Yellow Rice

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Author: Imma Published:8/28/2018Updated:5/09/2021

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Yellow Rice – Two quick and simple yet super delicious rice dishes, Indian and South African styles seasoned mainly with turmeric, ginger and curry powder for a taste bud sensation. A great accompaniment for kinds of curries, seafood and other meat dishes.

Not too long ago I shared with you a recipe for brown spinach green rice. Since then, it has become my go-to rice recipe and to put it mildly – the whole family is obsessed with it.

One of my resolutions this year was to not get into a cooking rut. So I have decided to switch things up a little bit and make another kind of rice. My heart was ultimately set on Cape Malay version of yellow rice.

What is yellow rice?

Yellow Rice is a popular traditional yellow-colored rice dish in cuisines like Spanish, Caribbean, Indian and South African, among others. It is usually made by mixing white rice with saffron or turmeric to give off a yellow color. Turmeric is a love or hate spice – you either hate it or love it. It has a peppery, warm and somewhat bitter flavor with a light fragrance.

So I started out wanting to make a traditional south African dish and then ended up with a Cuban/Indian style yellow rice (as seen above).

Then I decided to take my behind back to the kitchen and make what I had set out to make, because sometimes I shy away from using certain ingredients in a recipe. In this case, it was adding raisins and sugar to a savory rice side dish. After making it, I kinda liked it!

The turmeric, curry and ginger, mellows out the sugar and you are left with a simple, flavorful and aromatic side dish. Try both recipes of yellow rice and you decide which one you prefer.

Is yellow rice bad for you?

Most of those yellow rice boxes and packages that you can buy from the grocery stores are heavily loaded with chemicals, additives and MSG. So technically, that type of yellow rice is bad for you when you over indulge.

These yellow rice dishes here are made from scratch, which is waaay better than the boxed ones. And if you want to make it healthier for you, you can replace white rice with brown rice. You can also use low sodium broth to reduce the amount of salt. Aaaaand hey, adding some peas into this dish makes it healthy-ish, right? 😉

When cooking with spices I like to start by sautéing the spices so they can bloom. It really makes the dish taste a lot better.

However, if you don’t want to lift a finger and do any extra work, the super duper easy way to make this rice is just throwing everything in a pot, bring to a bowl and let it simmer for about 18 minutes (a rice cooker works fine too). If you like plump raisins soak them in warm water first for about an hour before cooking. Serve it with your favorite protein or with this other South African favorite bobotie.

Enjoy!!

Watch How to Make It

Nutrition Facts

Yellow Rice

Amount Per Serving

Calories 438 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 15mg5%

Sodium 943mg41%

Potassium 277mg8%

Carbohydrates 83g28%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 805IU16%

Vitamin C 17.3mg21%

Calcium 52mg5%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

How to Make Yellow Rice

Indian Style Yellow Rice. Heat a saucepan with oil, then add onions, garlic, ginger , paprika, curry pepper, cayenne pepper, and white pepper sauté for about a minute.

Stir in rice to the pan, about 2 minutes, then add 4 cups of stock/water, bring to a boil reduce heat, and simmer until rice is almost cooked- about 10-12 minutes into cooking. Then throw in the peas, cover and continue cooking, for a few more minutes until rice is completely cooked.

You may add more stock if needed. Fluffy and serve.

South African Yellow Rice. Heat a saucepan with oil/ butter. Then add, ginger, turmeric, curry, and brown sugar. Sauté for about a minute. Stir in rice to the pan, about 2 minutes.

Then add 4 cups of stock/water and raisins bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, and simmer until rice is completely cooked – about 18- 20 minutes.

As the rice cooks you may add more stock if needed. Fluffy and serve.