Spice

Shahi Jeera

A tier

Shahi jeera—“royal cumin”—is the culinary name for the thin, dark, curved seeds (usually Bunium persicum) used sparingly in North Indian and Central Asian rice and meat dishes. Aroma is sweeter and more perfumed than ordinary safed jeera, so recipes that call for shahi jeera by name will taste flattened if you substitute supermarket ground cumin. Seeds look almost like caraway at a glance but smell different when crushed. Add whole to hot ghee at the start of biryani or pullao, or grind into small-batch korma spice. Quantity is low: a pinch perfumes a pot. Because adulteration and name confusion are common, trust vendors who sell it as a distinct SKU next to regular cumin, not as a dye-darkened bulk bin. Store airtight; the perfume fades within months once the bag is open.