Jeera Rice
Jeera rice is a flavorful spiced rice made with cumin, cinnamon, and other spices. It is simple and easy to make, and tastes great! Fluffy, perfectly cooked rice with full flavor!
Jeera rice is also known as cumin rice. Jeera in the Hindi language are cumin seeds (affiliate link), and the seeds in this recipe are what make it famous! Forget boring plain white rice! This easy side dish is a great accompaniment to your favorite Indian recipes!
Mostly in America we use ground cumin, but cumin seeds are commonly used in Indian cooking. They add a nutty, warm flavor and extra depth of flavor to dishes.
Fun fact – did you know that cumin was first made popular by the ancient Greeks and Romans? And the Ancient Egyptians used it both as a spice and as part of the mummification process!
What ingredients do you need to make jeera rice?
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This recipe uses some ingredients that you might not have on hand, but should search out!
- Basmati Rice – you want a good quality aged basmati rice
- Ghee, which is essentially clarified butter. You can use olive oil instead, but the ghee adds a really rich flavor to this dish.
- Cinnamon Stick (affiliate link)
- Cumin Seeds
- Bay Leaves (affiliate link)
- Whole cloves (affiliate link)
- Whole Green cardamom pods (affiliate link)
- Mace (traditionally mace strands are used. Did you know those are the fibers that surround the nutmeg? Its true!) They are really hard to source without going to an Indian grocery store, so in this recipe we substitute ground mace (affiliate link).
How to make jeera rice
This rice is easy to make! With only a few extra steps difference than making plain white rice, this cumin rice recipe is ready in no time!
- Wash and rinse your rice (see steps below).
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of ghee or olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add in the whole spices and saute over medium heat until toasted and fragrant. Stir them frequently. This should only take a minute or so, just until you can really smell the spices. This is called “blooming” and helps to bring out the flavorful and fragrant essential oils in the spices. It helps take your recipe from good to great, so don’t skip it!
- Add in the drained basmati rice and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently (but gently, or you could break the rice grains and that will cause them to be mushy).
- Add in the water, salt, and ground mace.
- Cover and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer until the water has evaporated.
- Turn off heat, and allow the rice to sit in the pot for an additional 15 minutes. Do not remove the lid before!
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
*Recipe Note: The cumin seeds are definitely edible, but you might want to remove the bay leaves, cardamom pods and whole cloves before eating (or just pick them out as you enjoy your rice) – they have a very potent bite to them!
How to wash rice
Yes, you should totally wash your rice! Washing the rice before you cook it helps to remove the starchy powder residue that coats rice grains during packaging. By rinsing it off, you help to ensure that your rice cooks up nice and fluffy without getting clumpy and gooey.
- Place your rice in a bowl or pot and cover with cool water.
- Use your hand like a claw and swish the rice around in the water a few times.
- Carefully drain off the water – see how cloudy it is?
- Add more fresh clean water to your pot and swirl the rice around again.
- Repeat washing and draining your rice until the water you pour off is clear.
Prepping ahead of time
This rice is easy to make, and it stores well. You can store this rice in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It reheats well in the microwave.
How to serve this to your family
Make this a complete meal by serving Jeera rice with easy chicken tikka masala, cucumber raita, mango lassi, and sourdough naan! These are all great family friendly Indian recipes that your whole family will love!
Other global rice recipes:
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Jeera Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice
- 2 Tablespoons ghee
- 2 ” piece of cinnamon stick
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground mace
Instructions
- Wash and rinse your rice. Place the rice in a bowl or pot and cover with cold water. Swish around with your hands a few times and then drain off the water. Repeat rinsing and draining until the water that drains off is clear – about 4 or 5 times.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of ghee or olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add in the whole spices and saute over medium heat until toasted and fragrant. Stir them frequently. This should only take a minute or so, just until you can really smell the spices. This is called “blooming” and helps to bring out the flavorful and fragrant essential oils in the spices. It helps take your recipe from good to great, so don’t skip it!
- Add in the drained basmati rice and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently (but gently, or you could break the rice grains and that will cause them to be mushy).
- Add in the water, salt, and ground mace.
- Cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down to a simmer.
- Simmer until the water has evaporated.
- Turn off heat, and allow the rice to sit in the pot for an additional 15 minutes. Do not remove the lid before!
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
Amazing! I followed your step by step directions and it came out just perfect.
Will definitely keep this recipe.
Thank you!
What a great simple side dish to enjoy with my dinners.
Wow! Loved how simple and flavorful this dish is! Definitely saving to have again soon.