Level up your dinner with this Mediterranean Yellow Rice Recipe. It's easy to make, incredibly flavorful and pairs beautifully with grilled meats, roasted vegetables, or even a simple fresh salad. It gets its gorgeous golden color from ground turmeric.
This fragrant rice is the perfect base for stews, curries and other hearty mains. Pair it with my kofta kebabs, chicken shish tawook or Greek chicken souvlaki.
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Ingredients
This is a pretty straightforward recipe that uses basic ingredients. The key here is the turmeric powder. It’s a must in this recipe. Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious Mediterranean yellow rice:
- Rice: Basmati rice all the way! It’s what I am familiar with, it’s what I grew up eating, it’s delicious and relatively easy to cook. It’s the best choice for this dish due to its light and fluffy texture. You can use jasmine rice or long grain white rice as an alternative. Try my Hashweh (spiced rice with ground beef) too!
- Spices: For that distinctive vibrant yellow color, you will need ground turmeric powder. Turmeric used to be challenging to find but not anymore. You can find it at any grocery store (in the spice aisle). I also like to add some ground cumin and ground coriander for added flavor along with the earthy turmeric. I encourage you to also try my Saffron Rice recipe too.
- Liquid. My preference is to cook this rice with vegetable broth or chicken stock. I will typically use packaged low sodium broth, but you can totally make your own broth as well (follow my Middle Eastern style chicken broth recipe).
- Nuts. It wouldn’t be an Eastern Mediterranean rice recipe without the addition of toasted nuts! You’ll find that many Levantine and Middle Eastern dishes are garnished with toasted pine nuts or toasted almond slivers for an added delightful crunch, just like with my Maqluba (upside down chicken and rice) and Qidreh (spiced rice and lamb). You can totally skip this by the way. You do you!
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Yellow Rice
A pretty straightforward and easy side dish recipe. I recommend you read through all the steps here to get familiar with the process.
Step 1. Rinse the Rice. Start by rinsing the basmati rice under cold water until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and helps prevent the rice from becoming sticky. Let it drain in a sieve set over a bowl.
Step 2. Sauté the Aromatics. In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion, minced garlic, turmeric, cumin, coriander and salt. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. If the bottom of the pot starts to brown too quickly, turn down the heat.
Step 3. Add the Rice. Stir the rinsed and drained rice into the pot, coating it with the aromatic mixture.
Step 4. Add the Broth. Pour in the chicken broth. Give the pot a good stir.
Step 5. Boil and Simmer. Bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, and let it simmer and steam for 20 minutes. Avoid opening the lid to trap the steam inside.
Step 6. Fluff and Serve. Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Then, fluff the rice with a fork and serve immediately. You can serve the cooked rice directly in the pot or transfer it to a serving platter. Garnish with chopped parsley and toasted nuts.
Expert Tips
- Use the right long-grain rice. Basmati is ideal (and my personal preference) due to its light and fluffy texture. It’s why I use it in my other rice recipes such as Lebanese vermicelli rice and Middle Eastern Saffron rice. If using another variety, adjust the water ratio and cooking time accordingly. The package should have water-to-rice ratio guidelines.
- Rinse the rice well. Skipping this step can result in gummy or sticky rice. Washing away any extra starch will give you a fluffier finished dish.
- Bulk it up. Some variations of Yellow Rice include the addition of peas, carrots, or even corn. If you want to boost this recipe with more vegetables, adding a cup of frozen vegetable medley to the pot is a great way to do that.
- Don’t stir while cooking. Stirring can break the grains and make the rice mushy. Once you cover the pot, set a timer and walk away! Let it cook undisturbed. Trust the process!
- Let It rest. Allowing the rice to sit for a few minutes after cooking helps redistribute moisture and results in a fluffier texture.
Perfect Pairings
You will find a large selection of main dishes on my website that will work well with this rice. It’s also a great recipe to make if you are bored with plain rice and want to serve your family or guests something different.
It works as an excellent side or base with many of my Levantine recipes such as Pulled Lamb, Za’atar Chicken Thighs, Sayadieh (fried fish), Beef Kofta, Chicken Kafta, Chicken Shish Tawook and Chicken Shawarma.
It also works well with many of my other Mediterranean cuisine mains like Chicken Souvlaki Skewers, Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes, Harissa Honey Chicken, Harissa Chicken skewers and Kebab Koobideh (Persian Beef Kebab).
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- If the rice is too wet once it’s finished, leave the lid off for 5-10 minutes and let it steam.
- If the rice is undercooked, add a splash of water (hot), cover, and let it cook for another few minutes.
The key here is to use the kind of rice you are comfortable with. If you have cooked with basmati before and you know the water ratio that works for you, stick to it.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can prepare the rice ahead of time, let it cool completely in the pot and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it on the stovetop with a splash of broth or water to bring back its moisture.
Leftover rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Absolutely. Let the rice cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container or bag. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and warm it in a skillet or microwave with a little broth or water.
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Recipe Card
Mediterranean Yellow Rice Recipe (with Turmeric)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Long-grain Basmati rice - See note
- 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1-2 Garlic cloves (finely minced)
- 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2¼ cups Chicken or vegetable broth
- Chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse the Rice. Start by rinsing 1½ cups Long-grain Basmati rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and helps prevent the rice from becoming sticky. Let it drain over a bowl.
- Sauté the Aromatics. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 Medium onion (finely chopped), 1-2 Garlic cloves (finely minced), 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric, ½ teaspoon Ground cumin, ½ teaspoon Ground coriander and ½ teaspoon Kosher salt. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. If the bottom of the pan starts to brown too quickly, turn down the heat.
- Add the Rice. Stir the rinsed and drained rice into the saucepan, coating it with the aromatic mixture.
- Add the Broth. Pour in 2¼ cups Chicken or vegetable broth. Give the saucepan a good stir.
- Boil and Simmer. Bring the saucepan to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and let it simmer and steam for 20 minutes. Avoid opening the lid to trap the steam inside.
- Fluff and Serve. Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Then, fluff the rice with a fork and serve immediately. You can serve the cooked rice directly in the saucepan or transfer it to a serving platter. Garnish with chopped parsley and toasted nuts.
Notes
- Rice: Basmati rice all the way! It’s the best choice for this dish due to its fluffy texture. You can use jasmine rice or long grain white rice as an alternative.
- Spices: For that distinctive vibrant yellow color, you will need ground turmeric powder. I also like to add some ground cumin and ground coriander for added flavor along with the earthy turmeric.
- Liquid. My preference is to cook this rice with vegetable broth or chicken stock. I will typically use packaged low sodium broth, but you can totally make your own broth as well.
- Nuts. It wouldn’t be an Eastern Mediterranean rice recipe without the addition of toasted nuts! You can totally skip this by the way.
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