This curry rice recipe is easy, quick, and ready in 30 minutes. Curried rice is a side dish that is tender, fluffy, aromatic, packed full of flavor and delicious. We like to serve it with baked boneless chicken thighs, and pan fried vegetables. Let me show you how to make it in simple steps.
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Curry Rice Recipe
Here are some of the reason why you will love this curried rice recipe:
- Easy- This recipe is easy and quick to cook and suitable for beginner cooks and pros alike.
- One pot dish- I love one pot recipes because it means minimal dishes to wash up after cooking.
- Flavorful- It's packed full of flavor. Curry powder, tomatoes, spices and herbs all come together to create this delicious curry and rice dish.
- Appealing- The golden yellow color of this rice curry is appealing and will attract even the pickiest eater.
- Versatile- It makes the perfect side dish for chicken, steak, fish, lamb, and vegetables.
Related: Chicken curry pasta, Yellow rice, seasoned rice
Ingredients
Here is what you will need for curried rice:
Rice - I used Basmati rice but you can also use long grain rice. For the rice, I particularly like to use golden sella basmati however you substitute for pure basmati.
Curry powder - Use a good curry powder be it storebought or homemade. Check my post on homemade curry powder if you'd like to make yours at home.
Onion- Brown onion, white or yellow onion works fine.
Garlic
Ginger
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Ground coriander
Cumin
Fresh tomato - This can be substituted for canned chopped tomatoes.
Oil - Olive oil, Sunflower, or Vegetable oil work fine.
Broth
Salt
Detailed ingredient list, measurements, directions and recipe video are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post).
How To Make Curry Rice - Step by Step Instructions
1) Prepare all ingredients ready.
2) Place pot on medium heat then add oil to the pot.
3) Add in chopped onions and saute for 2 minutes or till aromatic and translucent then add in garlic.
4) Pour in ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir then add in the chopped tomatoes.
5) Add in broth and stir. Scrape any stuck bits off the bottom of the pot.
6) Wash rice till the water runs clear then add the washed rice to the pot. Stir and cover the pot.
7) Cook on low heat for 30 minutes or till rice is tender.
8) Fluff with a fork and take off the heat.
Serve curry rice and enojoy.
To Make It In The Instant Pot
Follow these instructions to make this in the instant pot pressure cooker:
1) Put instant pot on saute then add oil in the pot of the IP.
2) Add onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes before adding ginger and other spices.
3) Add tomatoes and broth then deglaze the instant pot by scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.
4) After deglazing the pot, switch the instant pot off.
5) Wash rice with warm water till water runs clear then add washed rice in the instant pot.
6) Close the Instant Pot with its lid and turn the valve into sealing. Set the Instant pot to manual pressure cook for 7 minutes then do 10 minutes of natural pressure release.
7) Open the instant pot and fluff the rice.
Serve and enjoy.
Variation
Chicken curry rice
You can cook chicken with the curry rice as a one pot dish. To do this, brown the chicken first then take out of the pot before following the cooking directions and adding chicken back in when adding the rice in the pot. For full details check out this chicken curry rice recipe.
Vegetable Curry Rice
For vegetable curried rice, follow the directions as above but add vegetables (1 cup of mixed vegetables like carrots, peas, sweetcorn) when adding the washed rice in the pot.
What To Serve With Curried Rice
Serve curried rice with vegetables and proteins. Some recommendations are as follows:
Vegetables- steamed carrots, Air fryer vegetables, Pan fried carrots, Boiled asparagus
Chicken- Oven baked chicken legs, instant pot chicken breasts, air fryer thin chicken
Fish- instant pot fish, Pan fried cod, air fryer trout
Steak- Pan fried steak, steak tips
Salads, Coleslaws
How To Store
When it's completely cooled, transfer it to an airtight container or Ziploc, label and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer where it can last up to 6 months.
Expert Tips
- Wash rice till the water runs clear to avoid sticky rice.
- Use chicken broth as stated but where that is not available, replace it with stock cubes like Maggi, knorr, or oxo plus water.
- Adjust cayenne pepper to how spicy you'd like the meal.
Recipe FAQS
Curry rice is a combination of rice, curry powder, tomatoes, spices, and more cooked in one pot. Rice is simmered in delicious curry sauce and the curry powder gives curried rice its signature golden yellow color.
I use basmati rice or easy cook long grain rice but you can use other types of rice like jasmine rice or brown rice. Note that brown rice takes longer to cook so adjust cooking time if using brown rice.
If you are wondering if you can make this curry rice with coconut milk, the answer is yes if using the stovetop recipe. Just substitute 1 cup of water for coconut milk. I sometimes do this when I want coconut rice taste and it comes out great.
More Rice Recipes
Try these Easy Recipes:
I hope you like this curry rice recipe as much as we do. If you find this post helpful, please rate it 5 stars and leave me a comment below. I love reading from you.
Subscribe to my email to get free weekly recipes delivered to your inbox. Also follow recipe vibes on instagram , pinterest, facebook and subscribe to my youtube channel for recipe videos.
This post was first published February 11, 2020. Updated to add more helpful information.
Recipe
Curry Rice Recipe (Curried Rice)
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rice Golden sella basmati or long grain rice
- 2 tablespoons Curry powder
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger minced
- ½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper or to taste
- 1 Fresh tomato chopped
- 4 cups Chicken broth (Use vegetable broth if vegan) or 1 cup coconut milk+3 cups stock
- 2 tablespoon Oil Olive, Vegetable or sunflower oil
OPTIONAL
- 1 cup Mixed vegetables
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients ready.
- Place pot on medium heat then add oil to the pot.
- Add in onions and garlic then saute for 2-3 minutes or till onion and garlic transluscent.
- Pour in ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir then add in the chopped tomatoes.
- Add in broth or coconut milk and stir. Scrape any stuck bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Wash rice till the water runs clear then add washed rice in the pot. Stir and cover the pot.
- Cook on low heat for 25-30 minutes or till rice tender.
- Fluff with a fork and take off heat.
- Serve and enjoy.
To Make It In The Instant Pot
- Put instant pot on saute then add oil in the pot of the IP.
- Add in onions and garlic and saute for few minutes before adding ginger and other spices.
- Add tomatoes and broth then deglaze the instant pot by scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.
- After deglazing the pot, switch the instant pot off.
- Wash rice with warm water till water runs clear then add washed rice in the instant pot.
- Close IP with it's lid and turn the valve into sealing. Set instant pot to manual pressure cook for 7 minutes then do 10 minutes natural pressure release.
- Open the instant pot and fluff the rice.
- Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Wash rice till water runs clear to avoid sticky rice.
- Use chicken broth as stated but where that is not available, replace with stock cubes like maggi, knorr or oxo plus water.
- Adjust cayenne pepper to how spicy you'd like the rice.
- For vegetable curried rice, follow the directions as above but add vegetables (1 cup of mixed vegetables like carrots, peas, sweetcorn) when adding the washed rice in the pot.
I love curry, although I rarely cook it from scratch, this looks so tasty
Thank you Kara and yes it's tasty and easy to make from scratch. Hope you try it.