Turmeric Mediterranean rice topped with pistachios, golden raisins, pickled red onions, mint, and pomegranate seeds and drizzled with dill yogurt sauce. Easy, beautiful, and so delicious!
This Mediterranean rice is inspired by the absolutely delicious rice bowls at KG BBQ, an Egyptian BBQ food truck here in Austin. I highly recommend that you stop by their food truck if you’re in the area! They have veggie options as well as a wide variety of barbecued meats if you’re an omnivore!
The rice is cooked with a generous amount of turmeric, a bay leaf, and a touch of cinnamon until bright yellow and fluffy. While the rice is cooking you can prepare your toppings. Chop roasted pistachios (really having a pistachio moment this summer – check out my recent salad recipe) and mint.
Quick pickle red onions if you have time or serve them raw. Make a quick dill yogurt sauce by combining dairy or non-dairy yogurt, a bunch of dill, salt, and olive oil. I like to use a little water or non-dairy milk to thin it out to my desired consistency.
After the rice has finished cooking, throw a handful of golden raisins, mix, and let steam for a moment. I like doing this so that the raisins become moist and plump!
Serve the rice topped with everything – fresh mint, crunchy pistachios, sweet golden raisins, tart pomegranate seeds, briney onions, and creamy yogurt sauce!
If you want some added protein, add in some cooked chickpeas or other beans with the golden raisins. Or serve alongside this Herb Marinated Seared Tofu from The New York Times! From what I know about cucumbers they’d also be a great addition but unfortunately they are the only food I truly dislike so you won’t find them in any of my recipes. But if you like them, go for it!
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Mediterranean Rice
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Turmeric Mediterranean rice topped with pistachios, golden raisins, pickled red onions, mint, and pomegranate seed and drizzled with dill yogurt sauce. Easy, beautiful, and so delicious!
Ingredients
Rice:
- 1 cup of long-grain or Jasmine white rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
Dill Yogurt Sauce:
- 1 cup dairy or non-dairy yogurt
- 1 bunch of dill, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup high quality olive oil
- Water to thin
Toppings:
- 1/2 cup mint, chopped
- 1/2 cup roasted pistachios, chopped
- 1/2 cup pickled red onions (or raw thinly sliced – see note)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add turmeric, bay leaf, cinnamon, and salt and stir until dissolved. Add rice, stir, and reduce heat to low. Let cook for 18-20 minutes (or according to your package instructions) until cooked and fluffy. Turn off heat and add golden raisins and optional cooked chickpeas. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- While rice is cooking, prepare your sauce and toppings. For the dill yogurt sauce, combine all ingredients except water. Slowly stir in water until you reach your desired consistency. Chop your mint and pistachios.
- Serve rice drizzled with yogurt sauce and topped with fresh mint, pistachios, pickled red onions, and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
If you don’t have any pickled red onions on hand, you can use raw red onions. To take the sharp edge off the raw onion, soak the chopped onion in ice water for about 10 minutes prior to using.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Main, rice
Keywords: mediterranean rice, mediterranean, turmeric rice
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