This recipe makes the perfect jeera rice and is the only one you’ll need when you want fluffy, perfectly cooked rice which is full of flavour, but super simple to make. You won’t believe it but this takes under 10 minutes to cook!
Before you call me out for sharing recipes that are ‘too simple’, lets pause and take a look at this picture 👆
Do you see how every grain of rice is separate? It’s not overly greasy or undercooked or gluggy. We are talking about the perfect jeera rice, that is steamed and takes about 10 minutes to make. Yes, only 10 minutes! And I’m going to teach you how to make jeera rice just like this.
Its a really simple process, but I knew it needed to be written down. Because I have screwed this up many many times, and have been left with rice thats stuck to the bottom; undercooked or too mushy. But if you’ve ever eaten at an Indian restaurant or ordered jeera rice outside, you’ll know that its none of those things. And its the perfect side to dals and curries. I can literally eat this plain, because good quality basmati rice has so much flavour on its own.
What do you need for Jeera Rice?
Jeera rice only needs a few simple ingredients. Ghee or Butter, whole spices (bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves), jeera (or cumin seeds), green chillies, basmati rice and freshly chopped coriander. Thats all of six ingredients which you probably have in your pantry, so making this is actually easier than you thought!
Rice to Water Ratio for steamed Jeera Rice
The perfect rice to water ratio for jeera rice is 1:2. Which means for every cup of rice, you need two cups of water. The rice is steamed in the liquid 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 pressure cooker, increase the rice to water ratio to 1:2.25.
Because the number of ingredients in this recipe are so few, I recommend using really good quality basmati rice. I used Daawat’s extra long Basmati Rice which is aged for two years, and smells amazing!
Are you seriously tempted? Did I manage to push you over the edge? Are you running to the grocery store to pick up some basmati rice?
Pair this recipe with dal fry, chana masala, mughlai chicken and paneer butter masala.
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Perfect Jeera Rice (Indian Cumin Rice)
Prep Time: 2 minutes- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Category: Sides
Method: Steaming
Cuisine: Indian
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Pin RecipeDescription
This recipe for jeera rice (Indian steamed cumin rice) will never fail you! You don’t need a rice cooker or fancy equipment to make this. Just a few ingredients and a pot and you’ll have fluffy, flavourful jeera rice ready in under 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain Basmati Rice
- 2 cups Water + extra for soaking
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 Bayleaf
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 4–5 Cloves
- 1 teaspoon Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
- 1 Green Chilli (or Serrano Pepper), chopped finely
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped Coriander for topping
Instructions
- Wash the basmati rice a few times, and then soak it in enough water so that the rice is completely soaked and has an inch of extra water on top. Soak the rice for at least 30 minutes.
- When you are ready to cook, drain all the water from the rice and set the rice aside.
- Heat ghee in a pot and add the whole spices and cumin seeds to it. Once the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the chopped green chilli and drained rice to it. Saute the rice in the pan for two minutes on a medium flame. This helps add more flavour to the rice.
- Add two cups water and salt to the rice and mix well. Bring the rice to a quick boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for approximately five to six minutes, till all the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked through. Top with chopped coriander and serve hot.
Leera says
July 25, 2019 at 8:38 amCame out tasty!! Thanks for the recipes
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Cosmo says
July 10, 2019 at 12:21 pmWell how much ghee i need to add? Whenever i try to prepare jeera rice it’s always greasy..
Richa says
August 5, 2019 at 8:46 pmIf you read the recipe properly, the amount of ghee to be added is clearly mentioned.
Devi Prasad says
June 30, 2019 at 11:53 pmVery good recipe. But most of the basmati rice varieties becomes sticky if we cook over 25minutes, I recommend to use AMIRA BASMATI RICE to get a fluffy nature of rice and to add the deliciousness to the basmati rice recipes. Check the site in the form. You can get more info here at: https://www.amira.net/distributor/brands/premium-basmati-rice/
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Shel says
June 4, 2019 at 10:14 amI wanted something to go with my butter chicken and OMG, this was the perfect companion. Thank you!
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Richa says
August 7, 2019 at 9:30 pmThanks! So glad you liked it!
Linda says
May 17, 2019 at 12:10 pmThank you, Richa, this is an amazing rice recipe, I do not like gluggy rice, I love loose fluffy rice,the way you cook it in this recipe, thank you. I tried your recipe and just loved it, this is now my best ever method of cooking rice when I serve a curry dish, or just with chicken portions for a light meal. Thank you.
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Richa says
August 7, 2019 at 9:37 pmThanks! So glad you liked it!
Suchita says
May 4, 2019 at 2:09 pmI tried.. nd it’s yummy..thnk
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Richa says
May 15, 2019 at 1:56 pmThank you Suchita!
Alice says
April 21, 2019 at 12:13 pmHow long does it take if cooked in pressure cooker?
Richa says
April 25, 2019 at 11:22 amThis rice cooks in 6-7 minutes on the stove which is pretty fast. If you are cooking in a traditional pressure cooker, two whistles is enough.
Boby McClaren says
February 18, 2019 at 3:46 pmum???? Were is the Utensils
SWARNENDU Ray says
December 22, 2018 at 7:39 pmWonderful guide. I just made my first Jeera Rice by my own with this guidance and trust me it tastes awesome. A big Thank You. Do you have any app available in Google play store ?
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Richa says
February 5, 2019 at 6:38 pmThank you so much Swarnendu! And no, I don’t have an app available.
Varshith says
December 11, 2018 at 5:05 pmI tried it. It was awesome. Thanks.
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Richa says
February 5, 2019 at 7:08 pmThanks Varshith!!
Suvarna says
November 8, 2018 at 3:01 pmThanks for sharing….same way I cooked and it turned out yummy😍
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Richa says
February 5, 2019 at 7:51 pmSo glad you liked it Suvarna!
Saroj Ganeshan says
August 15, 2018 at 5:04 pmI wouldl like to know from where you got the nice serving dish for the jeera rice. You can respond @ whatsup 416 937 9549. Or my [email protected]
Richa says
August 21, 2018 at 7:54 pmHey Saroj, I bought the bowl from a site called Kettle + Brine. You can find them online. The pot that I cooked the jeera rice in is from Fujihoro
Ron says
July 15, 2018 at 6:51 pmI remember eating this rice in my visits to India, but didn’t know what it was called. Now I can make it at home. Thanks for sharing the recipe and your technique.
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Ranit Ganguly says
March 15, 2019 at 9:16 pmUnique recipe…I am successful in my first attempt…Thanks..
Julia Schreiner says
July 14, 2018 at 6:38 amI love anything curry and basmati rice but I can’t stand coriander and also I am not fond of cumin, but as long as it’s seed and not powder I can live with that. When I prepare basmati rice I use star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds and/or coconut milk. My rice sometimes is sticky so I loved this recipe, I will try it next time (without the coriander leaves). Thank you very much.
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Richa says
April 25, 2019 at 1:23 pmThanks Julia! Washing rice before cooking can take away extra starch and result in less sticky rice. Really glad you liked this recipe!