Fragrant Indian rice (Spiced Basmati rice)

Fragrant Indian rice (Spiced Basmati rice)

Do you love fragrant Indian rice served by your favorite restaurant? Then make it easily at home using this foolproof recipe. This Indian spiced basmati rice is a great side dish for any curry & dal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword indian rice, indian spiced basmati rice, spiced basmati rice

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings

Calories 248kcal

Author Sravanthi Chanda

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice
4 cups water For absorption method, use 1.75 cups (Please check Notes section)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oil
¼ teaspoon lemon juice

Spices

10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 inch cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon caraway seeds
4 cloves
4 cardamom

Instructions

Drain method

Add water, spices, oil, and salt to the cooking pot. Let the water come to a boiling point.
To this boiling water, add drained rice and mix it once.
At this stage, add a few drops of lemon juice. This will yield fluffy rice.
Let the rice cook on medium to high flame until it is almost cooked as you like. It took about 8 to 9 minutes for me.
Now strain the rice using a colander and discard the water.
Take the rice back into the cooking pot.
Heat the rice again on low flame for a minute or so to remove the water from the rice.
Close the rice pot with the lid and keep it aside for around 10 minutes. The residual heat will steam and rice.
Gently mix the rice with a fork, and the delicious Indian rice is ready to serve with your favorite Indian food.

Absorption method

Heat a thick-bottomed cooking pot or saucepan over medium heat.
Once it is hot, add oil and all the spices one by one - bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, peppercorn, and caraway seeds.
When these spices start spluttering, add water and salt to the pot. Let the water come to a boil.
Add the drained rice and lemon juice to the boiling water and mix it well.
Cook the rice on medium to high flame until it starts boiling, for around 4 to 5 minutes. Cover the pot partially with the lid.
Now reduce the heat to low and close the pot completely with the lid. And let the rice cook on low flame until all the water is absorbed. It will take around 5 to 6 minutes.
By the time all the water is absorbed, rice will be cooked. If you see that the rice is undercooked, you can add a couple of tablespoon of water and cook for a couple of more minutes.
Switch off the flame and close the pot with the lid. Keep it aside for around 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork, and the aromatic and delicious Indian spiced rice is ready to serve along with your favorite curry or dal.

Notes

For the drain method of cooking rice, use 4 cups of water for every 1 cup of basmati rice.

For the absorption method and if you are smoking the basmati rice for at least 30 minutes, use 1.75 cups of water for every 1 cup of basmati rice. If you are skipping the soaking step, you will need around 2 to 2.25 cups of water.

Nutrition