This curry rice is an incredibly easy and quick side dish to pair with your favorite chicken, pork, beef, or seafood main course! Long-grain white rice is cooked with sauteed onion, minced garlic, and seasoning to make a fluffy and flavorful rice dish the whole family will love! The best part is it's ready to serve and enjoy in 20 minutes!
Easy Curry Rice Recipe
Curry rice is a comforting dish that can be whipped up with a handful of pantry staples at a moment's notice! It's a great side to pair with just about anything, or you could make it into a main dish by adding veggies and protein!
Plus, it has just the right amount of spiciness and bold flavors, so no more boring or plain white rice! Trust me, once you make it, you'll quickly want to add it to your go-to list of easy side dishes!
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🥘 Curry Rice Ingredients
All you need is a handful of basic ingredients to make a delicious rice dish everyone will love! Although it's entirely optional and up to your preferences, I highly recommend using a teaspoon of garam masala for an added depth of flavor!
- Butter - 2 tablespoons of butter, or you can use a butter substitute.
- Onion - ½ cup of white or yellow onion, finely diced.
- Garlic - ½ tablespoon of minced garlic.
- White Rice - 2 cups of uncooked long-grain white rice. I like to use Jasmine or Basmati rice.
- Yellow Curry Powder - 3 tablespoons of yellow curry powder. Try my recipe out, or use your favorite yellow curry powder.
- Garam Masala (optional) - 1 teaspoon of garam masala.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon of salt, to taste.
- Water - 3 ½ cups of water. Use 3 ½ - 4 cups, or you can use chicken broth for more flavor.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Curry Rice
Follow these straightforward instructions for a flavorful rice dish that tastes as delicious as it looks! To begin, take out a fine mesh sieve, a skillet, and a rubber spatula.
This recipe will make around 6 servings, so there is plenty for a family dinner!
- Wash rice. Place your rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Then set the rice aside for later use.
- Saute. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add ½ cup onion and ½ tablespoon of minced garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes or until translucent.
- Add ingredients. Add 2 cups of long-grain white rice and the seasonings (3 tablespoons of curry powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of garam masala if using). Stir to combine.
- Simmer. Pour in 3 ½ cups water or broth and increase the heat to bring it to a boil. Once the rice is boiling, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve. Once all the water is absorbed, use a fork to fluff the rice and serve immediately.
This curry rice is an excellent side dish to make when you want to add a little heat to your plate. Also, it can be used to make an amazing stir fry when tossed with chicken, beef, or shrimp! Or try it with my crock pot butter chicken; enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- Although rinsing the rice is completely optional, it will produce the fluffiest rice and the best results.
- Feel free to use your favorite long-grain white rice like Jasmine or Basmati.
- If you have chicken broth on hand, you can use that instead of the water for added flavor.
- If you prefer your rice to be less spicy, you can adjust the amount of curry powder. Start with a small amount and taste as you go to find the right level of spiciness for you.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Allow the rice to cool completely, then place it in a shallow airtight container or resealable bag. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing Curry Rice
Transfer your cooled rice to a heavy-duty plastic bag and squeeze the excess air out before sealing. Thaw in the fridge overnight and enjoy within 3 months.
Reheating Curry Rice
Reheat the rice in a microwave-safe dish in 30-second increments or on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium-low heat until fully heated.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
To adjust the spiciness level, you can add more or less curry powder, add red pepper flakes, or use a curry paste. Note that if you use a curry paste, it is more concentrated and more potent than curry powder, so use a smaller amount. You could also add some yogurt or coconut milk to help cool down the spice level.
Curry rice is a versatile dish that pairs well with a lot of different dishes! Try serving it with Naan bread or any other flatbread, a broccolini salad, a roasted vegetable medley, roasted sweet potatoes, or a fried egg!
Absolutely! Feel free to add vegetables like carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, or bell peppers. Chicken, shrimp, pork, beef, or tofu are great options for protein! You can also add in cashews, lentils, or beans if you'd like!
🍛 More Tasty Rice Recipes
- Rice Pilaf - An easy and tasty rice recipe with orzo pasta, long-grain white rice, garlic, onion, and a little salt!
- Instant Pot Long Grain White Rice - A simple rice side dish that is wonderfully suited to serving with practically any meal!
- Turmeric Rice - A delicious Indian-inspired rice recipe that's packed with flavor from turmeric and aromatic seasonings!
- Tomatoes & Rice - This Southern side dish is full of sweet tomatoes and salty bacon grease!
- Dirty Rice - This easy rice dish features hearty meat, tons of Cajun flavor, and aromatic seasonings!
- Vermicelli Rice - An easy-to-make side dish that pairs well with a large variety of main course dinners!
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📖 Recipe Card
Curry Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup onion (white or yellow onion, finely diced)
- ½ tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 2 cups long grain white rice (uncooked)
- 3 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 3½ cups water (use 3½-4 cups, or you can use chicken broth for more flavor)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Place your rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Then set the rice aside for later use.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and minced garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the long-grain white rice and the seasonings (curry powder, salt, and garam masala if using). Stir to combine.
- Pour in the water or broth and increase the heat to bring it to a boil. Once the rice is boiling, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Once all the water is absorbed, use a fork to fluff the rice and serve immediately.
Notes
- Although rinsing the rice is completely optional, it will produce the fluffiest rice and the best results.
- Feel free to use your favorite long-grain white rice like Jasmine or Basmati.
- If you have chicken broth on hand, you can use that instead of the water for added flavor.
- If you prefer your rice to be less spicy, you can adjust the amount of curry powder. Start with a small amount and taste as you go to find the right level of spiciness for you.
- To store: Allow the rice to cool completely, then place it in a shallow airtight container or resealable bag. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- To freeze: Transfer your cooled rice to a heavy-duty plastic bag and squeeze the excess air out before sealing. Thaw in the fridge overnight and enjoy within 3 months.
- To reheat: Reheat the rice in a microwave-safe dish in 30-second increments or on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium-low heat until heated through.
Larry says
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Juniper says
Jag älskar curry! Det är helt rätt att kalla det tröstmat. Kommer att göra det här fler gånger!
"I love curry! It is quite right to call it comfort food. Will be doing this more times!"