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Turmeric Rice In Rice Cooker

Turmeric Rice is fragrant and delicious. Just sauté shallots and add them to the rice cooker along with chicken broth, turmeric powder, and salt. It's a fun way to make lunch or dinner a little extra special.

Turmeric Rice, ready to eat ^_^

You know how much we love our rice cooker (and rice cooker recipes) at Onolicious ^_^

The rice cooker is the most important appliance in our kitchen. My family had a rice cooker growing up. I got a mini rice cooker when I went off to college. Then a more "professional" rice cooker when I moved into my first apartment. Then another rice cooker when we got married. I couldn't imagine life without a rice cooker!

80% of the time we use the rice cooker to make *just* rice. Plain rice, the starch that is at the dinner table every evening.

The other 20% of the time? We use the rice cooker to make entire meals. We layer meats and seafood and all sorts of savory treats into the rice pot. Press the cook button. Sit back and wait. Ta-dah! An entire meal made in the rice cooker.

Sometimes we use the rice cooker to make a fancier rice. What's fancier rice? It's rice that's not a complete meal on its own, but is a little more exciting than plain rice. Turmeric Rice is an example of this!

This turmeric rice in rice cooker is more than plain rice, but not a full meal (unless you put a Pocket Egg on top). We hope you enjoy it.

Why This Recipe Works

This, like all our Rice Cooker Recipes, is simple and delicious.

Sauté shallots until they're well browned and crisp. Mix chicken broth with turmeric and salt.

Layer everything in the rice cooker. Rice on the bottom, followed by the shallots, and the liquid poured on top.

Press the cook button on the rice cooker and wait. Fluff and mix and eat!

As long as you keep the rice to liquid ratio the same, you can adapt this recipe in many ways. Prepare it according to the recipe for your first go, and then feel free to change it up for future variations.

Ingredients for Turmeric Rice (basmati rice, shallots, turmeric powder, chicken broth, and salt).
Ingredients for Turmeric Rice.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to making this turmeric basmati rice:

  • Basmati Rice - You can also use jasmine rice if preferred, but I like basmati rice best for this recipe.
  • Shallots - Thinly sliced. We're going to sauté these till they're nice and crisp and then layer it into the rice pot.
  • Chicken Broth - Homemade chicken broth, canned/bottled chicken broth, either one works.
  • Turmeric Powder - Sometimes we find fresh turmeric (which grows beautifully in Hawaii) at the market like Kaka‘ako Farmers Market or KCC Farmers Market. If you have fresh turmeric, use it! If not, use turmeric powder.
  • Salt - Just a bit of salt to bring out all the good flavors.
Collage of making turmeric rice steps. 1) sauté the shallots. 2) mix the chicken broth with turmeric powder and salt. 3) layer everything into the rice cooker. 4) cook the rice in the rice cooker and then fluff and mix.
Collage of cooking steps: 1) sauté shallots, 2) mix chicken broth with turmeric powder and salt, 3) layer everything in the rice cooker, 4) cook the rice in the rice cooker (fluff and mix after cooking).

Step by Step Directions

Ready to learn how to make turmeric rice? Let's get cooking!

Prepare the shallots.
In a pan over medium-high heat, sauté the shallots in a bit of oil until they are fragrant and a deep and dark golden color. Remove from heat and set aside.

Tip: I usually sauté in olive oil, but if you want this rice really fragrant, try sauté with coconut oil. It'll be turmeric coconut rice! Be generous with the oil, that's how you get the shallots nice and crisp.

Mix the liquid.
Mix chicken broth with the turmeric powder and salt. Set aside.

Wash the rice.
In the rice cooker pot, wash the basmati rice several times, until the water runs almost clear.

Layer.
Place the sautéed shallots on top of the rice (do not mix). Pour the chicken broth mixture over the rice (do not stir).

Tip: Important not to mix or stir the other ingredients into the rice. We need all the rice grains together to ensure even cooking. Just scatter the shallots on top and pour the chicken broth mixture over the rice. Wait until after the rice is finished cooking before mixing everything together.

Cook.
Cook the rice according to your rice cooker settings. Once the rice is finished cooking, let it rest for 10 minutes before opening the rice cooker.

Then use a rice paddle to gently mix and fluff the rice.

Eat and enjoy!

A rice cooker pot filled with freshly cooked turmeric rice.
Fluffing the cooked rice.

FAQs and Tips

How long can this rice keep?

3-4 days in the refrigerator.

How to reheat the rice?

Microwave: place the rice in a bowl and put a damp paper towel over the rice. Microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Steam: this is my preferred method because it keeps the rice grains so tender. Steam for 4-5 minutes.

What are good dishes to pair with turmeric rice?

I like to eat this rice with dishes like:
- Shoyu Chicken
- Seared Duck Breast
- Mochiko Chicken
- Shoyu Hot Dogs
- Rafute (Okinawan Shoyu Pork)
Or you put a fried egg (or Pocket Egg) on top of the rice and call it a meal.

Other rice cooker recipes?

You've come to the right place. I am crazy about my rice cooker and do a lot of cooking with it. Here are other great rice cooker recipes:
- Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage) and Rice
- Scallops and Rice
- Edamame and Hijiki Rice
- Edamame Rice

Additions or substitutions?

Endless ideas! Here are a few:
- Use fresh turmeric in place of turmeric powder.
- Replace the shallots with garlic to make turmeric garlic rice.
- After the rice is finished cooking, slide in a pat of butter (about 1 tablespoon). Let the butter melt and coat the rice as you fluff it. We do this same this with the Scallops and Rice recipe. Butter makes everything better.

A bowl of freshly cooked turmeric rice.

Turmeric Rice Recipe

See below and enjoy ^_^

Turmeric Rice

Turmeric Rice

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Turmeric Rice is fragrant and delicious. Just sauté shallots and add them to the rice pot along with chicken broth, turmeric powder, and salt. It's a fun way to make your lunch or dinner a little extra special.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a pan over medium-high heat, sauté the shallots in a bit of oil until they are fragrant and a deep golden color. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Mix chicken broth with the turmeric powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the rice cooker pot, wash the basmati rice several times, until the water runs almost clear.
  4. Place the sautéed shallots on top of the rice (do not mix). Pour the chicken broth mixture over the rice (do not stir).
  5. Cook the rice according to your rice cooker settings. Once the rice has finished cooking, let it rest for 10 minutes before opening the rice cooker. Then use a rice paddle to gently mix and fluff the rice.
  6. Eat and enjoy!

Notes

For extra fragrant rice, sauté the shallots with coconut oil.

2 rice-cups equals 1.5 regular cups.

Mahalo for Reading!

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