Vegan Turmeric Rice

If you are a big fan of squash and turmeric then you will love this rice dish consisting of a yellow hue that sees brown rice combined with chopped pumpkin, leafy greens  and more veggies seasoned with an array of spices cooked in homemade vegetable stock/broth.

This vegan turmeric rice aka vegetable rice dish has to be hands down one of my favourites for the fall because of the seasonal use in pumpkin but you can whip up this recipe any time of year if you use squash instead.

A rice recipe that is incredibly delicious and guaranteed to be a family favourite.

I'm not sure if I ever told you guys before but I'm a food blogger who loves making recipes for the fall and winter.

I think I specialise in that. Anything from a dairy free Pumpkin Spice Drink to some Carrot and Red Lentil Soup.

That's the mindset I am in for the fall/winter - soups, hot drinks and all things seasonal so I had to come through with this vegan turmeric rice.

Turmeric has found its rightful place in the culinary world and so many people love this bright orange flowering plant which comes from the ginger family.

It's that spice that is embraced in cooking and the beauty industry alike. I render it my "bail out" because the yellow hue turns a would be boring rice dish into something that's vibrant and fragrant.

For that reason alone I feel as if turmeric and rice go so well together. Believe me when I say this recipe is truly aromatic and well seasoned, not too hot or spicy, just generously seasoned.

Reasons to make this recipe

• It's seasonal
• It's versatile so even if you don't have pumpkin you can swap for squash instead
• A great choice for vegans or anyone who wants a rice dish that's meat free
• You can spruce it up by adding your favourite vegetables and/or mix things up.
• Wholesome and nutritious
• It's made from scratch so you know what goes into it!!
• It's super tasty!!
• It's filling enough to be a complete dinner with or without any extras.

The steps

• Start off by gently frying the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cumin seeds for one minute on medium heat in the oil . During this time the aroma will begin to release.
• Continue to fry then add the onions, garlic and saute for 2 minutes or until the onions soften and turn translucent.
• Add the pumpkin, carrots, cho cho, kale and sugar snaps to the pan, stir and coat the veggies with the spices.

Next add your seasoning - turmeric, thyme, all purpose seasoning, scotch bonnet and the rice.

• Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low.
• Cover pan with the lid and allow to simmer roughly 30 minutes.
• The rice should be completely soft and fluffy when cooked, not wet or hard. If the rice is still hard after the specified time, cook for another 10 -15 minutes, checking throughout, use additional stock if required (¼ cup at a time).
• Add pink salt and/or additional seasoning if required.
• Discard the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and thyme stems prior to serving

Why is the rice sticky?

If you find that this is the case, I suspect it might have something to do with over saturation. You can remedy this by drying out the excess moisture using my How to Fix Rice guidelines.

Do you have to add broth?

No, if you want to use water that's okay but the broth will enhance the overall taste. If you choose to omit this then I can't be held accountable for the overall taste as it's not something I have tried doing myself.

Is it okay to use butternut squash instead?

Yes, you can use another type of squash if you want to make the recipe all year long or find it more convenient.

What can I eat this rice with ?

• Tofu
• Beans
• More veggies

How long does the rice keep for?

I personally keep rice in the fridge for no more than 2 days. After or even prior to that I will simply freeze it down for up to a month.

Notes and tips

• In case you are wondering, how to colour rice yellow? The answer is in the turmeric. With that being said, please adhere to the recommended amount. Too little and the rice won't colour and too much it will yield a slight bitter note (talking from experience).
• If it's your first time cooking rice and may need to troubleshoot check out this article on How to Fix Rice.
• If you have trouble with digesting rice grains, as always, I recommended soaking the rice overnight or for several hours in lime juice.
• To speed up the cooking process I would recommend chopping your vegetables ahead of time. If you want to make this dish on a busy weeknight then chopping ahead of time will save a bunch of time.
• If you can't get hold of mangetout or sugar snaps use green beans instead.
• Don't forget to use my  Homemade Vegetable Broth  along with my All Purpose Seasoning if  you can
• If you are using storebought broth then make sure it's gluten free and low sodium and just add the amount of water to the cube to be the equivalent to what I stated.
• Use a non stick frying or skillet, the last thing you want is your rice sticking to the bottom or burning.
• You can make this recipe more gut friendly by using sprouted rice instead to ease digestion even further.
• Remember to remove the bay leaf and thyme stems prior to serving.

More pumpkin recipes to try

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Vegan Turmeric Rice

Your family and friends are guaranteed to love this delicious, fragrant rice dish, each and everytime!!

4.88 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Caribbean

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 297kcal

Author: Charla

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil
• ▢ 1 cinnamon stick
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• ▢ 1 small onion sliced
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 medium carrot chopped
• ▢ 1 cho cho chopped (christophine/chayote)
• ▢ 1 cup of kale (70g) chopped, tightly packed (or use spinach/fresh callaloo)
• ▢ 2 cups of pumpkin (232g) chopped into small pieces (or butternut squash)
• ▢ 1 cup of sugar snaps (200g) chopped (bodi/yard beans work too)
• ▢ 4 sprigs of thyme
• ▢ 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• ▢ ½ tablespoon all purpose seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• ▢ 1 scotch bonnet (or use a chilli)
• ▢ 1 ½ cup of brown rice (285g) soaked overnight or several hours
• ▢ 2 ½ cups of vegetable stock (600ml) see notes for link
• ▢ pink salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Start off by gently frying the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cumin seeds for one minute on medium heat in the oil. During this time the aroma will begin to release.
• Continue to fry then add the onions, garlic and saute for 2 minutes or until the onions soften and turn translucent.
• Add the pumpkin, carrots, cho cho,, kale and sugar snaps to the pan, stir and coat the veggies with the spices.
• Next add your seasoning - turmeric, thyme, all purpose seasoning scotch bonnet and the rice.
• Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low.
• Cover pan with the lid and allow to simmer roughly 30 minutes.
• The rice should be completely soft and fluffy when cooked, not wet or hard. If the rice is still hard after the specified time, cook for another 10 -15 minutes, checking throughout, use additional stock if required (¼ cup at a time).
• Add pink salt and/or additional seasoning if required
• Discard the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and thyme stems prior to serving

Notes

• In case you are wondering, how to colour rice yellow? The answer is in the turmeric. With that being said, please adhere to the recommended amount. Too little and the rice won't colour and too much it will yield a slight bitter note (talking from experience).
• If it's your first time cooking rice and may need to troubleshoot check out this article on How to Fix Rice.
• If you have trouble with digesting rice grains, as always, I recommended soaking the rice overnight or for several hours in lime juice.
• To speed up the cooking process I would recommend chopping your vegetables ahead of time. If you want to make this dish on a busy weeknight then chopping ahead of time will save a bunch of time.
• If you can't get hold of mangetout or sugar snaps use green beans instead.
• Don't forget to use my  Homemade Vegetable Broth  along with my All Purpose Seasoning if  you can
• If you are using storebought broth then make sure it's gluten free and low sodium and just add the amount of water to the cube to be the equivalent to what I stated.
• Use a non stick frying or skillet, the last thing you want is your rice sticking to the bottom or burning.
• You can make this recipe more gut friendly by using sprouted rice instead to ease digestion even further.
• Remember to remove the bay leaf and thyme stems prior to serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 902mg | Potassium: 534mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 8929IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 3mg

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