How To Season Basmati Rice

Want to know how to season your Basmati rice?

It is a type of rice that doesn’t need additional ingredients to make it flavorful and appetizing.

You can savor it as it is without putting too many ingredients into it.

Still, if you want to have more flavors in your Basmati rice, you can use the following suggested ways to season this rice. 

Let’s get started with the guide now!

8 Ways To Season Basmati Rice

Here’s how you can season Basmati rice –

1. Add Cumin To Your Rice

Cumin is the most preferred ingredient in Indian-style seasonings for rice dishes.

Its unique texture and flavor blend well with the soft texture of rice grains.

You can add this spice at the time of boiling or steaming the rice in the pot.

For more flavor, you may prepare a tadka (tempering) of Cumin seeds in Ghee and spread over the steamed rice.

In addition, Curry leaves can also be a great addition to this preparation.

You can also use Caraway seeds as an alternative to Cumin seeds.

Important: While mixing your cooked Basmati rice, always use a fork and wooden spoon.

If you want to use a metal spoon, make sure you don’t mix the grains for long.

Otherwise, they might break into pieces, and you may not enjoy the preparation in the end.

2. Add Bayleaf, Cumin, Cardamom, Cinnamon Stick, Mace, Black Pepper, And Cloves To It

This is a typical way of seasoning the Basmati rice, and it’s mostly used for making Biryanis and Pulaos.

When you want to prepare these dishes at home, it’s always a good idea to flavor the rice with the above-mentioned spices.

Of course, don’t forget the salt and Ghee or oil.

You should also squeeze some lemon juice in it, which will help get a nice white color to the grains.

Tip: If you don’t like the whole spices in your rice, you can either remove them after cooking or place them in a muslin cloth.

The first method is not ideal if you are using too many spices for seasoning.

It’d take quite a long time for you to separate them individually.

Therefore, the second method of putting the spices in a muslin cloth is more effective and practical.

Once you steam the rice, you can remove the spice bag from it and serve the rice as desired.

3. Add Ghee To Your Rice

Basmati rice or any other rice has a dry texture and taste.

Hence, you should always pair it with fat-based ingredients like Ghee.

We’ve been using Ghee in our traditional cooking methods for ages.

So, it does make for a great companion ingredient for steamed or cooked rice.

You can add Ghee during the cooking process or toss the rice gently in a wok.

Both these methods are quite useful to get a rich flavor to your preparation.

Similarly, you can use Butter and Garlic to season Basmati rice.

4. Sauté Your Basmati Rice In Chili Or Garlic Flavored Oil

Yes, you can also try seasoning the rice with different flavored oils.

Flavored oils like Chili Oil and Garlic Oil are pretty common in various cuisines, and they do go well with rice dishes.

If you wish to use these oils for flavoring, you should add more ingredients to bring another dimension to your preparation.

Simply using the flavored oils for this preparation won’t serve the purpose.

You need to add veggies, chicken, or herbs to make it more interesting for the taste.

5. Add Herbs To Your Basmati Rice

As I have mentioned earlier, the herbs can be a good addition to the rice dishes.

They also complement the Basmati rice.

But what type of herbs should you be using for this preparation?

Well, you can season the rice with Coriander Leaves/Cilantro, Basil Leaves, Rosemerry, Mint, etc.

All these greens will bring a pleasant freshness to your rice preparation.

Note: The herbs do tend to change their color and turn dark in the process.

So, you need to remember this while making the Basmati rice.

They may add flavor to your rice, but you will also have to make sure that you don’t cook them for long.

Alternatively, you can sauté them for a minute in oil along with some whole spices and put them on top of the steamed rice.

Later, you can mix the rice accordingly.

If not, you can always garnish the herbs at the end of preparation.

6. Use Biryani Masala To Season The Rice

It’s another effective way of using herbs for seasoning.

Even though the whole spices are great at infusing the right flavors to your Basmati rice, you can use Biryani Masala to serve the same purpose.

The best part of this masala is it doesn’t add a lot of heat to the dish.

It will gently add the aromatic flavors that will make the eating experience a lot more enjoyable.

For usage, you can either sprinkle it on the top of the rice or add it to boiling water while preparing the rice.

I prefer adding it in the end because it retains the aroma slightly longer, and it doesn’t change the color of rice grains.

Apart from that, you should garnish it with fresh Coriander Leaves and Mint Leaves.

You may also use a spoonful of Ghee or Butter to bring more richness to the rice if you want.

Biryani Masala is easily available in the market, and most of us keep it in our pantry for regular use.

So, do use this masala and see how it transforms the flavor of your rice preparation.

7. Sprinkle Some Garam Masala On Your Rice

Garam Masala is another useful spice mix that can be used to season your Basmati rice.

Like the above-mentioned process, you just need to sprinkle some Garam Masala on top of the cooked rice, which should do the trick!

If you want a more robust flavor, you can also cook the rice with this masala mix.

But do use some whole spices like Bayleaf and Cumin seeds when you want to cook with this mix.

It will taste a lot better with these spices.

8. Use Chopped Garlic Pieces For Seasoning

Garlic is one of the most flavorful ingredients in Indian cooking, and it does go well with the rice.

And more importantly, it doesn’t need a lot of effort too.

You just need to sauté the garlic pieces in oil or butter till they turn slightly golden brown.

Once you get the right color, you can add the cooked rice and mix it well.

Furthermore, you can add more spices and ingredients to this preparation, but the simple garlic-rice preparation can complement some tasty Asian curries.

So, do try it out!

How To Season Basmati Rice In Rice Cooker?

There are a couple of easy ways through which you can season it in your rice cooker.

1. Using Spices And Herbs In The Water

It’s the best method to season the rice while cooking it in the pressure cooker or other rice cooker.

This method works beautifully because it helps understand the flavors before you cook the rice.

You can use this method if you are going to serve the rice with some gravy dishes.

Now, as I’ve already discussed above, the herbs are a little tricky to use in such preparations.

So, you will need to think through and see how you want to use them.

Note: Do not forget to taste the rice water before placing its container in the rice cooker.

2. Tempering The Rice After Cooking It In The Rice Cooker

Tempering is a quite easy and effective method to season the rice.

For rice cookers, it obviously needs to be done after cooking the rice.

So, you should wait for at least 10-15 minutes after the cooking process.

Do not open the lid in a hurry.

This duration is important for the rice to cook completely.

Once this is done, you can remove the lid and pour the tempering of your favorite spices.

FAQs

Over To You

Seasoning, as a task, is not so difficult in the kitchen.

But when it comes to using the spices and other flavoring ingredients, you will need to put a bit of thought into it.

It’s all about the imagination process that will help you understand the right combination of flavors for your final dish.

So, do try out the above suggestions and let me know if you have any questions about them.

If you enjoyed this guide, do share it with your friends and family.