yellow jasmine rice

Okay, this is a pretty big statement to make, but... This is the best rice I've ever had.

Yep. The flavor was simply out of this world. The aroma as it cooked almost gave me a high. Plain white rice is dead to me now.

If you follow the blog you're probably familiar with how much I love jasmine rice. I don't know how I lived my whole life without knowing about it, but since discovering it a year or two ago, I just can't stop. It's incredible. If you haven't tried jasmine rice yet, get to the store NOW and buy some.

Jasmine rice is naturally fragrant and has the most wonderfully rich, mellow, and almost nutty flavor. You can find it at most major supermarkets either in the Asian section or in the rice section (usually on the bottom shelf). It can be pricy if you buy one of those small specialty brand containers but if you buy the actual Asian brand (in large bags, bottom shelf), its just as inexpensive as regular rice. Also check bulk bins. Some stores will have jasmine rice (white AND brown) in bulk.

Anyway, I decided to kick up the jasmine rice by adding a few spices and something magical happened. The turmeric and cumin added to the rich, nutty flavor of the jasmine rice and the little pinch of cinnamon added just a hint of spicy sweetness... like hitting the cymbals on a drum kit. The first bite was so good, I swear I saw angels.

Okay, if you haven't been weirded out by my rice-love manifesto, here's the recipe:




Total Recipe cost: $1.54 Servings Per Recipe: 6
Cost per serving: $0.26
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 45 min Total: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 cups	uncooked jasmine rice	$0.88
3 cups	chicken broth	$0.27
1 tsp	turmeric	$0.05
1/2 Tbsp	minced garlic	$0.10
1/4 tsp	ground cumin	$0.02
1/8 tsp	cinnamon	$0.02
1 whole	bay leaf	$0.05
2 Tbsp	butter	$0.15
TOTAL		$1.54

STEP 1: Heat the butter, turmeric, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir and heat until the butter has melted.

STEP 2: Add the dry rice to the pot. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes to slightly toast the rice and spices. You may hear a slight popping or crackling noise as the rice toasts.

STEP 3: Add 3 cups of chicken broth and one bay leaf to the pot. Place a lid on top, increase the heat to high, and bring the pot to a rolling boil. As soon as it reaches a full boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let it simmer (with the lid in place) for 20 minutes.

STEP 4: After letting it simmer for 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest (do not remove the lid) for an additional 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve!

Step By Step Photos

This is the magical mixture that brought the jasmine rice from delicious to heavenly. Butter, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, garlic, and a bay leaf.


Melt the butter in a pot along with the turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and garlic.


Add the dry rice to the pot. Stir and cook the mixture for about 2 minutes. This will toast the rice and spices giving them a deeper, nuttier flavor. You should hear a popping or crackling noise as the rice toasts.


Add 3 cups of chicken broth... or in this case, 3 tsp (1 Tbsp) of chicken base plus 3 cups of water. I like Better Than Bouillon because it's less expensive than buying cans/boxes of broth and way better quality than the little cubes.


Add the bay leaf as well. Give everything a good stir, place a lid on top, and increase the heat to high. Bring it up to a full boil then immediately turn the heat down to low. Let simmer for 20 minutes.


After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed (do not remove the lid) for another 10 minutes. When I finally opened it up, the bay leaf was right on top, pretty as a picture!


Fluff with a fork and serve!