This vibrant, Warm Indian Rice Salad is a healthy and easy side salad to accompany your lunch or dinner. Soft, turmeric brown rice infused with garlic, onion, ginger, and lemon, paired with roasted, cumin spiced vegetables and chickpeas. Best of all, you can customise it with any vegetables you like!
Why you'll love this Indian Rice Salad
I love Indian food such as curries but could never figure out what to serve with it instead of just plain rice (and naan bread of course!). Problem solved! Not only is this easy rice salad recipe the perfect side for Middle Eastern or Indian food, but it is also jam-packed with flavour, cheap, and nutritious!
This Warm Indian Rice Salad uses simple ingredients to make big flavours! The trick is infusing the brown basmati rice with turmeric, onion, garlic, ginger, lemon, and chicken stock.
Another great thing about this side dish, is that it is dirt cheap to make! It cost me a total of AUD$5(~USD$3.30). So not only is it budget friendly, but it also leaves a good chunk of change for the rest of the meal!
Additionally, this recipe is super easy and quick to make. It can be cooked and on the table in as little as 35 minutes (or just 25 minutes using an air fyer)!
This recipe is completely customisable; you can pair the turmeric rice with whatever vegetables you like! So it is a perfect recipe for clearing out any leftover vegetables in your fridge and preventing waste.
You also get all the health benefits of including more vegetables in your diet, such as more dietary fibre, antioxidants, and nutrients (than just plain rice). So not only will you feel good afterwards, but it will also help you stay fuller for longer (and prevent any unwanted snack raiding).
Nutrition
This Warm Indian Rice Salad really is a well-rounded, nutritious side! It is high in fibre, with 8g per serve, which makes it an excellent choice for supporting your gut health. However, this recipe only has a moderate amount of protein, at 6.5g per serve, which makes it a great side to serve with your main protein source. It is low in fat (including saturated fat), cholesterol, and sodium, making it a great, heart friendly choice. It is also gluten-free and vegan!
Ingredients for Indian Rice Salad
KEY INGREDIENTS
- Chickpeas – Are a great source of plant-based protein, which forms the building blocks for our body tissues. Chickpeas are loaded with dietary fibre, which helps support our gut health and prevents constipation. The main micronutrient in chickpeas is potassium, which helps maintain normal fluid and electrolyte balance and also assists with nerve impulses and muscle contractions (including our hearts!).
- Brown basmati rice – Contains more dietary fibre than white rice. Brown basmati rice is a rich source of manganese, which supports several bodily enzyme reactions and bone formation. It also contains vitamin B3, which helps convert carbohydrates, fats, and protein into energy to fuel our bodies.
- Broccoli & cauliflower – Are both surprisingly high in vitamin C, which our bodies use to make collagen to support our blood vessels, bones, and tissues, as well as strengthen our body’s ability to resist infections.
- Carrots – Are rich in beta-carotene, which our bodies convert into vitamin A and use to maintain our eye health. Carrots also contain a whole range of antioxidants (beta-carotene included), which may help reduce inflammation, promote immune system function, and protect against chronic disease.
- Ginger – A classic in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking. According to research, ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, may help relieve symptoms of nausea, and may help lower blood glucose levels and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
- Onion & garlic – For extra flavour.
- Turmeric – A wonderful spice that is full of antioxidants and makes the rice yellow. Also, it is a much cheaper option than saffron.
- Cumin – Gives the veggies a nice earthy flavour.
- Chicken stock – Preferably reduced salt / low sodium stock. I used one Massel 7’s chicken style stock cube (which is also vegan) dissolved in 1 cup of water.
- Lemon rind & juice – For a touch of acidity.
- Extra virgin olive oil – A great healthy fat for cooking the vegetables.
- White pepper;
How to make Indian Rice Salad
- Preheat oven to 210°C / 410°F.
- Place the chopped vegetables into a large bowl. Add the white pepper, turmeric, cumin, and extra virgin olive oil to the chopped vegetables and stir to mix.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pour the spiced vegetables into the tray and place into the oven for 30 minutes, stirring halfway, or until the vegetables are soft when pricked with a fork.
