Here’s one of my favorite and also one of my easiest rice recipes. It’s one that I make for our family meals almost every weekend, and often when I’m entertaining guests: Jeera Rice, a stunningly flavorful rice pilaf. This is a spectacular dish, with specks of earthy, fragrant cumin hugging fluffy grains of rice. Making it is as easy as cooking plain steamed basmati rice, and it’s definitely an upgrade when it comes to flavor and aroma. You don’t need to pre-soak the rice or even rinse it, and the recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes, almost all of it hands-off time. The most basic version of this dish requires just three ingredients – rice, cumin, and oil. You can add other spices for even more fragrance and nutrition, I’ll show you how.
What is jeera rice?
Jeera rice (cumin rice) is a simple Indian style rice pilaf that can be served with any Indian curry or dal. The rice is cooked with cumin seeds, which impart a smoky, aromatic flavor and aroma to the rice. Cumin seeds are an integral spice in Indian cooking, and you will find them used in almost every dal or curry recipe, and in vegetable sides like jeera aloo. These tiny brown seeds are also loaded with nutrients that improve heart health and digestion. Their appetizing fragrance make them a key ingredient in Indian spice mixes, like garam masala, biryani masala and curry powder. But there are few recipes where they have a chance to shine by themselves, as they do in this jeera rice.
Why you’ll love this recipe
A stress-free but restaurant-quality jeera rice in one pot and 20 minutes! Whether you are making an elaborate dinner for guests or just sitting down for a family meal, this jeera rice makes it so easy to eat deliciously, very little work needed. If you are cooking a few other, more elaborate dishes, this is one dish you don’t have to stress over or spend too much time on. Versatile, can be served with so many dals and curries. You can serve this cumin rice with nearly any curry or dal recipe you love, and it will elevate the meal, guaranteed! One-pot, three-ingredient, 20-minute recipe. You need just three ingredients – cumin seeds, oil and rice – to make this recipe. But if you want to make it even more aromatic, I have some fantastic spice suggestions for you. Allergy-friendly. The cumin rice is soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. You can make this recipe oil-free, see notes below for more on this.
How to make jeera rice
Special diets
No-oil: Add the spices and cumin to a dry skillet and roast for a minute or two until aromatic. Proceed with the rest of the recipe. Low-carb: Use cauliflower rice. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan for every cup of cauliflower rice and steam, covered, 5-10 minutes.
Serving suggestions
Chana masala and dal makhani are the two dishes I most frequently serve with jeera rice. It’s also fabulous with other Indian curries and dals, like vegan butter chicken, cashew curry, chickpea curry and dal tadka. If you came over for dinner, I’d very likely serve you a side of vegan cucumber raita with the jeera rice. You can also serve the rice with a restaurant-style vegetable side like baingan bharta or bhindi masala.
More delicious Indian rice recipes
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Rice to water ratio: Always use a 1:2 ratio of rice to water for this recipe, meaning for every cup of rice add two cups of water. This proportion will yield perfectly fluffy rice with separate grains. Sauteing the cumin: Cumin burns fast and easily, so once you add it to the oil saute it for just a few seconds or until it releases its aroma. If you are using the optional whole spices like cardamom and cloves, add them first to the oil before adding the cumin. Saute the rice before adding water: When you add rice to the pot with the oil and spices, saute it for a couple of minutes until the translucent grains turn opaque. Add room temperature water to the pot: This recipe is designed to work with water taken straight from the faucet. Using hot water or warm water will change the cook time and the water-rice ratio. Don’t peek once the jeera rice has finished cooking: This is a really important tip for any rice recipe. Always wait 10 minutes after turning off the stove and before opening the pot. This is because the rice will continue to steam and cook for a bit after you turn off the heat. Handle cooked rice gently: Once the rice has cooked, the grains are delicate and can break or mash easily. Handle them gently. Use a fork to fluff the rice grains before you carefully transfer the rice to a serving bowl.
