Easy Indian Turmeric Rice
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A new go-to side dish, this Easy Indian Turmeric Rice (also known as yellow rice), can be made in minutes with just a couple of pantry staples and served with your favourite meals!
Want a pop of colour and flavour to your typical Steamed White Rice? I have to say that this Easy Indian Turmeric Rice is totally the best rice I’ve ever made.
If you’ve been following the blog lately, you know that I’ve been loving exploring new rice recipes. Before the new year, I had tested out a variation of this Indian Turmeric Rice just to experiment with some colour to my simple rice. This rice honestly disappeared in a flash, and I couldn’t wait to make it again! Do you love picking up yellow rice from your favourite Asian or Middle Eastern restaurant? Then this is the recipe for you! Our Indian Turmeric Rice recipe comes together in a matter of minutes thanks to being a one-pot recipe! Check off making your own yellow rice off of your bucket list as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Explore your potential in your kitchen journey like you never have before by signing up to my newsletter - it’s completely free and I guarantee you’re going to crush your new year’s goal of cooking at home more!
Don’t forget to watch the video at the bottom of this post to get all the details on how to make this aromatic and fragrant rice! I’d appreciate it if you subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already and be sure to press the bell button so you’re notified when all of my video recipes go live! I love creating the videos so you’ve got all the tools you need for success when making your creations! Let’s get cooking!
What Is Turmeric?
We typically see turmeric as a ground yellow spice that’s used to add colour and flavour to food. However, turmeric is similar to ginger in that it actually comes from the root of Curcuma longa, which grows in India and Southeast Asia. You can find the turmeric root at the grocery store next to ginger!
I use turmeric in a lot of my recipes for an iconic bright yellow colour (particularly in my Egg Curry - the iconic yellow colour of the eggs is from pan-searing boiled eggs seasoned with turmeric!). This colour comes from the primary active component of turmeric, which is curcumin. While turmeric is great for cooking, it has been used in medicinal practices The curcumin is the source of most of turmeric’s health benefits, including being anti-inflammatory, helping to prevent or reverse certain diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. Furthermore, turmeric, can help improve eye and skin health, acting as an anti-aging agent. You can read more about the health benefits of turmeric here.
You can reap the health benefits of turmeric through using the powder or even by eating a small slice of whole turmeric. For example, when I was living in India my grandpa had a little morning cocktail of his medicines and tea, including a small sliver of turmeric root. You may have also seen turmeric supplements at the pharmacy. Speak to a healthcare provider before including a turmeric supplement into your routine, but in my opinion cooking with turmeric can certainly benefit your health!
Turmeric is widely used in Indian cooking. We also like to include turmeric in beverages, such as turmeric chai or even turmeric milk! Please comment below if you’d like to see more turmeric recipes on the blog!
Is This Turmeric Rice Healthy?
It sure is! Rice in general is quite low in calories, and we’re just adding a bit of butter for some flavour. With that, a decent portion is good for those who are looking to watch their waistlines. However, the main health benefits from this rice dish certainly do come from the turmeric here. This turmeric rice side dish should be accompanied with a hearty protein-based main as part of a balanced meal. Check out my serving suggestions later on in this post!
What Rice Should I use for Indian Turmeric Rice?
I recommend any white rice. You can use basmati rice, as this is the traditional Indian rice, and that’ll be best here. However, if you don’t have basmati rice on hand then don’t worry about it! White jasmine rice is also a superb option and will give you great results. I give more details in my free guide to get you motivated in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun! free guide, I really don’t want you to go out of your way to get something that’s not totally necessary. However, in this case I will recommend that you stick to a variety of white rice to match the cook times presented here.
Is Turmeric Rice Gluten-Free?
Yes, rice itself is gluten-free and we have no other ingredients that contain gluten in our recipe. This makes our Indian Turmeric Rice a perfect gluten-free option for those with celiac disease or for those who simply cannot tolerate gluten.
Is Turmeric Rice Vegan?
No, this Indian Turmeric Rice Recipe is not actually vegan. The only non-vegan ingredient in our recipe is butter, which we’re using to sauté all of our whole spices and the rice. Growing up, my mom would cook up rice with a big dollop of butter, and wow was it amazing! I’ve not cooked much rice with butter, but I’m so happy with the choice to use butter here. The rice was so delicious and the smell was incredible!
That being said, you can make this recipe entirely plant-based. Simply use your favourite plant-based cooking oil as a substitute for the butter, such as olive oil or coconut oil. Furthermore, if you can find and like to use vegan butters, then that would be a great alternative too.
Why You’ll Love Turmeric Rice
Simple: Minimal ingredients allow for the turmeric to really shine, and it’s likely that you already have everything on hand to make this rice!
Nutritious: Don’t let people tell you that white rice isn’t good! White rice pretty much has the same nutritional profile as brown rice, and with the turmeric, it’s jam-packed with antioxidants that’s also tasty!
One-pot: The rice will cook along with the sautéed whole spices, so no need to add steps or dishes to your delicious side dish!
