Spicy, soft, and fluffy ghee rice. This ghee rice recipe is easy to make, great for weeknight dinners, and is delicious on its own or when served with other dishes.
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This ghee rice recipe is a versatile dish that is perfect to serve as a main course or even as a side dish.
Pair it with meats, vegetables, or even curries.
This recipe can easily be customized to your liking by adding as much or as little of spice as you’d like, or even throw in some cashews and raisins for added flavor and texture.
The dish is simple, yet flavorful. Ghee rice is made by cooking rice in ghee, a type of clarified butter that is commonly used in Indian cuisine.
The rice is usually seasoned with spices such as cumin, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. These spices give the rice a unique flavor and aroma, and are essential to the dish.
Want to try other delicious Indian rice recipes? Why not make jeera rice or bagara rice.
For this recipe, it is best to use a long grain rice such as basmati rice. It has a distinct floral and nutty aroma, and the grains are slender, long, and fluffy when cooked.
If you can’t find basmati rice, you can substitute with another type of long grain rice, such as jasmine rice.
Keep in mind, different types of rice may require different liquid amounts and cooking times. So you may need to adjust accordingly.
What is ghee?
Ghee is a type of clarified butter. It is often used in Indian cuisine.
Ghee is made by simmering butter which results in the milk solids and water of the butter separating from the fat. The separated milk solids are removed, and the butter fat is kept.
Ghee has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. It is also lactose free and has a longer shelf life than regular butter.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe for ghee rice is easy to make.
- One pot dish
- Great for a weeknight dinner.
- Serve it on its own or with a variety of different dishes such as curries or tikka chicken.
Cost To Make
Estimated cost = $3.08 or $0.77 a serve.
Ingredients
Please note that below is a guide for some of the ingredients we used in the recipe. The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.
- Ghee
- Cinnamon Stick
- Green cardamom pods
- Bay Leaf
- Cloves
- Cumin seeds (jeera)
- Green or red chili: Silt, deseeded, chopped fine.
- Basmati rice
- Water
- Salt
Toppings (Optional):
- Cashews
- Raisins
- Chopped coriander or parsley leaves
Instructions
This recipe for ghee rice serves 4. The ingredient quantities can easily be adjusted to suit how many serves you want to make.
Step One: In a small bowl, rinse and then soak the rice in water for at least 20 minutes. Once soaked, completely drain the water. It is important to soak your rice.
This will make your cooked rice fluffy and soft. If you don’t soak your rice, you could end up with gritty and hard rice. Set aside.
Step Two: In a medium sized pot, heat the ghee over low to medium heat. Saute the cinnamon stick, cardamon pods, bay leaf, and cloves for 2 to 3 minutes.
Step Three: Next, add the cumin seeds and chili, and saute for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
Step Four: Place the soaked and drained rice in the pot and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
Step Five: Add water and salt. Stir until combined. Taste for salt, if you find it lacking, you can add more now.
Step Six: Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. When the mixture reaches a boil, reduce the temperature to low.
Cover with a lid and cook simmering for 25 minutes. Turn off heat and rest rice with lid on for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step Seven: Fluff the rice with a fork or spoon. Remove the spices. Garnish with chopped nuts, raisins coriander or parsley leaves if desired and serve.
Substitutions / Variations
If you don’t have basmati rice, you can use any long grain rice as a substitute.
Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon if you don’t have a cinnamon stick.
Mix through some chopped cashews and dried fruits such as sultanas and raisins after cooking for added texture and flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Some ways we love to enjoy this ghee rice with coconut milk include with:
- Riata: This is a yogurt based condiment commonly served with Indian dishes. It helps to balance out the spiciness of curry or rice.
- Tikka or tandoori chicken
- Curry: Chicken, beef, or even vegetable curry may complement the rice nicely.
- Dahl
- Garnished with chopped nuts such as cashews, dried fruit, and a drizzle of yogurt.
Storage
Store any leftovers of this ghee rice recipe in an air tight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
To reheat, use a microwave or you could even reheat it in a pot or in a frying pan.
FAQ
Yes, you can.
Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below! We'd love to hear how it turned out.
Recipe
Ghee Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (35 grams, 1.25 ounces) ghee
- 1 to 2 inch (2.54 cm to 5.08 cm) cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds jeera
- 1 green or red chili slit and deseeded, chopped fine, optional
- 1 cup (200 grams, 7.05 ounces) basmati rice
- 1 ½ cup water
- Salt to taste
Toppings (optional):
- Cashews
- Raisins
- Chopped coriander or parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, rinse and then soak the rice in water for at least 20 minutes. Once soaked, completely drain the water (see note 1). Set aside.
- In a medium sized pot, heat the ghee over low to medium heat. Saute the cinnamon stick, cardamon pods, bay leaf, and cloves for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next, add the cumin seeds and chili, and saute for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
- Place the soaked and drained rice in the pot and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add water and salt. Stir until combined. Taste for salt, if you find it lacking, you can add more now.
- Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. When the mixture reaches a boil, reduce the temperature to low. Cover with a lid and cook simmering for 25 minutes. Turn off heat and rest rice with lid on for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork or spoon. Remove the spices. Garnish with chopped nuts, raisins coriander or parsley leaves if desired and serve.
Notes
- It is important to soak your rice. This will make your cooked rice fluffy and soft. If you don’t soak your rice, you could end up with gritty and hard rice.
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