Lemony Tumeric Rice

I’m a lover of all foods but specifically street food. I don’t know what it is about street food but it’s just so good. When I think about it, I think it’s the hustle and willingness to share cultural dishes with strangers that’s the real magic and why it tastes so good. It’s food you wouldn’t find at a fancy restaurant and food that’s special to whoever is making it. One of my favorite street foods is Greek or Halal chicken and rice. The fluffy rice, seared chicken, and the delicious sauces that accompany it- it’s everything! If you’ve never had this, you’re truly missing out!

This rice dish was a copycat recipe I conjured up after craving Halal Guys and Greek food. I couldn’t decide on either so I whipped up a rice dish that reminded me of both. The Turmeric in this recipe is an ode to Halal Guys chicken and rice bowl and the lemon in this recipe reminds me of lemony rice that’s typically served at Greek restaurants with Souvlaki (Chicken kebabs). I love recreating dishes that I taste on my many food adventures, at home. One, because it allows me to be creative and two, because “we got food at home” lol. I’m the queen of “we got _____ at home”. Meaning, anything that we can try at a restaurant is something I can make. Eating out gets expensive and I’m someone who hates being deprived of all of the good things in life so I challenge myself to create those same experiences at home. It’s a huge money saver! I know that cooking can seem intimidating but it’s because you haven’t met someone like me to make it as simple as possible. Seriously, cooking should be therapeutic, easy, and delicious. 

Anyways, these are one of the meals that live rent free in my head, often. It’s so delicious and a great weekday meal! It all starts with a Lemony Turmeric Rice as the base! You can literally pair this rice dish with any protein. It’s that good!

Here are a few notes for this recipe: 

• For a completely vegan option: omit the chicken bouillon and water in this recipe and replace with vegetable stock. You can also use a vegetable bouillon in place of the chicken bouillon.

• I used water and chicken bouillon in this recipe as the cooking liquid but you can also use chicken or vegetable stock instead. Just be very mindful of the sodium. Taste the liquid before adding any additional salt.

• Be careful not to add too much salt! In general, I would recommend tasting your cooking liquid before adding additional salt if you’re using an all-purpose seasoning blend.

• All purpose seasoning: I’d recommend using a seasoning blend that’s mild in flavor and one that includes garlic, onion, and a few other herbs. Nothing with crazy flavors. The goal is to still taste the lemony flavor and turmeric in this dish. Adding an all-purpose seasoning that’s overpowering may not allow those flavors to shine. I like to use the Home Beis House blend as it compliments the rice and aligns with the flavors we’re adding.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of long grain white rice, washed and rinsed

• Quarter of a sweet onion, finely chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon of chicken bouillon

• 1 teaspoon of Turmeric powder

• 3-4 garlic cloves, finely diced or mashed

• 1 teaspoon of all purpose seasoning ( I like to use a garlic & herb blend here like Home Beis House blend)

• Zest of one lemon

• Juice of half of a lemon

• Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 3 cups of water, for cooking

• 1 tablespoon of oil, for cooking

Directions

First, we toast the spices and sauté our veggies. Heat oil in a medium to large pan at medium to high heat. Add in your garlic, onion, turmeric, chicken bouillon, all purpose seasoning, lemon zest, and fresh parsley. Mix to combine and sauté for about a minute or until the onion becomes translucent.

Let’s add the rice! Add your rice to the pot along with the other ingredients that you’ve just sautéed. Mix to combine. Then, add in your water. Mix to combine.

Now it’s time to add in your water (or stock). Stir to combine. The cooking liquid will begin to simmer. Once the cooking liquid has cooked out of the rice, bring heat down to low and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

Once rice is cooked, fluff with a fork or cooking spoon. Serve and enjoy! I love to plate this Shawarma spiced chicken and a cucumber salad. For a little something extra enjoy with warm naan.