Turmeric Fried Rice
Appetizers,  Asian,  Chicken,  Game Day,  Indian,  Kids,  Rice,  Seasonings,  Sides

Turmeric Fried Rice

My kids are huge fans of fried rice, and I make a batch about once a week as I make rice probably twice a week as a side dish. Fried rice is one of those dishes where my pickiest of eaters will consume the eggs, peas, and carrots, only to get a bit or two of great pieces of chopped bacon. It is probably one of the reasons I continue to make fried rice during the week as well. Now I have came up with things such as kimchi fried rice, chorizo fried rice, and one of my kids favorites of all of my fried rice dishes, the bacon fried rice, so this time around I wanted to try something different and come up with a turmeric fried rice.

Turmeric Fried Rice

If you have never had turmeric, well, let’s just say it is really good for you. It’s a common spice in Indian cooking and has a ton of health benefits to say the least, plus it adds some really vibrant color to any dish. Did I mention that fried rice is a perfect way to use up any leftovers as well? In this case, I had some leftover grilled chicken that gave the fried rice some additional texture.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups cooked Jasmine rice (Best if this is leftover cooked rice from the following day)
  • 1 tbsp turmeric powder
  • 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 2 tbsp reserved bacon grease
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup of frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup of cooked chicken, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 whole egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce, optional
  • salt to taste, optional

Start by cooking your rice. Rinse the rice until the rice is no longer cloudy. We use a rice cooker, using a 1-to-1 cooking method; 3 cups of rice to 3 cups of water. Add the turmeric and the garlic to the rice cooker and give a good stir. Cook, and serve if you would like. That’s what I did, served alongside grilled chicken. I then used the remaining leftover chicken and cooked rice the following day for this recipe.

When you are ready to make your fried rice, start by cooking the bacon. Once cooked, remove and set aside on a plated lined with paper towel. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease, then add the butter and let that cook on medium heat until it is nice and bubbly.

How to make turmeric fried rice

Add the chicken and get a bit of color onto it, cooking for a couple of minutes. Add the rice and start breaking it up with your wooden spoon.

After a few minutes of cooking the rice, add the beaten egg, and start mixing up the rice.

Next add the bacon pieces, soy sauce, and continue to cook.

Turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the peas, and stir.

Continue cooking on medium-high heat until you get a bit of some crispy fried rice going on. Once you are satisfied, taste, and season with any salt, or other remaining things you might like in a fried rice such as chili flakes, or chopped chilies.

This turmeric fried rice was great, and as much as my kids questioned the color, the began to dig in, and realize that it was their standard fried rice, but with an added benefit of turmeric.

What’s your favorite way to make fried rice? I’d be curious to know… Hope you enjoy!

One Comment

  • Rachel Cooks

    I bought a really big container of tumeric after talking to this Indian guy about the health benefits of tumeric. I’m always looking for ways to include it in my cooking. Love your recipe!

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