Are you one of those people that think white rice is super boring and without any nutritional value what so ever? Well, let me introduce you to this Spiced Turmeric Rice.
This gorgeous yellow rice boasts the star ingredient, turmeric, while the other spices of ginger, cardamom, and clove play their supporting roles deliciously well.
Sound fancy? It may look and sound fancy but, rest assured, this quick and healthy recipe takes minutes to put together and less than 30 minutes to cook all while adding a bit of elegance to your meal. A simply prepared halibut will look stunning on a bed of this spiced turmeric rice.
Not a fan of cooking fish? Then you should try a grilled pork chop with a cilantro-parsley sauce. The flavors of the rice and the cilantro-parsley sauce blend well and the colors make your plate pop with so much color. We eat with our eyes first, remember, so you will be hankering to take that first bite.
So, what inspired the yellow rice? Glad you asked. I am a bit of a rice fan, which you can read more about in my Coconut and Lemongrass Rice with Mushrooms blog, and I love putting my own little twist on plain ole white rice.
Since the kitchen is one of the few places I naturally feel creative, I enjoy playing around with ingredients. And that is exactly what happened with this rice dish. We had returned from an amazing two weeks of cruising in the Caribbean and I wanted to recreate a tea that our assistant waiter made us. He was from Mumbai and made us a tea loaded with spices that he said his mom always made him when he wasn’t feeling well. My mother-in-law had a sore throat so out he popped with this spicy, fragrant, soothing, herbal tea.
As I was gathering the ingredients for the tea from my spice cupboard, I was also prepping dinner that happened to include white rice. Hmm, would the spice blend also work well in rice? I was determined and intrigued. Less than 30 minutes later, one bite after another, I had my satisfying answer. Absolutely, yes!
Even though I made my rice using white rice, I think this dish would also work beautifully with brown rice or even a wild rice. If you are a ginger love like me, then you could up the ginger a bit as well. My husband is crazy about it so I try not to push it. Also, if you and your family tolerate heat, then some red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne would surely warm up this golden Spiced Turmeric Rice.
Although I usually jump right to my Instant Pot, I opted for the stovetop for this dish. I added some additional instruction in the notes section of the recipe in case you want to use the Instant Pot or a rice cooker.
Please let me know how your Spiced Turmeric Rice turns out by leaving a comment below and rating the recipe. Enjoy!
Spiced Turmeric Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 3 cups water or broth
- 2 tsp. turmeric
- 2 star anise
- ½ tsp. grated ginger
- ¼ tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. ground clove
- 1-2 tbsp. coconut oil
- Lime juice
- Salt
Instructions
- Add rice to medium sized pot along with water, turmeric, start anise, ginger, cardamom, and clove.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce to low simmer and cover with lid.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and continue to keep covered for additional 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove lid. Using a fork, gently fluff rice. Add in 1-2 tbsp. coconut oil. Season to taste using the salt and lime juice.
Notes
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Yum! I am going to make this for Adam. He is a big tumeric fan!
He has great taste! Turmeric is a staple in our kitchen and I love the flavor it lends to food and tea. Let me know what he thinks when you make it. Btw, if you are avoiding rice but eating quinoa, this recipe would probably work for it as well.
How would this be to use coconut milk as liquid?
Elaine, I have not made this specific recipe using coconut milk, but I do make several other rice recipes using coconut milk and it usually works well. For the other recipes are usually use a one to one ratio of coconut milk for water. If the recipe calls for 2 cups water I usually use 2 cups of coconut milk and there seems to be enough liquid. If while you’re making the rice it seems a little bit dry, use additional coconut milk or additional water to moisten it up. The coconut milk should add a nice amount of flavor and healthy fats to the recipe as well. I might just have to try that sometime soon as well. Hope that helps. Enjoy!