Bagara Rice also called as Bagara Chawal, Bagara Annam or Bagara Khana is a traditional Hyderabadi style rice dish which is a great replacement for biryani or pulao. Here is how to make it.
Double ka Meetha, Bagara Baingan, Mirchi Ka Salan, or Khatti Dal are some of the vegetarian dishes that are a Hyderabadi specialty and my favorite too.
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About This Recipe
Bagara Rice is a simple yet delicious Hyderabadi rice preparation where basmati rice is cooked with fried onion, green chilies, and herbs.
It is also called Bagara Khana or Bagara Annam by locals.
Hyderabad is known for its delicious Non-Vegetarian food, but there are some dishes like Bagara Rice which is very popular for its simplicity and delicious taste.
This is the traditional version, but you can add vegetables of your choice (carrot, beans, capsicum, peas, corn, etc) in this recipe to make it healthier and wholesome.
This Rice is,
- Simple
- Flavorful
- Quick
- Easy to make
- Perfect to serve with any Gravy/Dal
- Apt for festive meals
Ingredients
Rice – Use Basmati Rice, as it has a nice flavor of its own and tastes delicious when combined with fried onions and spices. It also has a nice aroma that adds to the overall dish.
Onions – This is a must ingredient in this dish and adds a lot of taste to the rice. Brown Fried Onions when gets mixed with rice, created magic for sure. Also, save some fried onions for garnishing.
Whole Spices – In this dish, we do not add any spice powders and thus the flavor comes from these whole spices. In this recipe, we will use cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaf.
Green Chillies – This will add the much needed spiciness to this Bagara Rice recipe.
Cashew Nuts – This is optional, but I would recommend you to not miss this, as it adds to the richness and also gives a nice crunch. You can also add some raisins if you like.
Ghee – Make this recipe only in ghee, for the best taste. But if you do not add ghee, you can use oil too.
Other Ingredients – Other than these, we will need ginger, garlic, mint leaves, coriander, water, salt, and lemon juice.
Step by Step Recipe
Wash the rice and soak in water for 30 minutes. Add ghee in a pan.
Once the ghee is hot, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf and let them crackle for a few seconds.
Add cashew nuts and fry until they turn slightly brown.
Add onion, green chili, ginger and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until onion is slightly browned.
Now add mint leaves and coriander and saute for a minute.
Add water, salt, and lemon juice.
Drain the rice and add it in the pan.
Cover the pan and simmer the heat to low.
Cook until rice is cooked and all the water is absorbed. Remove the pan from heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes.
Fluff the rice with a fork. Garnish with fried onions and serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
The word Bagaar means tempering. As we add Bagaar to the rice in this recipe, it is called as Bagara Rice.
To make it in Rice Cooker, add the rice in the Rice Cooker along with water, mint leaves, coriander, lemon juice, and salt.
In a pan, heat ghee and add the whole spices followed by cashew nuts, onion, ginger, garlic, and green chillies and add this tempering in the rice cooker.
Now cover the lid and cook until rice is cooked.
To make it in a pressure cooker, follow the same method as mentioned below. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook the rice on high for 2 whistles.
Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Serving Suggestions
Bagara Rice is a versatile recipe that tastes great with any dish. Be it a Dal, Curry, or Kadhi, this will go with it and that’s the reason I like to even more.
It is popularly served with Dalcha or Mutton Dalcha and Mutton Curry or even with Mutton Korma.
You can also make it with Non-Vegetarian Mutton and Chicken Curries. It just tastes yum!
It is also very flavorful on its own. So if you are in a mood to eat something simple, you can just have it with a delicious Raita too.
Storage Suggestions
Bagara Rice stays good in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 days. Reheat it properly while serving. If you feel it a little dry, sprinkle some water on top, while reheating.
But I will recommend you to make it fresh, as it tastes the best when served out of the Kadhai hot and aromatic.
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Recipe Card
Bagara Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 2-3 Green Cardamom
- 3-4 Cloves
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 10-12 Cashew Nuts
- 1 cup Onion (Sliced)
- 3-4 Green Chillies (Slit into half)
- 1 tsp Ginger (Chopped)
- 1 tsp Garlic (Chopped)
- 1 tbsp Mint Leaves (Chopped)
- 1 tbsp Fresh Coriander (Chopped)
- 3 and 1/2 cup Water
- 1 tsp Lime Juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the rice and soak in water for 30 minutes.
- Add ghee in a pan.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf and let them crackle for a few seconds.
- Add cashew nuts and fry until they turn slightly brown.
- Add onion, green chilli, ginger and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until onion is slightly browned.
- Now add mint leaves and coriander and saute for a minute.
- Add water, salt and lemon juice.
- Drain the rice and add it in the pan.
- Cover the pan and simmer the heat to low.
- Cook until rice is cooked and all the water is absorbed.
- Remove the pan from heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork.
- Garnish with fried onions and serve hot
Nagina Shaheen
Thank you for the simple and tasty recipe 🙂
Neha Mathur
Thanks