Easy Indian Rice Recipe: Ghee Rice is a quick and easy-to-make flavorful rice recipe prepared using rice, ghee, aromatic spices, dry fruits, and nuts. Serve this simple seasoned rice with any Indian gravy or curry for lunch or dinner.
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Recipe card
Easy Indian Rice Recipe - Ghee Rice
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati rice Jeera rice
- 3 tablespoon Ghee brown butter; can add 1 extra tablespoon for a richer version.
- 5 to 6 Almonds chopped
- 10 to 12 Cashews chopped
- 8 to 10 Raisins chopped
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 1 Garlic clove optional
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 Clove
- 3 Cardamom seeds
- 1 Green chilie finely chopped
- ½ cup Frozen green peas optional
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Preparation
- Nicely wash the rice in water 3 to 4 times until the water runs clear.1 cup Basmati rice
- Soak it for 15 to 30 minutes. Drain and keep this aside.
- Heat ghee in a pan. Add cashews and almonds and saute till it becomes golden. Add raisins to it and saute for a few seconds. Transfer this to a plate.3 tablespoon Ghee, 5 to 6 Almonds, 10 to 12 Cashews, 8 to 10 Raisins
- To the same pan, add onions and garlic cloves and saute until onions become crispy and golden. Transfer this to a plate. Be careful not to burn them.1 Onion, 1 Garlic clove
How to make ghee rice?
- Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin seeds, clove, and cardamom, and saute for a few seconds until aromatic.1 Bay leaf, 1 inch Cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1 Clove, 3 Cardamom seeds
- To this, add green chilies and rice and saute them for 3 to 5 minutes on medium flame till they become aromatic and nutty. Keep stirring to avoid it from burning.1 Green chilie
- Add 2 cups of water, green peas, and salt to taste, and bring it to a nice boil.½ cup Frozen green peas, Salt to taste
- Switch the flame to low, cover the pot, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Switch off the flame.
- Leave the pot covered for another 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the roasted nuts and onions to the rice and fluff until combined. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Always rinse the rice. This eliminates excess starch and will not make your rice mushy.
- For perfect ghee rice, always toast the rice in ghee for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Use spices available in your pantry. Skip the rest.
- Adjust the amount of dry fruits and nuts to taste.
- This type of ghee rice is traditionally served at weddings and restaurants.
- The ratio of rice: water is 1 : 1 ½ cups. Based on the place you stay and the type of rice, you may need up to 2 cups.
Nutrition
Onion ghee rice
Onion ghee rice is the simplest spiced Indian-style rice that you can make at home for any meal. Serve it with veg kurma, egg curry, butter chicken, or garlic dal.
This simple Indian rice recipe is Kid-friendly, and you can pack it for a lunchbox. A day-old or leftover rice can also be used to make this ghee rice. I have already shared the no onion, no garlic version of ghee rice, also called neychoru or nei choru, a popular recipe from Kerala. This is mainly prepared during Navratri as naivedyam for Goddess Lakshmi.
Ingredients
Rice: Traditionally kaima rice or jeerakasala rice is used to make ghee rice. But you can use bamati, jeera samba, sona masuri or even leftover rice to make this recipe.
Ghee: Best premium quality desi ghee for best results.
Aromatic spices: add those spices available in your pantry. These will infuse the rice with their aromatic flavors.
Onions: Caramelized onions add depth of flavor to the rice.
Dry fruits and nuts: Cashews and almonds add crunchiness, and raisins add sweetness to the rice.
Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients.
Preparation
- Nicely wash the rice in water 3 to 4 times until the water runs clear.
- Soak it for 15 to 30 minutes. Drain and keep this aside.
- Heat ghee in a pan. Add cashews and almonds and saute till it becomes golden. Add raisins to it and saute for a few seconds. Transfer this to a plate.
- To the same pan, add onions and garlic cloves and saute until onions become crispy and golden. Transfer this to a plate. Be careful not to burn them.
How to make ghee rice?
- Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin seeds, clove, and cardamom, and saute for a few seconds until aromatic.
- To this, add green chilies and rice and saute them for 3 to 5 minutes on medium flame till they become aromatic and nutty. Keep stirring to avoid it from burning.
- Add 2 cups of water and salt to taste, and bring it to a nice boil.
- Switch the flame to low, cover the pot, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Switch off the flame.
- Leave the pot covered for another 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the roasted nuts and onions to the rice and fluff until combined. Serve and enjoy.
Tips
- Always rinse the rice. This eliminates excess starch and will not make your rice mushy.
- For perfect ghee rice, always toast the rice in ghee for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Use spices available in your pantry. Skip the rest.
- Adjust the amount of dry fruits and nuts to taste.
- This type of ghee rice is traditionally served at weddings and restaurants.
- The ratio of rice: water is 1 : 1 ½ cups. Based on the place you stay and the type of rice, you may need up to 2 cups.
What to serve with ghee rice?
Any Indian rice recipe can be served with dal (lentil curry) or gravy made with vegetables or meat. Some of my favorites are
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Note: We originally posted this Ghee rice - Indian rice recipe in Nov 2015. It has now been modified in Feb 2024 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
Traditionallymodernfood says
My absolute favorite:-) love it
Kushi says
Thank you Vidya 🙂
sudha says
Healthy & inviting rice.................love it with dal.
Kushi says
Thank you Sudha 🙂
CHCooks says
Totally yumm Kushi 🙂
Kushi says
Thank you dear 🙂
srividhya says
Love the addition of dry fruits and nuts. Great
Kushi says
Thank you Srividhya 🙂
Spiceindiaonline says
Nice, flavorful rice... i can finish the entire plate with some chicken curry on the side!
Kushi says
Thank you dear 🙂