This incredible turmeric rice recipe is packed with aromatic spices and can be prepared in no time using a rice cooker. Serve this vibrant yellow rice as a side dish with your favorite Indian-style curry for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner.
When it comes to simplicity, this recipe might seem too basic to be worth sharing. But trust me, it’s a dish that I love and make frequently, so I wanted to give you all the details.
Although inspired by Indian cuisine, this recipe doesn’t strive for authenticity. Instead, it takes the essence of Indian flavors and makes them accessible and approachable.
One of my go-to cheat meals is an Indian-style curry made with a store-bought curry paste, such as butter chicken or tikka masala. To elevate this meal, I always prepare a fragrant golden rice to accompany it. With the help of my rice cooker, making this yellow rice is just as easy as cooking regular rice, but it adds so much more flavor and color to the plate, making it one of my favorite home-cooked meals.
This recipe has become a staple in my life. Previously, I would often make golden saffron rice for Indian feasts. However, having the recipe written on a loose scrap of paper that I kept losing became inconvenient. Not to mention that saffron can be quite expensive. So, I needed an alternative—something quick and effortless. And that’s where this turmeric rice recipe came into play.
I simply grabbed my rice cooker and raided my spice rack for the ingredients I had on hand—chicken stock, garlic and onion powder, and, of course, turmeric. Turmeric is a spice I absolutely adore. It adds life and richness to so many dishes. In this recipe, I’m quite generous with the amount of turmeric I use. I’ve grown to love its flavor and have learned to embrace bolder spices. In Western cooking, we tend to use spices sparingly, but trust me, these robust flavors are truly delightful and make food much more interesting.
I encourage you to follow the recipe as written, but if you prefer a milder turmeric flavor, you can reduce the quantity to a teaspoon.
Ingredients for this turmeric rice
This simple side dish recipe requires only six ingredients, four of which are spices that you might already have in your pantry. If not, these spices are versatile and will surely come in handy for future recipes as well. Cooking with turmeric opens up a world of possibilities, and if you need more ideas, scroll to the bottom of this post for a list of recipes you can make with turmeric.
- Rice: I prefer using standard long-grain white rice, but basmati rice works great too.
- Garlic powder: Enjoy all the flavors of garlic without the hassle of peeling, chopping, and cooking it.
- Onion powder: Similar to garlic powder, it adds onion flavor without the need for diced onions. Kids will love this rice even if they don’t like visible onion pieces.
- Turmeric: This is the star ingredient. I use a generous amount of ground turmeric powder to flavor the rice and give it that stunning yellow color.
- Salt: Season to taste. If your chicken stock is not salt-reduced, you may need to reduce the amount of salt added.
- Chicken stock: I recommend using salt-reduced chicken stock to have more control over the overall saltiness. However, feel free to substitute with vegetable stock to make this dish vegetarian-friendly.
How to make this turmeric rice
This recipe couldn’t be easier. You’ll need a rice cooker or something similar, like a pressure cooker with a rice function. I’ll provide instructions specifically for a standard rice cooker, but if you’re comfortable cooking rice on the stovetop and don’t have a rice cooker, feel free to adapt accordingly.
Start by rinsing the rice. I must confess, I sometimes skip this step when I’m in a hurry. However, if you do rinse the rice until the water runs clear, it will result in fluffier rice and a better overall dish.
Once you’ve rinsed the rice, simply add all the ingredients to the rice cooker bowl, give it a quick mix, cover with the lid, and cook according to your rice cooker’s instructions.
My rice cooker is nothing fancy. I bought it for a mere $12 at Kmart close to 10 years ago, thinking I would upgrade to a more expensive one once this one broke. Surprisingly, it’s still going strong, and I love its compact size, which makes storage a breeze. I use it multiple times a week to cook dinner!
Recipe FAQs
More turmeric recipes
- Golden Turmeric Sweet Potato Soup
- Turmeric Fried Rice
- Vegan Spiced Chickpea + Veggie Bowls
For more amazing turmeric recipes, visit Ekilove.
