Jeera rice
Indian-spiced rice recipe for the electric rice cooker. The name just means rice with cumin, and 2 kinds of cumin are the stars of the show here.
Nigella seeds (Nigella sativa) are often sold as "black cumin" in English-speaking countries, but they're not the same thing as kala jeera (Bunium persicum), which looks like small, darker, thinner cumin seeds. If kala jeera isn't available in your local Indian shop, just replace it with more ordinary cumin.
Ingredients
- 4 180mL rice cups dry basmati rice (3 U.S. cups)
- 1/4 tsp saffron threads
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 6 whole green cardamom pods
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 whole allspice berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Cassia cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin seed
- 1/2 tsp whole kala jeera seed
- 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
Directions
Soak saffron threads in 1/4 cup warm water for 15 minutes. Add basmati rice to rice cooker, layering with saffron water (include the saffron threads). Fill rice cooker with water to the appropriate line and add remaining ingredients. Cook on normal cycle -- do not use quick or pressure cooking modes, if they are available. When rice is done cooking, whole spices should have risen to the top. Remove and discard them, then fluff rice.
