Jeera Rice

Jeera Rice is one of the easiest rice dishes which you can have as a side with your gravy-based curries. Jeera means cumin seeds, which are used to temper the oil or clarified butter that imparts a great aroma and taste to the rice. The whole process takes less than 20 minutes and if you get the amount of water right, the cooked rice will not be soggy and the grains won’t stick to each other. Since the recipe only has a few steps, I have added a few tried and tested tips on how to cook rice or the most basic pulao, which will help you get great results every time:

– I have a tentative measurement for water when it comes to making a flour dough and cooking rice. For every cup of flour, use half a cup of water and for every cup of rice, use double the cup of water. So for two people, 1 cup of rice is enough, for which you will need 2 cups of water. For 2 cups of rice, 4 cups of water and so on.

– Wash the rice at least 3 or 4 times to remove as much starch as you can.

– We usually soak the rice for a few minutes before cooking it. This allows the rice to become slightly soft as it absorbs a little water. So remember to adjust the amount of water while cooking. Since for 1 cup of rice, you need 2 cups of water, pour a little less than 2 cups, like 1 or 2 tbsp less, to get the right amount of water. The water level must be just above the rice when you cook it.

– Cooking the rice in a heavy flat bottom pan gives the grains more room to spread and fluff up. This prevents the grains from getting clumped together.

– Whenever you are making any pulao or rice dish, make sure the grains are coated with the oil, clarified butter or ghee well. This will stop them from sticking. I also make sure to dab a paper towel on the soaked rice so that they are dry before I saute them in the oil.

– Although it is tempting to open the lid to check if the rice is cooked or not, don’t do it. Just let the water start to bubble on high heat, then reduce the heat to low to medium low, cover the pan and let  the rice simmer for 15 minutes.

– After 15 minutes you may stir it gently only once. Just once. If you stir it too much the grains will break and also release more starch, making it soggy. Using a fork to fluff up the rice is a good idea too.

– If you are not using a flat pan to cook the rice, spread it on a wide dish or tray, like a rice plate, once it is ready. This will help to keep the grains seperate.

My pulao used to get a little soggy and I would wonder how restaurants have nice seperate grains every time. Since A likes the softer soggy version, I don’t really have a problem, but I like the seperate grain version. So we switch once in a while!

Jeera Rice

Prep Time: 5 min Cooking Time: 15 min Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice or any good quality long-grained rice: 2 cups
Ghee/clarified butter or refined oil: 1 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 1/2 tbsp
Peas: 3/4th cup (optional)
Water: 4 cups
Salt to taste

Method:

1) Wash and soak the rice for 5 minutes. Heat the oil or ghee in a heavy flat bottom pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.

2) Drain the water from the soaked rice and spread them on a flat dish. Dab it with a paper towel to soak any excess water.

3) Now add the rice grains to the pan and saute it for 5 minutes. Stir it carefully so that the grains don’t break and let them be coated with the oil. You will notice that they become a little translucent and will start to glisten.

5) Now add the peas, which is an optional step. (I like to add peas or chopped carrots because it looks pretty; it is not compulsory because we are primarily making Jeera Rice here and not a Pulao).

6) Sprinkle salt, stir it one last time and add the water. Cook on high for a minute and when the water comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low or between low and medium. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 15 minutes. Do not stir, do not open the lid. Just forget about it!

7) After 15 minutes, fluff up the rice with a fork or gently stir it once and remove from heat. In case you feel the pan is too hot and the rice may get burnt, just sprinkle some water over the rice so that the steam keeps it soft. Or you could transfer the contents to a flat tray.

8) Serve hot with any gravy-based dish, I served it with Navratan Korma and will post the recipe tomorrow.
http://meghs-kitchen.blogspot.com/2013/04/navratan-korma.html