Vegan Jeera Rice Recipe | Oil-free

Delicious Jeera Rice Recipe without a single drop of oil, using whole rice for better nutrition & taste.

Whole Food Plant Based Jeera Rice Recipe

Course: Course 3: Grain Dish for Lunch & Dinner Meals
Cuisine: North Indian Recipe
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Basmati Brown Rice soaked
2 tsp Jeera / Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal / Split White Lentil
10 Curry Leaves
1/2 Green Chili
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
4 tsp Miso Paste (Healthy Salt Alternative. See Nutrition Science Highlights below)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak 1 cup basmati brown rice for 30 minutes. Cook it with 2 cups water until it is soft but not over cooked. Spread it out on a large plate so it doesn't become sticky. Let it cool fully.
2. In the meantime, dry roast urad dal on low flame until just done. Ensure that it does not darken. See Nutrition Science Highlights below for details.
3. Slit green chili into two long pieces. Dry roast until raw smell goes away. Dry roast jeera with chili for a few second until it start sputtering, then mix with cooked rice, along with roasted urad dal, chili, black pepper powder, and miso paste. Mix well, taking care not to mash the rice. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve fresh!

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Jeera Rice Recipe

1. Jeera Rice is best served with Tofu Amaranthus Gravy!

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Jeera Rice Recipe

1. Why Miso Paste? Miso paste is fermented & salted soya bean paste. American Heart Association Maximum recommended maximum daily salt intake of 3.75 grams per person to minimise risk of high blood pressure, stomach cancer and chronic kidney disease. In addition to helping us restrict salt intake, replacing salt with miso paste also helps by neutralising the negative effects of salt by soya phytonutrients. You can easily make fresh miso paste at home by mixing 100 grams of cooked soya paste with 10 grams of salt, or 10 tablespoons of cooked soya paste with 1 tablespoon of salt. If making at home, ensure to use immediately, or freeze in batches to use later. Or, simply use 3.75 grams of salt or less per day per person and add 18 to 20 grams (dry weight) of soya beans in any dishes, spread through the day!
2. Why whole grains? Whole grains are healthier than refined grains such as white rice, refined flours, maida, rava, etc., as the bran layer is intact, with all its vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Whole grains have been found to be protective against a whole range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and lifestyle-related cancers.
3. Why cool grains? When cooked grains are allowed to cool on the counter or in the fridge, its starch crystallises to form resistant starch. This can be eaten by our good gut bacteria and also reduces the glycemic index (the rate at which glucose is absorbed), making the whole grain even healthier. For the same reason, parboiled whole grains can be used as well.
4. What's wrong with roasting? The brown color we get on roasting whole grains, tubers, legumes, or nuts is due to the formation of carcinogenic AGE compounds. We can reduce the formation of these compounds by roasting peanuts mildly, on a low flame.
5. Why nuts instead of oil? Whole foods are healthier than processed foods. When nuts are pressed and oil is extracted, fiber and phytonutrients are lost, along with many other nutrients. Therefore, whole nuts are much healthier than oils, whether cold-pressed or refined. In addition, they provide the oil content we need to absorb fat-soluble phytonutrients from other whole plant foods! This may be why nuts are used to garnish nearly every traditional Indian dish!