Yellow Rice
Here are not one but two quick, simple, and super delicious yellow rice dishes, one Indian and the other South African. Warm, earthy, and savory notes make it the perfect companion to curries, chicken, seafood, and meat.
So, I don’t usually do double recipes, but this one called for it. I started out wanting to make a traditional South African dish and somehow ended up with Indian-style yellow rice instead. It was delicious.
Then, I took my behind back to the kitchen to make what I planned 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 dish. After making it, I kinda liked it! In any case, both recipes are definitely worth sharing.
What Makes the Rice Yellow
Yellow rice is traditional in Spanish, Caribbean, Indian, and South African cuisines. What makes it different? Natural yellow colorants, saffron, turmeric, and annatto, give white rice a gorgeous and appetizing color and distinctive aroma. Some use artificial coloring, but that’s not why we make it at home.
How to Make Yellow Rice
Indian Style
Bloom the seasonings, add the rice, and add the liquid. Simmer, then add the peas, heat through, fluff, and enjoy.
South African Style
Bloom the seasonings and caramelize the sugar, add the rice, stir well, then add the broth and raisins. Simmer, fluff, and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
- Throw all the ingredients into a rice cooker, turn it on, and forget it until the bell goes off.
- Feel free to add diced carrots, green beans, and bell peppers for more plants. Or add shredded rotisserie chicken for a one-pot meal!
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
You can make this recipe a day or two in advance and reheat it before serving. Keep the rice in an airtight container in the fridge. Then, when you’re ready to serve it, add 2 tablespoons of water per cup of rice before reheating to keep the rice from drying out. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave on low heat until warm.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months. Heat it either in the microwave or on the stovetop with a little broth or water to keep moist.
What Goes with Yellow Rice
Try the South African yellow rice with baked plantains and another South African dish that I absolutely love: bobotie. You’ll thank me later.
If you prefer Indian-style yellow rice, try it with curry fish or chickpea curry. And of course, don’t forget the flatbread.
More Awesome Rice Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Yellow Rice
Ingredients
Indian Yellow Rice
- 2-3 tablespoons (28-45ml) cooking oil (or butter)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons (5g) minced garlic (about 1 clove)
- 1 teaspoon (8-9g) minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon (8-9g) smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon (2g) curry powder
- ½ teaspoon (4g) white pepper
- 1-1½ teaspoon (8-12g) turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon (4g) cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1½ teaspoon (12g) salt (adjust to taste)
- ½-1 teaspoon (4-7g) black pepper (or to taste)
- 2 cups (400g) white rice
- 4 cups (945ml) chicken stock (or water)
- 1 cup (140g) green peas, defrosted (or more)
South African Yellow Rice
- 2-3 tablespoons (28-45ml) cooking oil (or butter)
- 1-2 tablespoons (12.5-25g) brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoon (12g) turmeric
- ½ teaspoon (4g) ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon (2g) curry powder (optional)
- 2 cups (400g) white rice
- 4 cups (945ml) chicken stock (or water)
- ½ cup (80g) raisins
- 1½ teaspoon (12g) salt (adjust to taste)
Instructions
Indian Style Yellow Rice
- Heat the oil or butter in a saucepan. Then add onions, garlic, ginger, paprika, curry powder, white pepper, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and black pepper, and sauté for about a minute to bloom the spices.
- Pour the rice into the pan and stir for about 2 minutes.
- Add 4 cups of stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the rice is almost cooked.
- Then, about 10-12 minutes into cooking, throw in the peas, cover, and continue cooking for a few more minutes until the rice is completely cooked.
- Fluff with a fork, transfer the rice to a bowl, and serve.
South African Style Yellow Rice
- Heat the oil or butter in a saucepan. Add brown sugar, ginger, turmeric, and curry powder, then sauté for about a minute.
- Pour the rice into the pan and stir for about 2 minutes to coat well with the spiced oil.
- Add 4 cups of stock or water, raisins, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
- Simmer until the rice is completely cooked (18-20 minutes, depending on how much liquid was added).
- Fluff with a fork, transfer the rice to a bowl, and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- If the rice starts looking dry before it has cooked, you can add more hot chicken stock or rice. Add it a little at a time to avoid overdoing it.
- If you like plumper raisins, soak them in warm water for about an hour before cooking.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Do you think you could use dry split peas? Adding them in with the broth.
Hi Christina. Split peas take much longer to cook than rice. So I would soak them overnight, then cook them before making the rice. Dry split peas can take up to 2 hours to cook tender, and soaked usually takes 40 minutes. Then you can add the cooked split peas at the same time you would the fresh or frozen peas. Please let me know how it goes if you try it.
yummy, I love the recipe. We appreciate
Thank you, Palesa. That makes my day!!
