This Curry Rice is going to blow you away! Not only is it packed to the brim with flavor and texture, but it’s also the easiest rice to make! Throw everything (uncooked rice included) into a casserole dish and bake to fluffy perfection — no mushy rice here!
Plus, we’re sharing plenty of ideas for how to make this side dish into a main course meal.
Curry Rice Recipe
We couldn’t love this Indian Curry Rice more — not only is it ridiculously tasty and packed to the brim with flavor, but it’s also so easy to make! And we haven’t even started talking about the smells that will be wafting throughout your home. Hint: they’re unreal.
And while I understand the skepticism — baking uncooked rice with a myriad of spices — what, are you sure?! Yes. It really works and I promise it is going to change the way you prepare rice! No stovetop, no babysitting, not a grain of mushy rice in sight. Instead, you’ll get perfectly fluffy grains of rice that are infused with a ridiculous amount of flavor. Every. Single. Time.
Curry Rice Ingredients
We’ll highlight a few of the important ingredients for this dish below:
- Basmati rice. This is non-negotiable in this recipe! We tested with all different kinds of rice and basmati rice was the only one to deliver the results we want. If you don’t have this particular variety of rice I wouldn’t recommend making this recipe– it won’t work out very well. Truth!
- Chicken stock. A high-quality, flavorful stock adds loads of flavor and allows us to cut down on spices or other additions. We highly recommend Swanson’s® chicken stock in this recipe.
- Carrots. Avoid packaged pre-shredded carrots; they are hard, dry, and far less flavorful. When you grate your own carrots you’ll notice how much more moisture the carrots have which is a must for the recipe to properly work. (We’re relying on that moisture for the rice to cook properly!) Grab large carrots, peel ’em, and grate them on the large holes of a grater.
Shortcuts
Making This Curry Rice Recipe EASY
A couple of shortcuts to ensure a quick and easy Curry Rice recipe prep:
- Quick garlic and ginger. We love Dorot® cubes. You can keep them handy in the freezer and pop them into this (and other) recipes when needed. (Check if your local store carries them; they’re typically found with frozen veggies in the grocery store.) Another option is to use refrigerated garlic paste and refrigerated minced garlic. And if you’re all about fresh, simply grate fresh ginger and garlic with a microplane right into the casserole dish — no need to sauté first.
- Frozen veggies. Instead of chopping veggies for this recipe, we use onion powder and frozen peas.
- Spice Mix. Not a shortcut per se, but when I make this recipe, I’ll typically make 5 or 6 more “packets” of the seasoning blend. Since all the spices are out and I’m measuring anyway, it takes just a few extra minutes. Measure out the spices, put them in labeled individual snack-size bags, and store those packets with your spices. Next time you’re craving the best Curry Rice – you’ll have all the spices ready to go.
[quicktip] Frozen veggies like peas thaw almost instantly when they’re added to a hot dish. So don’t bother to thaw them in advance. Just stir’em in and they’ll heat through quickly! [/quicktip]
How To Make Curry Rice
Here are our top tips for success in making this Curry Rice.
- Generously grease the baking dish. To keep rice from sticking to the pan, give it a really generous spray with cooking spray– and don’t leave out the butter!
- Don’t rush the process. The bake time is long on this dish, but it’s all a pretty hands-off process. Don’t try to rush it; you may end up with unevenly cooked or mushy rice.
- Rice needs to rest. Just like cooking rice in a pot on the stovetop, it needs time to stand and steam. This keeps it from getting mushy. This recipe is no different — allow time for the rice to rest and become fully tender. And, if you’re making Curry Chicken and Rice (more on this below), this is the perfect time to warm through the chicken.
Curry Rice FAQs
What is Curry Rice served with?
We love this dish best with a cooling cucumber sauce, naan, and a hot rotisserie chicken — delish!
How do I store Curry Rice?
We like to add all the leftovers to a big freezer bag and store it in the fridge — so easy to scoop out and serve during the week! Here are the best ways to reheat leftover rice.
What is curry sauce made of?
We use a blend of spices, ginger, and garlic to make the flavor base for this rice.
What Is Curry Served With?
(How To Make This Side Dish Into A Main Course Meal)
- Serve with protein: Additionally, our favorite accompaniment to this rice is a hot seasoned rotisserie chicken or grilled curry chicken straight off the grill—absolutely delicious! Furthermore, if you happen to have leftover chicken that’s not hot, simply place it on top of the rice as soon as it’s out of the oven. Then, cover the entire pan with foil; this will allow the chicken to heat through while the rice is resting!
- Other tasty options: salmon, shrimp, eggs (over easy — delish!), or a thinly sliced grilled flank steak. (Or make a Curry Fried Rice by adding in some scrambled eggs!)