Aromatic and flavourful: The turmeric not only gives colour and has health benefits, but a little bit goes a long way with flavour! This rice is absolutely fresh and aromatic.
Fast: As with a lot of rice recipes, the longest part of the recipe is making the rice itself. If you already have cooked rice on hand, then this will be even quicker to make!
Budget-friendly: We all hear the saying that if you want to save money on your groceries you should get beans and rice. When you get a big bag of rice, that should last you a very long time! The bags are about 4 to 4 and a half kilograms, and cost under $20 CAD. That means you pay about 40 cents per 100 grams of uncooked rice, which is about a bit over half a cup of raw rice. That will yield around 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice, which is plenty for two people! This entire side dish will most definitely cost under a dollar, and at restaurants they charge about $5 for some rice on the side. Crazy right?
Tools to Make Easy Turmeric Rice
How to Prevent Sticky Rice
In my experience, sticky rice can be the result of two things:
Too much water. Excess water means the steam can’t escape. I’ve actually found that doing a bit under the ratio of 1 part rice to 2 parts water helps to prevent sticky rice.
Not paying attention your rice. You don’t need to stir your rice at all to prevent sticking. Just make sure you put the pot or pan on low heat and cover it AS SOON as it comes to a boil! I’m guilty of walking away from it, but for perfect rice your eyes should be on it until it’s time to reduce the heat!
What Goes Into Indian Turmeric Rice?
Get all measurements and the complete recipe instructions by scrolling down to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD! You can adjust the recipe based on whether you want to make this rice for only one meal or to cook a large batch for the week - all individual ingredient quantities are automatically adjusted for you!
Rice: Any white rice here.
Water: To cook the rice.
Turmeric: Pretty important as that’s in the name of the recipe! Use ground turmeric here.
Ginger: One piece, sliced.
Green chillies: You can add more or less chopped green chilies based on your spice tolerance.
Butter: We’ll sauté our whole spices and rice with butter. You can substitute with ghee if you’d like.
Whole spices: This turmeric rice recipe will have cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, bay leaf, star anise, and cloves for whole spices. They truly enhance the flavour of the rice making it so aromatic and fresh.
Salt. To taste of course!
Lemon or lime juice: Add some fresh juice for garnish when serving. You can use either lemon or lime juice, just use whatever you already have and what you prefer!
How to Make Easy Indian Yellow Rice
Rinse the rice well and then soak in cold water.
Heat a pot on medium heat and once warm, add the butter, along with the whole spices. Saute and roast until the spices are fragrant and then add the ginger and green chillies.
In the meanwhile, drain the rice well and add to the pot, along with the turmeric and salt to taste and mix well, cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the water or stock and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Then turn heat down to low, cover, leaving a small slit open for steam to escape and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
Fluff up the rice once cooked and garnish with lime juice.
Serve hot and enjoy!
What to Pair with Turmeric Rice
This turmeric rice recipe is extremely versatile! Because I’ve made this rice recipe Indian-style, you can pair it with your favourite Indian mains to make a wholesome meal. Here are just a couple of ideas:
However, many cuisines have their own “yellow rice” variation. You can certainly serve this rice simply with your favourite protein! Try it with a Roast Chicken, Souvlaki Chicken Skewers, Oven Baked Salmon with Lemon and Herbs, or even served with One-Pot Moroccan Chicken, Chickpea & Lentil Stew!
Storing Turmeric Rice
I really recommend you make a big batch of Indian Turmeric Rice for the week so you can enjoy it with all of your meals! As I’ve listed above, this rice dish can really be served with anything! All you need to do is store the rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How to Reheat Easy Turmeric Rice
Place your Turmeric Rice in a microwave-safe container, bowl or plate. Microwave for one to two minutes, depending on how much rice you would like to reheat. Stir occasionally to ensure that it is completely warmed through.
More Healthy Rice Recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE EASY INDIAN TURMERIC Rice HERE:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!
Easy Indian Turmeric Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2-3 green cardamom pods
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-4 cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 1-2 green chillies
- 1 Cup basmati rice
- 2 Cups water or stock
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 lemon or lime, juiced
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the rice well and then soak in cold water.
- Heat a pot on medium heat and once warm, add the butter, along with the whole spices. Saute and roast until the spices are fragrant and then add the ginger and green chillies.
- In the meanwhile, drain the rice well and add to the pot, along with the turmeric and salt to taste and mix well, cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the water or stock and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Then turn heat down to low, cover, leaving a small slit open for steam to escape and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
- Fluff up the rice once cooked and garnish with lime juice. Serve hot and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
295.42Fat (grams)
6.51Sat. Fat (grams)
3.8Carbs (grams)
53.67Fiber (grams)
2.51Net carbs
51.2Sugar (grams)
1.02Protein (grams)
4.87Sodium (milligrams)
198.16Cholesterol (grams)
15.26Nutrition info is an estimate.
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Welcome to Cooking With Anadi. This platform is all about making cooking exciting and finding new ways to bring classic flavours and recipes at your service. Join me in my personal journey in the world of cooking. Hope you have a great ride!
