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″ stick 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 fresh 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 (iron griddle). (To ensure that the rice is cooked well, do not place the pot directly on top of the stove.) When steam comes out from the sides of the lid, the rice is done.
Serves 5-6