Easy Instant pot recipe for Jeera rice or Cumin rice, a popular Indian side dish in which nutty basmati rice is cooked with aromatic, earthy cumin seeds.
Rinse the basmati rice 2-3 times and soak for 20 minutes. Strain the soaked basmati rice in a sieve to get all the water out.
Turn on instant pot on Sauté mode. When the display reads 'hot' add ghee and cumin seeds.
When the cumin seeds begin to sizzle (a few seconds), add rice and sauté another 30 seconds.
Add salt and water and stir. Close the lid. Set the valve to 'sealing' position. Press Manual (high) for 6 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins, then manually release the pressure.
Open the lid and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Cumin rice is best served warm with lentils soups, curries or any grilled entrée.
Alternative: Skipping the Saute process
Alternatively, you could make this a dump and start recipe. Simply add everything in the Instant Pot, close the lid and follow the same cook time. It will have a milder cumin flavor.
Video
Notes
Soaking: I highly recommend soaking the rice for 15 mins. It gets rid of the excess starch and makes them more fluffy after cooking.
Customize Your Instant Pot Rice to Taste: For rice with a little bite, follow the 1:1 ratio, and if you like it softer, add 1 ¼ cup water for 1 cup of rice.
Use the 'Rice' Setting: You can follow this recipe and cook it using the Rice setting too, which defaults to 12 minutes at low pressure. I have cooked it both ways and have found the result to be the same.
NPR vs. QR for Rice: As a general rule of thumb, if I have the time, I let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, unless I'm cooking rice with chicken, meat or veggies. That results in fluffy and softer rice.
Vegan Rice: To make Vegan Jeera rice, simply substitute ghee with olive, avocado or any neutral oil.
Vegetable Pulao Variation: Add ½ cup assorted frozen vegetables to this recipe and make a Vegetable Pilaf.
This recipe has been tested in a 3qt and 6qt Instant Pot. If making this in an 8Qt size, adjust the quantity to meet the minimum liquid requirement.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.