Re: Recipe For Indian Rice
Sofie Kovalcheck
Heat a large pot over medium to medium-low heat. Add the ghee, onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom pods, cinnamon, chile, fenugreek, and cumin seeds. Saute until the onions are soft and the fenugreek seeds have started to soften, about 12-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add the rice, turmeric, salt, and water. Raise the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, cover and lower the heat again to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the water and there are steam holes in the top of the rice. Fluff the long-grain rice with a fork, cover, and set aside to steam for 5-10 more minutes.
Aromatic Indian rice, also known as Indian Palau, can be served with a plethora of dishes! Generally, it will go well with Indian-inspired dishes since the spices will be similar. I highly recommend trying it with some of my personal favorites:
I love this recipe! The rice has a beautiful color and is spectacularly delicious. I served this rice with another one of your recipes: Roasted Indian Fish and Creamy Curried Cauliflower. Both recipes have become a repeat on our monthly menu. Thank You for sharing.
You are probably familiar with the Indian yellow rice that comes with most takeouts. It is fluffy and fragrant and compliments a wide range of curries. In Indian, the yellow rice is called Pulao, but most restaurants and takeouts just call it Indian rice or pilaf.
Usually, pilaf is cooked until all the broth has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy, but this easy version takes out the stress of getting the rice to liquid ratio correct and the fear that the heat is too high or too low under the pan.
Here the rice is cooked in plenty of liquid and then drained. This rice is added to an aromatic oil that coats the rice, adds flavor, and helps to keep it oh so fluffy, so you get an easy and delicious side.
I used jazmin rice? but came out pretty good. I threw the rice into the hot boiling water and Cook it for 9min. Then drained it really fast. I just started on the rice too fast and my onions weren't caramelized yet. Anyways... I liked the flavors a lot.
Pictures would be great help here.. I don't know if I used the wrong basmati rice or what but this turned out to be a lot more than 4 servings. I followed all the instructions but the rice turned out rather bland. Also, I took the rice off at 8 minutes and set to drain, but it didn't drain at all, just turned into a ball of mush. Adding it to the pan of onions would have just cooked it even further.
Sounds like maybe you used a quick cook rice, as standard basmati rice shouldn't be mush after 8 minutes cooking.
When draining make sure you use a large fine-mesh sieve or small-holed colander as this will remove the cooking liquid quickly and allow the rice to fluff up.
Hope that helps
Cx
Hi Antonia,
So this recipe uses more water than is needed to cook the rice, this helps to keep it fluffy.
But you have to drain it when it is cooked otherwise the rice continues to cook and will go mushy.
To drain rice use a sieve or fine holed colander, and just empty the contents of the pan into it. The excess water will drain away and the rice will be dry and perfectly cooked.
I hope that helps
Cx
Fluffy Jeera Rice that will elevate any meal! This Jeera Rice is a quick way to add flavor and texture to your plain boring white rice & miraculously it tastes delicious with just anything. Fluffy soft Naan or fragrant Indian Cumin Rice is a must when you plan to make an Indian restaurant style curry. I know you can always serve a curry with plain rice but this Jeera Rice is simply superb and enhances your palate.
Jeera is the Indian word for cumin seeds. So Jeera Rice is simply rice cooked with cumin seeds & ghee or butter. Other whole spices like cardamoms, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon & mace are also sauted in ghee to impart deeper flavors.
A lot of spices go into cooking authentic Indian food & cumin plays a key role. It not only flavors & add texture to the foods but also enhances the nutritional values. These tiny seeds are a good source or iron, zinc, copper & many other nutrients.
Cumin /jeera has natural medicinal values & work great on the digestive system. Indians have been serving this rice with everything heavy like curries & dal, considering the medicinal values of jeera.
1. One pot Jeera Rice : This is good for a home preparation as it is quick to make even by newbies. In this method, the spices along with cumin are tempered in ghee or oil on a low heat until aromatic. Then basmati rice is fried/ sauted along with the spices and later cooked with water.
This way of making jeera rice is as simple as cooking plain rice but you just makeover with some spices added to it. You will have some fragrant, fluffy & non-sticky rice to serve with your everyday sides.
