Yellow rice

A vibrant aromatic yellow rice recipe to compliment any meal. Fluffy basmati rice tossed up with warm spices and toasted nuts for a special optional nutty crunch. Great for meal prep.

Next time try this quick instant pot Basmati rice.

Rice is an essential side dish in the Middle East, we have so many Middle Eastern rice recipes from simple like this Lebanese rice to a more festive like this rice pilaf with nuts and dried fruits.

Yellow rice was never a thing that my kids liked nor was it the normal rice side dish in Egypt. But let me tell you one thing, this amazingly yellow and pretty tasty rice has turned my kids into yellow rice lovers.

Jump to:

• ❓Why This Recipe Works
• 📝 Ingredients
• 🥄 Instructions
• 💡 Tips
• 🍽️ Serve With
• 🧺 Storage
• 💬 FAQs
• 📣 Related Recipes
• Yellow rice

❓Why This Recipe Works

• It is made with very humble ingredients.
• So aromatic with an appealing yellow hue from the turmeric.
• An easy delicious change from your plain ol’ rice.

A lovely glowing rice dish, full of delicious flavors and beautiful color, plus it would look great alongside anything you'd care to serve with it. This also works great with any leftovers especially in holidays. Think turkey, steak, chicken or may be even green beans and Brussel sprouts. Use avocado oil or coconut oil instead of ghee for a complete vegan side dish.

📝 Ingredients

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Rice: Basmati rice is the best for this recipe but of course you can use other varieties as well. Jasmine, long grain, medium grain are all good to use. Short grain will work as well but might be a little sticky.
• Fat: I use oil for the boiling stage of this recipe then I like to use ghee for the rest of the recipe as it lends a very desirable and authentic flavor. You can choose to use oil instead especially for a vegan recipe.
• Onion: some people use garlic as well. This works as a base for the flavors that we are going to build upon.
• Turmeric: basic ingredient to give that glowing yellow color and it lends a nice flavor as well. Some people use saffron too but I chose not to here because I know it is a very expensive spice and it can be left out.
• Yellow rice seasoning: we use turmeric, black pepper and salt as the main flavor and color ingredients. But I have to say, adding the other spices is pretty much a must for me at least try to add the cardamom. I use a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, coriander and cardamom. Some people take it the extra mile and use cumin, fennel and sometimes oregano.
• Water or broth: this rice is cooked in two stages. First the rice is cooked in rapidly boiling water on high then water is drained. Second stage is simmering the rice with cooked onion and a little bit of extra water. If you like broth more, I suggest replacing the water in the second stage with chicken broth, chicken stock or the broth you like and watch out for salt.
• Salt: just a note that I am trying to replace white salt with pink one in my home so I've added a teaspoon of the pink salt. Adjust to your liking and to the kind of salt you are using at your home.

🥄 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.

• Soak Basmati rice according to your package with just enough tap water and a pinch of salt. Drain and set aside.
• In a deep pot bring one and a half liter (about 6 cups of water) to a rapid boil on medium heat.
• Add oil, turmeric along with all the spices that you are using except for the salt.
• Add rice and let it go back up and boil again until it is almost done. This takes about 5-6 minutes total.

• Drain rice and do not leave it there too much until it loses its moistness.
• In the same pot add ghee or the fat you are using and saute onion for a couple of minutes until it gets pale yellow.
• Add rice back with the 1/4 cup of boiled water and salt, lightly mix.
• Now be very cautious with this step please: cover your pot with a paper kitchen towel, then put the lid on. Now to decrease any fire hazard, either left the corners of the towel up or do as I did by cutting the corners with a scissor. Yet, do not leave the pot unattended. You can also use a clean kitchen towel and tie its ends up over the lid. Leave it to finish cooking for 15 minutes, then fluff and serve.

💡 Tips

• Washing and soaking Basmati rice is essential for this method of cooking.
• Soaking time differs between brands so read the label first, if not sure then soak for 10 minutes.
• Some like adding a minced garlic clove to the onion so you might try that as well.
• Use any or a combination or all of the spices above it all adds up to an authentic flavorful rice but if you do not have any of the spice you will still have a tasty fragrant rice.
• Other spices used may contain cumin, oreganoو a couple strands of saffron and fennel seeds.

🍽️ Serve With

This kind of rice pairs well with so many meals like these lamb kofta, kabobs, chicken kabobs, shish tawook or roasted vegetables.

🧺 Storage

• Cooled leftover can be put in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Please note that frozen rice tend to break a bit but it will not affect the taste.
• To reheat: place rice in a pot with a couple of tablespoons of water and reheat thoroughly on low heat.

💬 FAQs

📣 Related Recipes

Rice does not have to be boring, step up your rice a couple of notches with these recipes:

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First published on Nov 8 2019, updated on Dec 2, 2021 for better user experience and clear instructions.

I have to admit, I actually grew up to the everyday Lebanese style white rice. My mom came to know flavored rice dishes like Kabsa when dad worked in Saudi Arabia. We met friends from all over the planet there and we were exposed to other cultures and dishes that we so much appreciated.

Yellow rice on the other hand was a recipe we knew from some Syrian friends there. My mom perfected the recipe and she has always made it with chicken and peas.
Until a couple of years ago, my kids only liked the Lebanese style rice. Whenever I made other rice types, they would not touch it especially my oldest.

We've discovered a Syrian restaurant near my mom in Egypt who made the most delicious Shawarma dish I've ever had with of course yellow rice. So starting from there I added yellow rice little by little to our dinners until they are now very happy to see it.

I have to say that my kids do not like to bite into cooked onions although they are crazy about raw onions!!. So they key for them to accept this type of rice is to finely dice the onion so it will not show up and blend with the rice completely.