Restaurant Style Jeera Rice 5/5 (1)

Jeera rice is a time saver recipe and must to be in your party menu. It’s an all time favourite for kids and adult and it’s the best companion to any main course you select in your à la carte. The simplicity and flavour of this dish makes it undeniable in your platter. Jeera rice is steamed basmati rice cooked with whole spices and the indispensable ingredient cumin aka jeera which adds zest and name to this dish.

This quick and easy recipe can be prepared in two methods

1. Restaurant style jeera rice – here, the boiled basmati rice is sautéed with whole spices, to be precise tempered with spices.
2. One pot method– here the rice is cooked along with whole spices, seasoned and flavoured with salt and chopped ginger, garlic, all in one pot..🥘

My version of jeera rice has ginger, garlic and pepper which adds an extra kick to the dish, trust me you’ll start following this recipe forever..❣❣💞💞

Jeera rice goes well with Palak / spinach chicken, dal tadka, dal makhni, veg kadai, navratan kurma, paneer butter masala, kaju paneer, etc.

Basmati rice is the perfect choice for this recipe but if you are running out of basmati rice, don’t panic, you can try this with Seeragasamba rice or Jeerakasala rice. These are flavour packed tiny rice grains of Southern India and it imparts a special flavour and aroma taking this dish to the next level. To know more details of these two rice varieties, check my Chettinad mutton biriyani recipe.

Here, I shared restaurant style method, also check my one pot method jeera rice post. Try both the recipes and relish their unique taste and aroma.

Don’t forget to scroll down to the Notes, you’ll have a bonus recipe under my kitchen secret. My Kitchen Secrets saves you when you are puzzled with leftovers. Every recipe in this blog has a surprise package in the kitchen secret which will definitely make you awestruck…😲.

Click here to jump to recipe card!

Wash twice and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile finely chop the ginger and garlic and keep all the whole spices ready aside.

Take 4 cups of water in a deep pan, let it boil, then add soaked basmati rice to it,

Add rock salt to taste and a tsp of ghee and stir it thoroughly. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes on high flame without the lid and switch off the gas. Once the rice is cooked well, immediately strain it and run it under cold water for a few seconds to avoid over-cooking the rice.

Spread the rice on a wide plate and let it cool completely.

Heat ghee with oil in a thick bottomed pan or pressure pan and start adding all the whole spices mentioned, black pepper, shahi jeera, then add chopped ginger, garlic and sauté well.

Finally add the cooked basmati rice.

Stir well and make sure the spices get mixed well.

Then garnish with fried cashews and raisins.

Recipe Card

Prep time : 5 minutes (excluding soaking time)

Cooking time : 20 minutes 

Cuisine : North Indian 

Category : Rice

Serves : 2

Author : Manimala

Ingredients: 

For Rice:

Basmati Rice – 1 cup

Water – 2 cups

Salt – as required

Ghee – 1 tsp

For Tempering:

Ghee – 1 tbsp 

Oil – 1 tbsp 

Whole spices:

Bay leaf -1

Cinnamon – ½ inch 

Black Cardomom – 1

Green Cardomom – 2

Cloves – 2

Mace / Javithri  – 1 thread

Star anise – 1

Stone flower – 1 

Black pepper – ½ tsp

Shahi jeera / Black Caraway seeds / Cumin seeds – 2 tsps 

Ginger – 1 ½  tsp chopped 

Garlic – 1 ½ tsp chopped

For garnish:

Fried cashews

Fried raisins

Instructions:

1. Wash twice and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile finely chop the ginger and garlic and keep all the whole spices ready aside.
3. Take 4 cups of water in a deep pan, let it boil, then add soaked basmati rice to it, add rock salt to taste and a tsp of ghee and stir it thoroughly.
4. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes on high flame without the lid and switch off the gas. Once the rice is cooked well, immediately strain it and run it under cold water for a few seconds to avoid over-cooking the rice. Spread the rice on a wide plate and let it cool completely.
5. Heat ghee with oil in a thick bottomed pan or pressure pan and start adding all the whole spices mentioned, black pepper, shahi jeera, then add chopped ginger, garlic and sauté well.
6. Finally add the cooked basmati rice, stir well and make sure the spices get mixed well, then garnish with fried cashews and raisins.

Notes: 

• I have included ginger, garlic and pepper. You can avoid it but these inclusions, trust me, will take jeera rice to the next level. 
• Whole spices like stone flower and mace add an extra punch to the flavour. Sautéing them in medium flame with ghee imparts aroma to the rice perfectly.
• After bringing it to room temperature, stir the rice immediately to avoid lumps, ensuring separate grains of rice.
• If Shahi jeera / Black caraway seeds is not available, you can use normal cumin seeds / jeera. But Shahi jeera is longer, thinner and has a milder earthy flavour. After roasting it produces a nutty flavour, thus making it my first choice.
• In restaurants, instant method where the cooked basmati rice is tempered with spices, becomes handy if you have leftover rice (any rice variety, but should not be mushy).
• You can add some mixed veggies or paneer to make some variation…

Now time for my Kitchen Secrets ..😉😍

I know how exhausting it must be, handling the leftover rice. None one in your family will volunteer to consume the leftover rice. Undoubtedly, we become the scapegoat, left with no other choice. Here, I transform this into a dish where you’ll not be left with a bite to taste..🤔🤔🤔intrigued? 

I simply mashed the rice, dipped in flour paste and dusted with bread crumbs, fried in oil. Instant Rice koftas are ready. Super easy evening snack for your kids, healthy as well. Recycled food remains as a secret unless revealed.