to 2 minutes so that the oil or oil ghee coats each rice grain.
  8. Add 1½ to 2 cups of water or as required depending on the quality of rice.
  9. Add salt according to taste and mix very well. Check the taste of the water and it should taste a bit salty.

Making jeera rice

  1. Cover the pan with a lid. On a low to medium-low heat simmer until the rice grains are tender and cooked well.You can opt to cook the rice until al dente.
  2. Using a fork, do check a couple of times when the rice is cooking. If all the water has been absorbed and the rice grains are not tender, then add some more hot water and gently stir to combine with a fork.
  3. The rice should get cooked but not become mushy or pasty.
  4. When the rice is done, gently fluff the rice with a fork. Cooking basmati rice takes about 12 to 20 minutes, depending on its quality and age.
  5. Add the coriander leaves and mix gently. Optionally garnish with coriander leaves instead of mixing.
  6. Serve Jeera Rice with any Indian dal or any curry of your choice.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.