This Instant Pot Yellow Turmeric Rice is full of flavors and makes an elegant side dish for any occasion. Infused with the goodness of Turmeric and Garlic this rice super easy to make in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. No sticky bottom or mushy rice, each grain is separate. Ready in 6 minutes, this fail proof recipe is a must try. Vegan. Gluten-Free.
Phew!!! We just got back from our spring break trip to the worlds largest garden in Kuekenhof, Netherlands so I am still in spring mode. Inspired by the lovely display of colorful Tulips and the nearby fields, I wanted to share something colorful with you today. Yellow Turmeric Rice with Pomegranate and Almonds.
Lately we have been consuming a lot more rice as we are trying to eliminate gluten to the extent possible, plus our move to Germany made us realize that rice is so much easier to cook, especially when living in temporary housing with limited appliances and food supplies.
Yellow Turmeric Rice
This rice is a concoction of multiple recipes from my mom, mil and mine. Growing up I remember mom making this delicious Turmeric Rice garnished with nuts and pomegranate arils. It was often made on special occasions. Then after my wedding I was introduced to my MIL's Turmeric Garlic Rice, which is equally yummy and everyone's favorite at home too.
My take on this is the adapted Instant Pot version as compared to their traditional stove top and pressure cooker version respectively. So I have combine my moms yellow rice recipe with pomegranate arils with my mil's turmeric garlic rice in my Instant Pot.
What is Turmeric
Back home in India, turmeric is one of the main spices used in everyday cooking and there is a reason for it. An Ayurvedic superfood, turmeric is known for it's health benefits. The yellow powder that you see in the grocery stores comes from the Turmeric root. The turmeric root that looks like ginger except that it is yellow from under the skin, is dried and then powdered to make Turmeric powder. It's a staple in every Indian household. We add it in curries, milks, lattes, and also use it as a medicine.
Health Benefits of Turmeric
Turmeric is great for cough and cold. It boosts immunity and also serves as an antiseptic. It's a great anti-inflammatory agent too. It reduces the instance of platelet aggression and potentially reduces the risk of clot formation.
Health Benefits of Garlic
Garlic benefits stand only second to turmeric benefits. It's antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal properties can help relieve common cold and other infections. It's known to help open or widen blood vessels hence, blood pressure reduction. It helps reduce cholesterol that help in diabetic complications.
Why you should eat Turmeric Rice
First you should consume it because it's good for you. It's packed with the goodness of turmeric and garlic.
Next it makes an awesome side dish and is always a crowd pleaser. Sure to wow your guests.
Lastly it's super easy to make in your Instant Pot and is ready in just 6 minutes.
What is the best rice to use for Turmeric Rice
Although this rice can be made with jasmine rice or brown rice too, for best results I highly recommend Basmati as it's authentic to this recipe. The rice is full or aromas and flavors which can be best enjoyed when you use Basmati rice.
How to make perfect rice in Instant Pot?
A lot can go wrong when making rice in an Instant Pot. If you straggle to make the perfect rice in your Instant Pot, then check out our master post on how to make the perfect rice, here. For all our rice recipes we follow the 1:1 ratio mentioned in the master post and just the cooking times vary depending on the rice . Not once have I gotten a sticky or burnt bottom or mushy rice. My rice is always perfectly cooked, be it Basmati, Jasmine and Brown Rice.
You can find more of our rice recipe here.
How to make Yellow Turmeric Rice in Instant Pot?
Like I mentioned earlier, there is no rocket science for this recipe. It's super simple and straight forward. I follow the master recipe, mentioned above for the rice to water ratio and pressure cooking time. All I do before throwing in the rice and water is that I temper the oil with spices like cumin, turmeric, garam masala and garlic cloves, that's it.
I use the 1:1 rice to water ratio and pressure cook the rice for 6 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release and when you open the lid of your Instant Pot, the kitchen will be filled with the wonderful aroma of basmati rice. Garnishing the rice with parsley, pomegranate arils and sliced almonds. Ah, my mouth is watering as I type this.
Hope you consider trying this recipe and when you do don't forget to tag us @dbellyrulesdmind on either Facebook or Instagram. For more Turmeric recipes you can check out our Turmeric Golden Milk /Latte and our Curried Quinoa Pilaf.
Instant Pot Yellow Turmeric Rice Recipe
Instant Pot Yellow Turmeric Rice
This Instant Pot Yellow Turmeric Rice is full of flavors and makes an elegant side dish for any occasion. Infused with the goodness of Turmeric and Garlic this rice super easy to make in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. No sticky bottom or mushy rice, each grain is separate. Ready in 6 minutes, this fail proof recipe is a must try. Vegan. Gluten-Free.
Ingredients
Tempering
- 1 tablespoon oil / ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 3-4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 cup water
- salt to taste
Garnishing
- 1/4 cup parsley / cilantro chopped
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 1 teaspoon sliced almonds
Instructions
- Rinse the basmati rice thoroughly and keep aside.
- Press the Saute mode and heat the oil or ghee in the Instant Pot.
- Once the oil is hot, temper it cumin, turmeric, garlic and garam masala.
- Cook for a min and stir.
- Now add in the rice and stir for a min again.
- Finally add the salt and water and cover the lid.
- Seal the vent and pressure cook on Manual or Pressure Cook mode for 6 minutes.
- Allow pressure to naturally release for about 10 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley, pomegranate arils and almond slices and serve warm with yogurt or raita.
Notes
If you use Jasmine or Brown rice, refer to the pressure cook times and rice to water ratios here.
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Julie G says
I’m looking for suitable recipes for a diabetic family member. He needs to stay away from white rice. Do you have any experience with making this dish with a mix of wild and brown rice?
Karin says
I made this tonight, and it was so flavourful! It will be my go-to rice. I served it with fish with a lemon ginger sauce. It was perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Soniya Saluja says
Thanks Karen for sharing your feedback with us !
Diane Crammer says
Great rice dish.
Loved how quick and easy.
Anvita says
Thanks! Hope you give it a try soon :)
Vani says
If I used 4 cups of soaked(15 minutes) and drained basmati rice, would the water be 3 cups?
Calculating as below
Double then add 1/2 cup of water for each additional cup of rice after 2nd cup?
Anvita says
Honestly I have almost stop soaking the rice. However, yes I would do that. Let me know how did it go? How did you like the texture?
Gassia says
Made this last night and we loved it!!!! The yogurt on the side was so good and refreshing! I doubled the recipe, but missed the part about adding a tiny bit of extra water, so the rice was fully cooked but a little chewy, so for next time I’ll know what to do to make it fluffy. Thank you!!!!
Anvita says
Gassia,
Glad to hear you tried the recipe and liked it. Yeah when you double the recipe the water needs to be doubled too. Hope you make it again soon.
Anvita
Jaykm says
If I double or triple the amount of rice, do I do the same with the oil and spices? Thanks!
Anvita says
Hi Jaykm, You can probably go with the same amount if oil, but double up the seasoning and spices. If you are doubling or tripling the rice add 1/2 cup of additional water. Do share your feedback with us after you try it :)
Lu says
Didn't have the pomegranate or almonds but decided to make this dish without them. So glad I did! If you want something that tastes like it's straight from your Indian restaurant then this is it!
This rice dish is so flavorful, easy to make and comes out perfectly. My kids are already asking when I'm going to make this again. Very impressed that we've found a great authentic tasting dish.
TheBellyRulesTheMind says
Thank you Lu, for sharing your feedback. So glad to hear that your family liked this rice variation. Try adding the pomegranate next time, the kids will enjoy the juicy bursts of pomegranate juice even more.