- Heat a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the medium saucepan and cook until the onion is soft and golden.
- Add the chicken stock, turmeric and lemon juice to the medium saucepan, increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Once boiling, pour in the brown basmati rice, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on. We want the rice to absorb all the liquid and flavour. After 15 minutes, take the saucepan off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes with the lid on. This will help make the rice nice and fluffy.
- Once cooked, remove the baking tray from the oven and add the vegetables to a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, turmeric brown rice mix and lemon rind to the bowl, stir to mix.
- Serve while warm as a side to your main meal!
Storage
This rice salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Tips & Substitutes
Turmeric is an absolutely wonder spice; however, be warned that it will turn anything it touches yellow (including fingers!). I highly recommend rinsing any cooking equipment that has been in contact with turmeric before placing it on benches (especially white benches!) or resting them on a plate.
Want to add a crunch element? Try adding some slivered or roughly chopped whole almonds (with the skin on) to the salad when ready to serve!
The vegetables can be roasted in an air fryer instead of an oven. Just toss the seasoned vegetables into the air fryer and cook at 200°C / 390°F for 15 minutes or until they are cooked. If using a basket air fryer, shake it halfway through cooking to prevent the vegetables from burning.
Hungry for more?
Warm Indian Rice Salad
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Ingredients
Roast Vegetables
- 1 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1 cup cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1 cup green beans, cut into 2cm pieces
- 1 cup carrot, halved and cut into 1cm slices
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (Note 2)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Turmeric Rice
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric (Note 2)
- 1 cup chicken stock (Note 3)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 2/3 cup brown basmati rice
Other
- 1 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed & drained
- 1/2 tsp lemon rind, finely grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 210°C / 410°F.
- Place the chopped vegetables into a large bowl. Add the white pepper, turmeric, cumin, and extra virgin olive oil to the chopped vegetables and stir to mix.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pour the spiced vegetables into the tray and place into the oven for 30 minutes, stirring halfway, or until the vegetables are soft when pierced with a fork.
- Heat a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the medium saucepan and cook until the onion is soft and golden.
- Add the chicken stock, turmeric and lemon juice to the medium saucepan, increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Once boiling, pour in the brown basmati rice, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. We want the rice to absorb all the liquid and flavour. After 15 minutes, take the saucepan off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes with the lid on. This will help make the rice nice and fluffy.
- Once cooked, remove the baking tray from the oven and add the vegetables to a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, turmeric brown rice mix and lemon rind to the bowl, stir to mix.
- Serve the brown rice salad while warm as a side to your main meal!
Notes
- Vegetables - You can use any vegetables you'd like, just measure out 4 cups using vegetables of your choice. If using asian greens instead of root vegetables, I recommend roughly chopping and sauteing them in a large frying pan until softened.
- Turmeric - Beware the staining power of turmeric, it will turn anything it touches yellow (including fingers!). I highly recommend rinsing any cooking equipment that has been in contact with turmeric before placing it on benches (especially white benches!) or resting them on a plate.
- Chicken stock - Tends to be quite high in excess sodium, where possible choose a stock that has 'reduced / no added salt'. I used one Massel 7's chicken style stock cube (which is also vegan) dissolved in 1 cup of water.
- Additives - Try adding some slivered or roughly chopped whole almonds (with the skin on) to the salad when ready to serve!
- Air fryer - Toss the seasoned vegetables into the air fryer and cook at 200°C / 390°F for 15 minutes or until they are cooked. If using a basket air fryer, shake it halfway through cooking to prevent the vegetables from burning.
- Nutrition - Calculated per serve, assuming 4 serves.
2 comments
Hi Lauren, John here from Vegetarian Recipes Facebook group. This is a wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to make it. I will be trying it in the air fryer. Thanks again and welcome to the group.
Hi John, thank you for your kind words and welcome message. I hope you enjoy it!