Spice of the Month: Turmeric Rice

Fresh turmeric roots on dark background.

Our spice of the month for March is turmeric powder! Part of the ginger family, it is native to the Indian subcontinent and is used in a lot of Indian cuisine. The taste can be described as a warm, bitter, black pepper-like flavor. Turmeric has also been used as a food dye (giving bright yellow hues!) as well as a traditional medicine, fabric dye, and paper dipped in a turmeric tincture and dried can be used as an indicator for acidity in chemical analysis.

Turmeric was chosen for March's Spice of the Month because of the BRIGHT cheery yellow hue that it imparts to food that it is cooked with.

Turmeric Rice

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/4 cup onion, finely diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed

• 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth (low sodium works)

• 1 bay leaf, dried

• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• salt and pepper to taste

To Make:

1. Rinse rice until water runs clear, drain.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and butter.

3. When butter is melted, add onion and garlic, sauté until softened.

4. Add rice and turmeric. Stir until combined. Add chicken broth and bay leaf, cover pan. Increase heat and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat, allow to simmer 15-20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf, fluff with a fork, and serve!

Ways to customize this recipe:

There're plenty of ways you can customize and serve this recipe! You can add ginger paste, bell pepper, frozen peas and carrots, or fresh spinach. You could change up the kind of rice (basmati, for instance). It would also be AMAZING with Priya Krishna's Garlic Ginger Chicken from her cookbook, Indian-ish!

This recipe was adapted from Meghan on Fox and Briar.