Looking for a quick dish with leftover rice? Try this restaurant style jeera rice recipe. It is an easy and simple way to prepare fragrant rice seasoned with cumin. Made with minimal ingredients and less time, this dish is wonderfully delicious and aromatic.
Jeera rice/cumin rice is a popular and much loved dish in Indian restaurants. This restaurant style method involves tossing cooked rice with fried cumin seeds and onion. While it is traditionally served with dal tadka, it tastes equally delicious with simple vegetable curries.
On weekdays, swap plain rice for this flavourful cumin rice and enjoy it with simple curries such as chickpea spinach curry, vegetable chettinad, baby corn masala and green peas masala. It makes a comforting and satisfying meal when served with curry, onion salad and papad.
Ingredients
Oil & Ghee
Onion & Coriander leaves
Cooked Rice
Salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
In a pan, heat the oil and ghee over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and saute until fragrant. Let them crackle and release a nice aroma.
Now add the chopped onion and saute for a couple of minutes or until onions are soft.
Reduce the heat a little, add salt, rice and coriander.
Gently mix the rice until well combined, making sure not to break the rice grains. Turn the heat off.
Delicious and fragrant Jeera Rice is ready to enjoy with curry or any side dish of your choice.
Check out the instant pot jeera rice recipe here.
Variations
You may add more spices like cassia, green cardamom, black cardamom and bay leaves to make it more flavourful.
Add green chillies for a spicy kick.
Substitutions
For a vegan version, substitute the ghee with oil or vegan butter.
Cooked brown rice, sona masoori, ponni and easy cook rice can be used instead of basmati rice.
Storage
As this dish is made using leftover rice, it’s best enjoyed the same day. However, if you prepare it with freshly cooked rice, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Before serving, reheat the desired portion in a heatproof bowl in the microwave until piping hot.
Serving Suggestions
Jeera rice and tadka dal is a classic combination and easy to make in midweek for dinner.
For a change from the usual dal, try pairing it with mango dal or spinach dal.
It pairs absolutely well with simple vegetable curries such as butternut squash chickpea curry or capsicum masala.
Great to serve guests on special occasions. It pairs well with paneer curry such as paneer makhani, kadai paneer, malai matar paneer.
It’s an ideal option to pack in a lunch box along with a simple side dish such as bombay aloo/aloo gobi.
Tips and Tricks
Fry the cumin seeds until they crackle in oil, releasing their rich aroma and flavour. Make sure the oil/butter is medium hot before adding cumin so that the enticing aroma and flavours are released.
Avoid frying cumin in very hot oil/butter, as it can burn quickly and turn bitter.
Ensure the rice is not overcooked, but perfectly cooked with each grain separate.
If using leftover rice stored in the fridge, reheat it in the microwave covered with a lid or cling film to retain moisture and prevent drying out. Gently stir rice halfway through heating.
More Leftover Rice Recipes
Keep in Touch
If you like this restaurant style jeera rice recipe, kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or on the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online.
You can stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagramor subscribe to my Youtubechannel. Or why not subscribeto my blog and get simple recipes straight to your inbox?
Do let me know if you make this easy restaurant style jeera rice. I love hearing from you all.
Restaurant Style Jeera Rice
Equipment
- 1 Skillet/Steel Pan
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
- ¼ cup (or) 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cups (or) 370 gms cooked rice
- salt as required
- handful coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) over medium heat.1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- Once the oil is hot add the 2 tablespoons cumin seeds and saute until fragrant. Let them crackle and release a nice aroma.2 tablespoons cumin seeds
- Now add the chopped ¼ cup (or) 1 small onion and saute for a couple of minutes or until onions are soft.¼ cup (or) 1 small onion
- Reduce the heat slightly, add salt, 2 cups (or) 370 gms cooked rice and handful coriander leaves.salt, handful coriander leaves
- Gently mix the rice until well combined, making sure not to break the rice grains. Turn the heat off.2 cups (or) 370 gms cooked rice
- Delicious and fragrant Jeera Rice is ready to enjoy with curry or any side dish of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome to Flavours Treat. I share vegetarian recipes made with wholesome, mostly fresh ingredients. Every recipe has easy-to-follow instructions with process shots (detailed step-wise pictures), a short video and lots of tips to help your cooking journey. Read more
Jeera Rice is one of my favourite variety of rice. It can go well with daal as well as curry. Easy to make yet so flavourful . Beautiful share..
Thanks a lot Ruchi…
Jeera rice is one such dish which requires minimal ingredients and tastes awesome. It is so versatile and goes well with any dal , curry or gravy dishes..both veg and non veg. Yours looks great and perfectly done.
Thanks Poonam.
Jeera rice Is my favourite rice . Thanks for Sharing this quick and tasty rice recipe.
Thank you Pavani. Do let me know how it turned out when you try this recipe.
Jeera rice with dal fry is always my fav. You have made this just perfect. Lovely share !!!
Thanks Geetanjali…
restaurant style jeera rice really looking like one. Love these brass utensils. Jeera rice is perfect with dal tadka.
Thank you.
I end up making this dish many times cause of its simplicity. It can be paired with anything even dal.
Even I prefer to make this whenever we feel to have something simple yet flavourful instead of plain rice….
There is something so fanciful about the restaurant recipes always. I love the way you have recreated that magic.
Thank you. I hope you get t try this recipe sometime.
True Jeera rice is one of the dishes prepared with minimal ingredients and time yet tastes heavenly when eaten with any curry or dal.
I can almost smell the aroma of cumin while looKing at the beautiful clicks.
Thanks Lata.
There is something about this simple dish that takes my heart away all the time, love this with dal makhni specially, loved your detailed recipe thanks for sharing.
So true Soma, this simple yet flavourful dish never fails to impress us….
This sounds so flavorful and good !!!! I most of the time prefer to make this in normal days 😉 Lovely share
Thanks Sasmita…
Jeera rice comes first to my mind when I have sudden guests…simple, quick and yummy!! Looking super tempting and yummy!!
This is a much needed recipe. I never get the perfect restaurent style texture in jeera rice 🙂
Jeera rice and tadka dal.. what more do we need. Whenever I come home after travelling this is the first thing I make.
This sounds so good! I remember having jeera rice in India when I travelled there but I’ve never made it at home.
I hope you do try sometime Mandy. I am sure you will like it.
always looking for good rice recipes and it seems simple enough
Yes Karl, it is very quick and easy to prepare, yet flavourful and tasty.