Jeera Rice in a Pan
Jeera rice or Zeera rice, is a popular Indian rice dish made with basmati rice, & tempered with cumin seeds and whole spices in ghee or oil.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick (dalchini)
- 2-4 pieces Cloves (laung)
- 1 piece Star Anise (chakra phool)
- 1 piece Bay Leaf (tej patta)
- 1 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
- 1-2 pieces Green Chili, split (hari mirch)
- 1 tsp grated Ginger (adrak)
- 1 tsp minced Garlic (lehsun)
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil or Ghee or Butter
- 1.5-2 cups Water (quantity differs based on type of rice you use)
Instructions
- Wash Basmati Rice well until water runs clear. Soak rice in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This helps speeden the cooking time. Then discard the water.
- In a nonstick pan with high sides, heat oil/butter/ghee.
- Add whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, star anise) and let them turn aromatic. (about 30-60 seconds)
- Add the cumin seeds and fry for 20-30 seconds until the seeds bloom.
- Add the green chili, ginger and garlic and fry 30 seconds.
- Add the drained rice and saute until the rice dries out a bit.
- Add salt and water, bring it to a boil. Simmer to lowest heat, cover with a lid and cook for 15-18 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked through.
- Once the rice cools a bit, fluff up with a fork gently, without breaking it up. Discard the whole spices.
- Serve it hot with some spicy curry or Dal.
Video
Notes
- Ideally, the water-to-rice ratio for Basmati Rice is 2:1, but the quantity can differ based on the type of rice, how old it is, and so on. So start with 1.5 cups, and adjust as needed.
- You can also use regular rice to make this recipe, just modify the water as needed.