Quick and easy one pot spicy rice recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Full of day old leftover rice, pan fried peanuts, turmeric, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes and smoked paprika. Enjoy this delicious yellow peanut rice as a main dish or a side dish.
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My family loves rice and I am always looking for ways to include them in my weekly meal plans. Today's recipe gets its lovely yellow color from turmeric and fiery kick from a combination of spices. It's among my top favorites along with this Easy Rice Pilaf (One Pot) and Mushroom Rice Pilaf (One Pot).
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Key ingredients for peanut rice
- Rice- Day old chilled basmati rice is best.
- Oil- Any neutral flavored oil will work well here.
- Spices- I like to use a combination of turmeric, red chili flakes, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.
- Chicken bouillon paste- Make sure it's low sodium.
- Peanuts- Be sure to use raw unsalted ones.
- Garlic- Use cloves instead of powder for best flavor.
- Onion- These should be finely chopped.
- Water- This adds some moisture to the dish and prevents it from becoming dry.
Variations
- Try other nuts- Such as chopped almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts or even pine nuts.
- Use roughly chopped peanuts instead of whole ones- This way, you can enjoy them in each bite.
- Add vegetables- Such as onions, bell peppers, peas or carrots.
- For a touch of tanginess- Drizzle freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 small lemon at the end. It will really elevate the overall flavor and balance the heat and spice. You can also use lime instead of lemon.
- Garnish options- Finely chopped cilantro, parsley or green onions would be the best options.
- Use shallots instead of onions- Since they have a milder, sweeter taste which can offset the strong spices.
How to make easy one pot spicy rice recipe from scratch?
- Pan fry peanuts in oil- Keep aside
- Saute onion and garlic- Until they are fragrant.
- Add spices- And mix for a seconds until aromatic.
- Add bouillon and water- And mix until combined.
- Add rice- Toss until fully coated.
- Add peanuts- And mix until evenly distributed.
What to serve with this dish?
You can enjoy this on its own as a main course or serve it as a side dish along with these:
- Chicken- Try it alongside my Cajun Chicken (One Pot) or Apricot Chicken (One Pot)
- Beef- Hubby thought it paired very well with this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef and this Instant Pot Ginger Beef.
- Tofu- It tastes incredible with Honey Sriracha Sesame Tofu (One Pot).
- Eggs- A perfect fried egg with runny yolk would be simple yet tasty.
Tips and techniques
- You must use leftover rice in this recipe for best results- Freshly boiled rice is very delicate and tender and breaks during all the mixing and tossing of ingredients.
- Use long grain rice like basmati- Because they are not as sticky and mushy and hold their shape better.
- Adjust the spice factor- By increasing or decreasing the quantity of red chili flakes, paprika and cayenne pepper. This should be based on how much heat you can tolerate.
- Chicken bouillon paste substitute- You can use chicken bouillon powder.
- Use low sodium bouillon and unsalted peanuts- To prevent this meal from becoming too salty.
- Don't burn the garlic- It can go from golden brown to being burnt very quickly. Keep a close eye.
- Use a nonstick pot- To prevent burning and sticking.
Recipe FAQs
There could be a few reasons for this. You didn't rinse the rice before boiling. That caused the powdery residue on the rice to become gummy in hot water. Another reason could be using the wrong kind of rice. Short grain rice are typically more sticky than long grain ones such as basmati. A third reason could be too much water was used in boiling and the ratio of water to rice was incorrect. I recommend draining your cooked rice through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of excess water and doing a light rinse with cold water at the end. Transfer the rice back into the pot and keep it uncovered.
It wasn't boiled long enough and is most likely under cooked.
Storage
- Refrigerate- In a sealed container for up to 2 days.
- Freeze- I don't recommend this since it doesn't taste as good upon thawing.
- Reheat- In the microwave.
- Make ahead- This can easily be made 1 day in advance.
More one pot rice recipes
- Coconut Rice (One Pot)
- Garlic Rice (One Pot)
- Dirty Rice (One Pot)
- Pineapple Rice (One Pot)
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (One Pot)
Recipe
One Pot Spicy Rice (Peanut Rice)
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon Oil You can use any neutral tasting oil, Divided
- 4-5 tablespoon Peanuts Raw, Unsalted. I like to add 1 tablespoon peanuts per 1 cup of rice.
- ¼ cup Onion Finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic Finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder This has a strong earthy flavor. Add less if you are unsure about it.
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon Red chili flakes Adjust according to your preference
- Salt To taste
- Pepper To taste
- ½-1 teaspoon Chicken bouillon paste Low sodium. I use a brand called Better that Bouillon. It's very flavorful and concentrated. Start with ½ teaspoon and add more later, if necessary.
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 4-5 cups Leftover boiled basmati rice Day old is best
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick pot over medium-high heat.
- Add peanuts and roast them until they are slightly crispy and smell nutty. This takes about 3-5 minutes. Remove from pot and keep aside.
- In the same pot, add remaining 2 tablespoon oil.
- Add onion and garlic. Saute until garlic is fragrant and onions are partially softened.
- Add turmeric, paprika, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, salt, pepper and mix for 20 seconds to wake up these dried spices.
- Mix in chicken bouillon paste and water.
- Add leftover boiled basmati rice and mix until combined. You may have to add a couple of splashes of water to ensure that all the spices are sticking to the rice.
- Mix in the crispy peanuts you had prepared earlier.
- Garnish with some finely chopped cilantro or parsley (if you like) and drizzle some fresh lemon juice on top (if you like). Enjoy.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of paprika, cayenne and red chili flakes based on how much spice you can handle.Â
- Sometimes, I like to add ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds with the peanuts when I am pan frying them. It adds such a lovely flavor and aroma.Â
- For a touch of tanginess, drizzle freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 small lemon at the end. It will really elevate the flavor and balance the heat and spice. Â
- Please use leftover rice. Day old is best because they don't clump together. They also don't break easily or become mushy when you mix everything together.Â
- You can use a combination of half oil and half butter for additional flavor.Â
- Use low sodium bouillon paste to prevent this meal from becoming too salty.Â
- Instead of peanuts, you can use any other nuts of your choice such as cashews, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts.Â
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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