This is the simplest recipe for a flavoured Indian style rice. Specially helpful when you have left over cooked rice from the previous night, this recipe adds a delicious twist to the regular cooked rice. Have jeera rice with a side dish such as dal fry or rajma or even chinese gravy dishes and you have the ultimate comfort food. The ingredients are simplest and can be found in any part of the world.
To make a simple jeera rice recipe for two people, you would require :
Butter/ Ghee(clarified butter): 3 to 4 tbsp
Cooked rice : 1 cup
Cumin seeds/jeera : 2-3 tsp
Green chillies : 3 – 4 or according to taste
Salt: as per taste
Coriander(cilantro leaves) – small bunch chopped finely
Cashewnuts – few whole or broken, roasted or fried (optional, for garnish)
Heat oil in a frying pan or a heavy bottomed pan.
Once the ghee/butter is melted or the oil is warm enough, add the cumin seeds and fry them. Add the cumin seeds on low heat as we don’t want them to burn. They will yield a bitter taste.
When the cumin seeds change colour slightly and start giving out their aroma, add the green chillies and allow them for fry.
Now add the rice with salt and mix well to make sure the rice is coated well the the butter/ghee/oil and cumin seeds.
Add the cilantro leaves and mix well. Be careful while mixing as to not break or mush the rice.
Garnish with cashewnuts.
Serve hot with side dish of your choice.
Some tips:
If you do not have left over rice, try to make sure that the rice cools down before making this recipe.
You can add some oil to the rice while cooking it to ensure that the rice doesn’t stick.
Electric rice cooker is a better option to make rice for this recipe as the rice would turn out fluffy.
Always fluff up the rice with a fork instead of spoon.
You can use any kind of white rice or basmati rice for this recipe.
You can add salt to the rice and mix before adding it to the oil to ensure even spreading of salt in the rice.
If you do not have ready roasted cashewnuts, just roast on a dry pan or fry with some butter or ghee.
If you don’t prefer the heat of chillies just deseed and add them chopped.
Variations:
See my recipe for Jeera Pulao and Aloo jeera rice .You can try using brown rice if you are off white rice or don’t prefer using it.
Serving suggestions:
Serve this with any gravy of your choice and some papads, chips or fryums.
This dish is a good idea to serve along with Indian breads when you have guests over.
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Nothing better than Jeera Rice and Dal Fry!