- And add a sauce: We literally can’t make this rice without making a cooling cucumber sauce on the side (The recipe for this sauce is in the notes section of the recipe card.) — the two are a match made in heaven! Especially if you are hesitant about spice, the cucumber sauce cools the Curry Rice really well.
- Scoop with some bread. We love roti or naan served with this rice. No need to use a fork — use the bread to scoop up the rice, chicken, and cooling sauce into one delectable bite!
More Curry Recipes To Love
- Coconut Curry Chicken reader favorite recipe!
- Mango Chicken Curry with sweet honey mango chunks
- Chickpea Curry with veggies and an incredible curry sauce
- Yellow Chicken Curry with golden potatoes
- Curry Noodle Soup using ramen noodles!
Curry Rice
This Curry Rice is going to blow you away! Not only is it packed to the brim with flavor and texture, but it's also the easiest rice to make! Throw everything (uncooked rice included) into a casserole dish and bake to fluffy perfection -- no mushy rice here!
Equipment
- Ceramic 9x13-inch pan
- Nonstick cooking spray & foil
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice (Note 1)
- 2-1/2 cups chicken stock/broth (Note 2)
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder (Note 3)
- 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, ground coriander, onion powder, garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon each: paprika, chili powder
- Fine sea salt & pepper
- 2 teaspoons each: minced garlic, ginger paste (Note 4)
- 2 cups grated carrots (Note 5)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups frozen peas
- Optional, but recommended: 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds, 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, cooling cucumber sauce (Note 6)
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Very generously spray a glass or ceramic (not metal) 9x13-inch pan. Cut butter into 6 thin slices and set aside. Peel and then grate carrots on the large side of a grater.
- BAKE: Add the uncooked basmati rice to the pan, along with the grated carrots, all the seasonings, salt & pepper to taste (I add 1-1/4 tsp fine sea salt and 1/2 tsp pepper), minced garlic, ginger paste, and the chicken stock/broth. Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are incorporated and spread in one even layer, ensuring that the rice is covered in the liquid. Evenly top with the cut pieces of butter. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Then, remove the foil (save foil -- just set aside for now) and bake for 15 more minutes.
- REST: Remove from the oven. Don't stir the rice. Top with the foil again and let stand at room temperature to rest for 10 minutes. This is very important to avoid mushy rice!
- ENJOY: After 10 minutes, add frozen peas and gently fluff the rice as you mix the peas through. Add toasted almonds and finely chopped cilantro (if using); gently mix through. Taste and add additional salt/pepper if needed. Enjoy as-is or make it into the main course.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Rice: We tested this recipe with all different kinds of rice and the only one we found success with is basmati rice. Other grains of rice gave very inconsistent results -- ranging from very mushy to unevenly cooked (some hard grains/some mushy).
Note 2: Chicken stock: The stock is very important to flavor -- use a full-bodied (not low sodium) stock. We love Swanson® stock best.
Note 3: Curry powder: This is where you'll get some heat, so use a curry powder you know you enjoy and can handle the heat of (we use McCormick®). If you aren't sure, add less but know that you will be missing out on some flavor!
Note 4: Ginger and garlic: To keep things quick, use refrigerated minced garlic and refrigerated ginger paste. Or use fresh ginger and garlic; simply grate (with a microplane) ginger root and individual garlic cloves into the dish -- no other preparation is necessary.
Note 5: Carrots: This recipe uses about two medium-large carrots. Peel then grate on large holes of a grater. Avoid packaged pre-shredded carrots; they are hard, dry, and far less flavorful. When you grate your own carrots you’ll notice how much more moisture the carrots have which is a must for the recipe to properly work.
Note 6: Serving suggestions: We couldn't love this sauce more with this rice -- the two are the perfect pairing and a lot of the ingredients overlap from the rice to this sauce. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and is so good! (Plus, it provides a nice cooling element to some of the heat of this rice). Recipe follows.
Cooling cucumber sauce: Add the following ingredients to a medium-sized bowl: 1 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt (we love Greek Gods), 1 cup finely chopped English or Persian cucumber, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions, and 1/2 teaspoon each: cumin, coriander, and fine sea salt. Stir until combined and then refrigerate. Stir before adding to the cooked curry rice.
Note 7: Make this side dish into a main course: Serve with a cooked protein (we love a hot rotisserie chicken or over-easy/over-medium eggs), topped with lots of the cucumber cooling sauce and some naan.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 10561IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How would you go about adding a vegetarian protein such as beans?
I’d stir through white beans (drained & rinsed) with the peas at the end!
It worked! I was skeptical but this rice is fluffy and so flavourful!! We served it with curried shrimp. It’ll be on rotation for sure.
YUM! I am so happy you loved this! Thanks Erika!
As your dad, the rest of our family absolutely loved this dish and so did our daughter’s fiancé when he dropped by to see our daughter. A perfect combination. We left wanting more and looking forward to the next time.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Scott! 🙂