2. Restaurant style Jeera Rice : This is great to make when you have some precooked rice and you want to use up by flavoring it. Often this method is followed in the Indian restaurants as it is convenient for them to cook plain basmati rice in large quantity.
If cooking in a pot, bring the water to a rolling boil on a high heat, turn down the heat. Cover and cook on a low heat until all of the water is absorbed and the jeera rice is fully cooked. Keep checking after every 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the stove and keep the pot covered for at least 15 mins for the rice to be done well.
1. Rice to Water Ratio: Here are my time-tested rice to water ratios. These ratios are for aged basmati rice. However if you are unsure of what kind of basmati you have, simply use the same amount you use to cook it plain. Also you may refer the package.
2. Choosing rice: Always use the best quality aged basmati rice as it is the key to making fragrant jeera rice. Aged rice grains are less starchy so do not mush up after cooking. If you do not have basmati rice, you can use any other kind of rice that is less starchy. If using newly harvested rice, do not soak and reduce the amount of water.
3.Preparing rice: Rinse the rice well a few times in lot of water. I rinse it thrice. This helps to get rid of the excess starch from the rice grains & makes the rice non sticky. Avoid using the grains without thorough rinse even if they are organically grown.
5.Frying Jeera: Saute the Jeera well in ghee or butter along with other spices, on a low flame for 2 to 3 mins to bring out the aroma. This is another key step to make flavorful jeera rice.Frying the spices elevates the flavor & aroma of the entire dish.
6.Frying rice: To make jeera rice always fry the drained rice along with spices on a medium to high flame. While frying do not stir up much as the rice grains may break. This makes the cooked up jeera rice fragrant.
8.Spices: Jeera or cumin is the key in this recipe, but spices like cardamoms, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon & mace do elevate the flavor of jeera rice to a considerable amount. So I always add these. If you do not have them you may avoid them and make.
I experiment a lot in my kitchen with various dishes as my little boys get bored eating the same dishes repeatedly. Though the following variations of jeera rice are very uncommon, they have always been a quick way to whip up dinner in no time.
These variations are more nutritious than a regular jeera rice plus they cut down the need to cook another side dish when you have no time. These ideas are my own and are not a part of jeera rice recipe.
1.You can follow the one pot method and make vegetable jeera rice. Add some mix veggies to the pot after frying the spices. This will be similar to a veg pulao but with milder aroma as there is no ginger garlic & mint used here. Plus the taste & flavor is totally different.
2. The second restaurant style jeera rice can be easily transformed to a roasted egg jeera rice. The same can be made with fish & prawns. To make this just fry eggs or marinated prawns or fish until golden. Set aside.
1. Wash rice very well a few times. Drain and soak it for 20 mins. Drain the rice to a colander. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Then add some salt. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the drained rice and cook on a medium high heat until the rice is just done. The rice has to be al dente meaning just cooked and not mushy. Then drain off the rice to a colander and keep it covered.
Awesome recipe and directions, (I FINALLY perfected my Chana masala as I could never get it as good as the restaurant but with the help of your directions yay!)
Anyway regarding the rice, my only
question is I see star anise in the photo but not listed in the recipe. I threw some in for good measure as I love it but wondered about that? Star anise or no?
love this as i have been looking for a rice masala recipe for years after i was gifted a bag from Bermuda years hence.bquestion, though memsahib, why is the star anise listed only once in the ingredient lists repeated?
Hi Dawn,
Thank you! I have omitted onions (from the earlier version) to simplify the recipe. However if you like them, you may use 1 small to medium sliced onion as seen in the video. Hope this clears.
Learn how to cook PERFECT Indian Basmati Rice Recipe in under 30 minutes! This easy basmati rice uses fragrant spices to create authentic tasting Indian rice. Pair it with roasted vegetables to make a healthy, vegan meal for dinner!
This was 100% delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I made this to go with chicken tikka masala and it was perfect. It was so good my husband kept asking for more rice. He even took my rice I had to go with my tikka masala and I had to get more. This is definitely a keeper!!
This fragrant Indian Style Rice Recipe is flavored with Indian spices, onion, garlic, and sweet peas. It's better than takeout, simple to make, and the perfect accompaniment to any Indian-inspired dish.
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