Whether we’re cooking at home or ordering at a restaurant, jeera rice seems to pair perfectly with any Indian curry or dal. The jeera rice we make at home, spluttering some cumin in a couple tablespoons of ghee, tossing the rice in it and boiling it till fluffy, is delicious but sometimes we crave that restaurant style taste. Today, I’ll be sharing with you the ultimate restaurant style jeera rice recipe. It is my holy grail and I’ve been making this for friends and family for atleast a decade!
The best part about this recipe is that it comes together in one single pan and does not involve a lot more steps than those involved in cooking the perfect basic basmati rice. If you wish to make it in a pressure cooker, you can follow the same steps and cook it for just one whistle.
Ingredients in This Jeera Rice Recipe
Even though the ingredients in this recipe are minimal, it is important to use the best quality ingredients that can constitute the maximum flavor to the dish. Keeping a few things in mind, you will end up with the perfect Jeera Rice every single time. Let’s take a look at the key ingredients of this recipe.
– Basmati Rice
Although, the name suggests that Jeera is the hero of this recipe, I would be lying if I said Basmati Rice isn’t just as important. Using basmati rice in this recipe is very vital as it is one of the most flavourful rice there is. We’ve all had restaurant style jeera rice and it is nothing but a steaming bowl of perfectly cooked aromatic basmati rice with every grain fully and separated, seasoned with flavourful spices. Cooking the basmati rice perfectly is the most crucial step in the making of this restaurant style jeera rice as well as in any recipe which calls for the same.
Basmati is fragrant, nutty-tasting long grain rice which gets better with age. Keeping in mind a few tips will help us make the perfect basmati rice every time:
- Wash it thoroughly: The key to making basmati rice that is light, tender and fluffy is to rinse it first; otherwise, the grains will be gummy and stick together. It only takes a minute or two. Simply place the rice in a bowl with water, and then swish it around to release any excess starch. The water will be cloudy at first but after several rinses, it will be clear.
- Bring the rice along with all the spices, water and fat to a boil before covering and cooking it completely on low flame.
- Rice to water ratio is extremely crucial: The perfect rice to water ratio for jeera rice is 1:2. The rice is steamed in a pan which is covered so that the steam does not escape. This rice to water ratio ensures that the rice is cooked just right – where every grain is fluffy and separate from each other. However, if you are cooking this in a traditional pressure cooker, increase the rice to water ratio to 1:2.25. In the Instant Pot, use a ratio of 1: 1.75.
- Let the rice sit for about 5 minutes after done and fluff gently before serving for best results.
– Jeera/Cumin Seeds
It goes without saying that Jeera or Cumin is the most dominant flavour in this recipe. Cumin seeds and ground cumin have been an integral part of Indian cooking. Spluttering the cumin seeds in hot ghee cracks it open and its smoky tone imparts so much flavour to this Jeera rice recipe. Apart from that it is one of the healthiest spices that there is.
Note this recipe down, try it for yourself and you’ll never have to search for another recipe and get the perfect Jeera Rice every single time.
Preparation time – 30 minutes
Cook time – 30 minutes
Serves – 3 people
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup onions – finely chopped
- 1 green chilli – slit in half
- 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
- Salt to Taste
- 1.5 cups hot water
- Fresh coriander leaves – finely chopped
Directions
- Thoroughly wash the basmati rice till the water runs clean.
- After washing, submerge it in sufficient water and soak it for 30 minutes.
- Heat some ghee in a pan.
- When the ghee is hot, add the bay leaves, the slit chilies and the jeera. Make sure the ghee is hot before you add the jeera; otherwise the jeera will absorb all the fat and not release its flavours into the ghee.
- Let it splutter.
- Reduce the flame and gently stir.
- Once the jeera starts to smoke, add in the finely chopped onions.
- When the onions begin to brown, season with salt.
- Give it a good mix.
- It is time to add in the soaked basmati rice.
- Fry the rice with the spices for a few minutes, gently stirring to prevent breakage of the rice grains.
- Add in the hot water and give it a gentle mix.
- Cover and cook on a low flame for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and fluff with a fork before serving.
Make this Restaurant Style Jeera Rice for your next dinner party and impress everybody or maybe make it for a lazy afternoon meal and enjoy it with your loved ones!
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