Jeera Red Rice


Photography Credit – Asha Shreedharan

Ingredients

  • 1 cup red rice, rinsed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
  • ½ tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1″ piece of cinnamon
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 2 pods cardamom
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
  • 2 green chillies, slit
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 3 cups water
  • ½ tsp unrefined salt
  • chopped coriander and mint, for the garnish

Method

Heat a pan. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle. Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and stir until fragrant. Add chopped onions and slit green chillies and sauté until the onions are transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and ‘fry’ lightly. Add the water, salt and bring to a boil.

Drain the rice and add to the pot of boiling water. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and cook until the rice absorbs all the water.

Add chopped coriander and mint. Seal with a tight fitting lid and place the pot on top of a heavy tawa (griddle). (To ensure that the rice is cooked well, do not place the pot directly on top of the stove.) When steam comes out of the sides of the lid, the rice is done.

Serves 5-6