Jeera rice is a popular rice dish of Northern India, wherein this dish is cooked in almost every household as part of daily cooking. This rice dish also adorns the lunch or dinner tables at festive occasions, be it weddings or family/friends gatherings and parties. Jeera rice is super simple – no biggie about it! It is basically rice flavored with cumin and lightly spiced with whole garam masala. However, its most beautiful quality is that it goes really well with almost any north Indian curry, be it lentils vegetables or meat dishes.
But this recipe brings out a twist. Have you ever tried making jeera rice with brown rice? So its basically brown rice pilaf. It is highly aromatic and nutritionally superior to the white rice pilaf. Rich in nutrients, its mild and nutty flavor provides a natural wholeness to the grain, that helps people lose weight and also those suffering from diabetes.
Usually brown rice takes longer time to cook than white rice. However if you mix it with white rice, the cooking time comes to almost the same. This is what I have done in this recipe. I have taken 1:1 ratio for brown rice to basmati rice, which keeps it flavorful yet nutritious.
Ingredients:
Brown rice – 1 cup
White basmati rice – 1 cup
Cumin seeds – 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves – chopped
Whole garam masala – (5-6 cloves, 5-6 black peppercorns, 1 cinnamon stick, 3-4 green cardamon pods, 4-5 bay leaves)
Water – 3 cups
Salt – to taste
Ghee – 2-3tbsp
Recipe:
Wash and drain the rice.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. When ghee/oil is warm, add in the whole garam masala. Stir for few seconds. Then add the cumin seeds. When they start spluttering add chopped coriander leaves. Give it a mix.
Then add the washed rice (mix of brown rice and basmati). Since I am cooking in pressure cooker, for 2 cups of rice I use 3 cups of water. However if you cook in a normal pot, for 2 cups of rice take 4 cups of water.
Pressure cook the rice. Put the flame on high till you get the first whistle. Then lower the flame to simmer and cook for 5-7 mins on sim. Turn off the gas. Let the pressure release only then open the pressure cooker.
Serve warm with your favorite curry.
Healthy Indian kitchen 