Bagara chawal or Bagara rice is a simple, coriander and mint flavoured rice popular from Hyderabad/ Telangana with tempered whole spices. Let’s see how to make this bagara khana with step by step pictures and video.
Perfect one pot rice for lunch box or in days when you want to keep it different from the usual.
This simple rice will pair up well with brinjal masala or with any rich gravy like vegetable makhani in this website.
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Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients needed for the Bagara rice dish.

- Basmati rice – Aromatic, long grain basmati works perfect.
- Onion – It’s optional but adds good taste and flavour in such simple rice.
- Ginger Garlic – Gives flavour for the dish
- Whole spices – For tempering
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Cloves
- Mace
- Stone flower
- Star Anise
- Shahi jeera
- Biryani leaf
- Mint leaves – Main flavour along with other spices
- Coriander leaves – A must add for mild flavour.
- Ghee – Rich flavour for the rice.
- Oil – Mixed with ghee, gives non sticky rice
- Green chilli – Only spice for the dish
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Let’s make this simple bagara rice.

- Wash and soak basmati rice for 15-20 minutes firstly. I soak in hot water. I use India gate classic variety (not sponsored)

- Get all the other ingredients prepped ready. Then, heat a pressure cooker with oil and ghee. Add all the tempering spices one by one.

- After that, add sliced onion and saute without changing it’s colour.

- Then add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and cook until the raw smell goes off.

- Should not let the colour brown too much.

- Add water, required salt, coriander, mint leaves and mix well.

- Bring to boil briskly and then add soaked rice drained from water.

- Again let it come to a boil.

- Pressure cook bagara rice for 2 whistles, put the flame to medium after first whistle. Check out under ‘My Notes’ for more ways to cook.

- Once pressure released naturally open the cooker and fluff the rice. Bagara chawal is ready to serve.
Serve Bagara rice with a rich gravy, like a salan or butter paneer masala.

Substitutions & Variations
- You can skip onion and ginger garlic for no onion no garlic bagara rice.
- Use just oil for vegan version.
- In the tempering items, if you have certain items missing for example the mace, you can skip it.
- The idea is just to make it simple without any vegetables, so it changes from household to household.
Storage
Always serve it hot. You can refrigerate and consume next day, reheating properly.
Top Tip
Adding rice after water boils or using hot water along is recommended for best fluffy results.
Do not stir too much after the rice is cooked and also after opening immediately. For longer grains, always soak the rice, hot water for faster results and if using normal temperature, soak for long. This gives soft results.
My Notes
Tips for perfect, fluffy, long grains of basmati rice.
- Soaking helps long grain results after cooking. If you are in a hurry, soak in hot water for minimum 10 mins. If you have time, you can soak for long time. Longer you soak, moist and soft the results are.
- Depending on the basmati rice brand, the ratio may differ. This works perfect for Brown pack India gate Classic.
- If you already have a knack to cook pulaos, that you follow, you can follow the same.
- I usually slow cook in low flame as I can keep my stove in really low heat. It takes 13-14 minutes. For this method, I boil water well, add soaked rice drain from water and again boil until the rice is half done. You will be able to see the rice on top. Then put the flame to lowest possible, cook for 13 to 14 minutes. Once done, fluff gently without mixing too much.
FAQ
Bagar means tempering. So bagara chawal is simply tempered rice without any spice powders. Biryani usually have different style of cooking as well as it is cooked along spice powders, a gravy base and other main ingredients.

Recipe card
Bagara Chawal | Bagara Rice Recipe
Bagara chawal or Bagara rice is a simple, coriander and mint flavoured rice popular from Hyderabad/ Telangana with tempered whole spices. Let’s see how to make this bagara khana with step by step pictures and video.
Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)
Ingredients
- 1 cups Basmati rice
- 1 Onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic paste
- 2 Green chilli slit
- 2 tablespoon Mint leaves chopped
- 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves chopped
- 1 & ¾ cups Water
- Salt
To temper
- 2 tablespoon Oil + Ghee
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 2 Cardamom small
- 1 Cloves
- 1 Biryani leaf
- 1 Mace Very small piece
- 1 teaspoon Shahi jeera
- ½ Star anise
- 2 pieces Stone flowers
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Instructions
-
Wash and soak basmati rice for 15-20 minutes firstly. I soak in hot water. I use India gate classic variety (not sponsored)
-
Get all the other ingredients prepped ready. Then, heat a pressure cooker with oil and ghee. Add all the tempering spices one by one.
-
After that, add sliced onion and saute without changing it’s colour.
-
Then add the ginger garlic paste, green chilli and cook until the raw smell goes off.
-
Should not let the colour brown too much.
-
Add 1 & ¾ th cup water, coriander leaves, mint leaves and required salt and mix well.
-
Bring to boil briskly and then add soaked rice, drained from water.
-
Pressure cook for 2 whistles, put the flame to medium after first whistle. Wait for the second whistle, if not, switch off after 5 minutes anyways. Check out under ‘My Notes’ for more ways to cook.
-
Once pressure released naturally open the cooker and fluff the rice.
-
Bagara chawal is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Adding rice after water boils or using hot water along is recommended for best fluffy results.
- Do not stir too much after the rice is cooked and also after opening immediately.
- For longer grains, always soak the rice, hot water for faster results and if using normal temperature, soak for long. This gives soft results.