shahi jeera is a very old variety of ginger. It is known for its sharp flavor and aroma, which are a little different from the sweet ginger you know. shahi jeera powder is used in various traditional indian dishes and desserts to add a distinct flavor to them.

Your taste buds will thank you for it!

The shahi jeera recipe that I remember from my childhood calls for ginger, cardamom, black pepper and kali mirch. In some households, it is also made with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon.

The most unusual ingredient is the kali mirch or black pepper. It gives a beautiful dark-red colour to the shahi jeera and also helps to bring out its flavour.

Shahi means royal and jeera refers to coriander seeds. Shahi jeera is used as a garnish for Indian delicacies as well as in many Indian curries and daals. It can be prepared easily at home too. Its taste is so enticing that it becomes an essential part of any meal.

In fact, it’s a very popular drink in the Indian subcontinent, especially in the north region where it originated from. People usually sieve these seeds out of their tea before drinking it down.

It makes an excellent appetizer when served with pakoras or samosas or aloo tikkis (potato cutlets). You can also have it with plain rice or chapatis.

It’s very easy making your own Shahi Jeera at home!

The word shahi is Persian, meaning “royal.” The word jeera is Hindi, meaning “cumin.” Jeera is also Urdu, and one of the words for cumin in Arabic is ajwain, also spelled ajowan. This gives you an idea of how widespread this spice has been.

Which brings us to jeera rice or shahi jeera rice. Shahi means “royal”; among other things, this rice was a dish served to Mughal royalty. Jeera means cumin; the rice was flavored with cumin seeds. What else goes into it? There are as many recipes as cooks. But here’s my take on it:

Ingredients:

3 cups rice

5 cups water

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (or ghee)

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

Directions: Put the rice in a large pot with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Add salt and oil or ghee, cover tightly (I use two lids, one inside the other), reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest for another 10 minutes or so. Fluff up the rice with a fork and sprinkle

Shahi jeera is the most popular spice powder in North India. It is made of cumin, fennel seeds, black pepper and sometimes dried ginger.

Shahi means royal and jeera is cumin (zeera). In India, people like to add different spices to their food to make it more appealing. Shahi jeera is used in many dishes but it tastes best with rice and dal (lentils).

Kashmiri cuisine is known as a unique blend of different cultures and traditions. The rich and diverse cultural heritage of this region has an influence on the food, clothing, architecture and many more aspects of life.

The main foods of the Kashmiri cuisine include rice, meat and milk. Meat is mostly lamb. The most popular dish of Kashmir is Dal-Baati-Churma followed by a rich dessert known as Shahi Jeera. Shahi Jeera literally translates to Royal cumin and is also known as sweet cumin rice. This dish has a sweet, tangy flavor and is slightly crunchy from the roasted nuts.

This mouth watering dish is usually served during special occasions like weddings or house warming parties. This rice dish is also eaten on auspicious occasions like Lohri, Chhath Puja and Eid ul-Fitr celebrations to name a few

Onion, tomato, ginger, garlic are some ingredients that are an integral part of any Kashmiri meal. Kashmiri onion kulcha, kashmiri paratha, plain rice, kehwa (kashmiri tea) are some other items that make for a great meal.

Once upon a time, there was a prince who ruled over a kingdom. His name was Shaha. The kingdom was called Desh and the capital city was Jeera City.

This is how Shaha’s father, King Khatri, had ruled: he had made sure that all the people in the kingdom had enough to eat. And he had kept them safe from their enemies with his army.

But because he worried about his son’s safety, Khatri had sent him away to learn how to be a good ruler at the palace of another king who lived far away. He told Shaha that when he came back, he should bring a gift for his mother.

Shaha learned well what the other king taught him, and one day he set out on his journey home. It took him many months to get back; but along the way he learned how to make new kinds of spices – and so he brought his mother not just one gift but many gifts in several camel-loads of fragrant bags.

One night Shaha stopped at an inn to rest. He thought it smelled very good there and asked the innkeeper what they were cooking; but when the innkeeper told him, it made Shaha’s stomach feel bad just thinking about it

Dahi jeera is a strong, sharp, tangy gravy made with jeera (cumin seeds) and yogurt. It is served as an accompaniment to rotis, parathas and other flat-breads. The recipe I give here makes a mild dahi jeera. If you like it spicier, add more red chili powder.

This dahi jeera goes very well with all flat breads such as chapathis, phulkas, parathas or tandoori rotis. Also goes well with vegetable curries like aloo gobi or palak paneer. It can be used as a dip too with papad or samosas.

It is easy to make and takes hardly 20 minutes to prepare. I usually make this dahi jeera when i have leftover curd from previous day’s pudina chutney or mango pickle preparation.

You could also serve this for breakfast with some hot steamed sada roti and aloo ka paratha too!

For more information on Jeera (Jeera rice), check out my other recipe on the blog: http://www.spicysouthindiankitchen.com/?p=1112