Fantastic writing with engaging arguments– thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Yessenia!
Making the South African version of yellow rice tonight – actually guessed the quantities of spices etc due to not scrolling down far enough to find the exact recipe
Serving it with Bobotie and tomato and green bean vegetarian bredie for South African friends.
Fingers crossed I got it right
What a spread! Sounds like quite the feast! Do let me know how it turned out :).
Hi Imma! I just have two quick questions!
(1) Do you wash the rice before cooking?
(2) Is the ginger in the South African style powdered or fresh? (The Indian style specifies minced ).
Can’t wait to try both! Thanks so much!
Hi Margo,
Yes, I recommend washing the rice before cooking. Rinsing the rice removes excess starch, which can make the rice gummy or sticky during cooking. Just rinse it under cold water until the water runs clear.
In the South African style of this Indian yellow rice, you can use either fresh or powdered ginger, depending on your preference and what you have on hand. Fresh ginger will give a more vibrant, zesty flavor, while powdered ginger is more subtle.
I hope this clears up any questions you have. Can’t wait for you to try both styles of the Indian yellow rice!
Enjoy your cooking!
Shoot, I can’t see when you put in the brown sugar! I should have read this before I started making it.
It is at the beginning when you add all the spices. Let me know how it goes for you 🙂
What a tasty recipe. I loved the Indian style and cannot wait to make the South African. I paired it with sauteed zucchini and mushrooms. Yum!
Glad you try it and like it. Thank you so much for your love and support:)
Hello and Happy Wednesday,
What type of rice did you use in your recipes? Also is it okay to use short grain rice? Thank you in advance for your time and have a great day.
My favorite rice for this recipe is basmati. But you can use long, medium, or short grain rice. The only kind I don’t recommend is the sweet or sticky rice they use for sushi and certain Asian dishes. Not sure about arborio rice, either, but I may it that someday. Please let me know how it turns out.
Great recipes, so glad to have two ways to make it great.
I know right. It helps when you don’t know what you have at your fingertips. Thanks for trying it out
A spin on the kind of thing I already do, but some interesting variations which I’ll adopt. Liked the idea of raisins, and think I’ll go for green sultanas which my local south Asian supermarkets stock…and always had me wondering how I could use them.
Thanks. That sounds great. Please let me know how it turns out.
The South African yellow rice was so delicious. Went perfectly with your Bobotie recipe. I covered the rice after reducing to a simmer for 20min and then took it off the heat, let it rest for 10min, and then fluffed it up…it was perfectly cooked and flavorful. Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re welcome, Jenny. And thank you for taking the time to comment. Now I’m thinking of making Bobotie and this one over the weekend.
I just made the South African Yellow rice to serve with Bobotie. It was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend it.
Hi Lucy, Thank you for sharing your experience. Try some other recipes from the blog, I am sure you will love them. Much Love
My dad is Chinese and he’s almost 80 years, he has been eating MSG his whole life and his father died at 90 also ate a lot of MSG, I don’t understand what y’all think MSG is stop telling people that MSG is bad, it’s not!!!
Thanks for sharing this, Mr Wang. However, many people are highly allergic to MSG, and I don’t like making my guests sick.
I’m going to try making the Indian style rice. I have a question though, I have all the ingredients already except the ginger. I do have ginger powder. Would that work instead of the fresh ginger? And if so, how much ginger powder would be needed? I know sometimes quantities change if you’re using fresh vs. dried spices/herbs.
Hi Sarah! Ground/powdered ginger can be more strong in flavor than the fresh one, you can start with 1/4 tsp of powdered ginger and then adjust from there depending on taste. Enjoy!
Hi there. If I double the Indian Rice recipe…do I double all the spices (curry, cayenne…etc?)
Thank you, love your site.
Yes, you can double the spices as well. Thanks for stopping by and happy cooking.
I liked the recipe and I am happy that I can control of salt. Thanks
I’m glad you liked it, Cynthia. Thank you!
Wanted to try something different, finding this recipe has not disappointed me,y family loves it,I did the Indian version, yummy
Awesome! So glad it was a hit with your family, Kesha! Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve always liked rice but this is over the top. I made the India style , mixed in a can of black beans at the end and served with a grilled fish on top. Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to try more from your site.
Oh Wow. That sounds delicious! Glad it was a hit for you, Brian 🙂 !
You don’t say when to add the turmeric to the Indian rice.
Hi Nunu,
It’s listed in the instructions, right after adding curry powder.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. This recipe its very helpful to us. Now my mother has been using this recipe to make this food. I’m waiting for the next recipe. Thanks You