Yellow Rice

5 from 1 vote

Yellow Rice is a flavorful, aromatic dish bursting with sweetness from raisins and corn, richness from butter and chicken stock, and savory spices from curry powder and turmeric. Every bite is an explosion of flavor!

Prep Time15

Cook Time55

Resting Time10

Total Time1 20

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: Healthy, Vegetarian

Keyword: yellow rice

Servings: as a side

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $4.72

Equipment

9 x 13-inch ceramic baking pan

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1-1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice see note 1
1-1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon yellow curry powder see note 2
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf optional
2 teaspoons minced garlic see note 3
2 teaspoons ginger paste see note 3
1/3 cup raisins or currants or golden raisins
2-3/4 cups chicken stock or broth, see note 4
Salt and pepper
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups frozen corn

US - Metric

Instructions

See note 5 for suggestions on how to make this side dish into a main course! Preheat oven to 400℉. Generously spray a ceramic or glass (not metal) 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Cut butter into 8 slices (1 tablespoon each) and set aside.
Add everything except butter and corn into the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1-1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are incorporated and spread in one even layer, making sure rice is covered by the liquid. Evenly top with cut pieces of butter. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Then, remove foil (save foil—just set aside for now) and bake 15 more minutes.
Remove from oven. Don’t stir the rice. Top with the foil again and let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. This is important to avoid mushy rice!
After 10 minutes, remove bay leaf and add frozen corn. Gently mix everything together and lightly fluff rice with a fork. Taste and add more salt/pepper if needed. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Note 1: I tested this recipe with several kinds of rice, and the only successful one is basmati rice. Other varieties of rice gave inconsistent results—ranging from very mushy to unevenly cooked.

Note 2: Use a curry powder you know and enjoy, with a level of heat you can tolerate (I use McCormick®, which is very mild). If you aren’t sure, add less, but know that you will be missing out on some flavor!

Note 3: To keep things quick, use refrigerated minced garlic and refrigerated ginger paste. Or use fresh ginger and garlic; simply grate (with a fine grater) ginger root and individual garlic cloves into the dish—no other preparation is necessary.

Note 4: Chicken stock is very important to the flavor—use a full-bodied (not low sodium) stock. I love Swanson® stock best.

Note 5: To make this side dish into a main course, serve with a cooked protein (I love a hot rotisserie chicken or seasoned grilled chicken), topped with some full-fat Greek yogurt (or a cooling yogurt sauce, ripe diced avocado, or goat cheese) and thinly sliced cucumbers. See the blog post for more ideas!

Storage: You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5–7 days. To freeze, I like to portion leftovers 2 cups at a time and store them in individual freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months, thawing bags of rice overnight in the fridge.

Nutrition