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When you are a gluten free family, you eat a lot of rice (except when you have a child allergic to rice…so glad he healed from that!). It’s easy (especially in your Instant Pot). And it goes with just about everything.
I’m the boring mom that usually just cooks plain white rice (it’s much easier on our tummies than brown rice). Then my family gets to add whatever seasonings they like. My kids usually opt for cinnamon and a little sprinkle of organic cane sugar. I personally like just butter and salt.
Flavor Inspiration
My poor husband was getting pretty sick of plain rice. He grew up eating Rice-A-Roni and was missing flavor in his meal.
I went to my cupboard to see what I could add to the rice for some flavor. There wasa bag of turmeric that I had purchased quite a while back…but never opened because I had no idea what to do with it! I had never even tasted turmeric myself. But I heard how good it is for you.
Why You Should Eat Turmeric
According to healthline.com, turmeric contains compounds called curcuminoids (most notably curcumin) with medicinal properties. It has been shown to be anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant and even a natural painkiller! Turmeric is good for digestion, arthritis, the nervous system and may even help fight cancer. These are just a few of the many uses of turmeric. It’s like a powerhouse herb. [source]
I decided to just take a leap and add some to our rice with a mix of other seasonings. Wonder of wonders…my kids LOVE it! And so does my husband.
They were all hesitant to try it at first. “Why is my rice yellow?!” But after the first bite, they were hooked. And they aptly named it “yellow rice.”
There is definitely no lack of flavor in this rice. And it’s loaded with good stuff from turmeric to broth to liver! It’s so good my mother-in-law served it for the whole relation when we visited for the holidays.
Kid-Friendly Side Dish
What’s even better is how quick and easy it is to make. You can cook golden rice (as I like to call it – sounds better than yellow) on your stove top or in your Instant Pot. Better yet, let your kids cook it!
Simply add the water, seasoning, and rice to the pan or pot and let it simmer.
You can use whatever kind of rice your family prefers. You’ll need to adjust the cooking times accordingly.
Serve it with myAir Fryer Kid Recipe for Chicken Nuggets or Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls!
Kid-Friendly Instant Pot Golden Rice Recipe
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.7 from 3 reviews
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: side dish
Ingredients
Scale
Stovetop
- 2 cups water or broth
- 1 cup white rice
- 1/2 – 1 tsp.turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. unrefined salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. dried sage
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. organic cane sugar
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- optional: 1/2 tsp. desiccated liver
- optional: 1 – 2 Tbsp. butter or EVOO
- add black pepper to taste – improves how your body uses the turmeric!
Instant Pot
- 1 1/4 cups water or broth
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 Tbsp. butter or EVOO
- 1/2 – 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. unrefined salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. dried sage
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. organic cane sugar
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- optional: 1/2 tsp. desiccated liver
- add black pepper to taste – improves how your body uses the turmeric!
Instructions
Stovetop
- Combine the water/broth and seasonings in a
2 quart saucepan. - Bring to a boil and add rice.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice is fully
cooked, about 15 minutes. - Turn off heat and keep rice covered for 5 minutes.
- Add butter or oil to rice before serving.
Instant Pot
- Rinse the rice under running water for one minute to remove extra starch.
- Add the wet rice, water/broth, butter/oil and seasonings to the Instant Pot. Stir.
- Turn on the Instant Pot using the ‘Rice’ setting.
- Allow it to natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Fluff and serve.
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Keep Experimenting
Keep ExperimentingMaybe someday I’ll be even more adventurous and branch out to wild rice or jasmine rice. But let’s not get carried away. Using turmeric was already a big step for this keep-it-simple mom.
If you are looking for a very kid-friendly way to add turmeric to your diet, this is it! Golden rice makes the perfect side with just about any meal. You can also serve it as a base for dishes like this GAPS-friendly sweet and sour stir fry or these simple Instant Pot sweet and sour meatballs.
Katie also adds turmeric to this gluten free Instant Pot mac ‘n’ cheese to boost the color and nutrition, and look at all these uses for turmeric too! This roasted turmeric cauliflower looks especially yummy.
My little one will even eat leftover golden rice cold as a snack. I will too! And it makes a great addition to a lettuce salad.
Adventurous Eaters
I have very adventurous eaters after years of feeding struggles. I’m so glad that they are now willing to at least try just about anything! Including a very colorful rice. If you have a picky eater check out my book Why Won’t My Child Eat?!.
Maybe someday we’ll actually come up with a good name for it besides yellow or golden rice. But so far my kids call it like they see it. As long as they’ll eat it I’m ok with that.
You’re Just *7 Days* Away From Easier Meals with Your Instant Pot
Whether you have a few fav meals in your Instant Pot or still aren’t using it regularly yet, I can show you the secrets to SAVE time (and money) with my favorite appliance!
May I send you my best hacks to maximize my fav appliance so you can spend more time with your family AND nourish them well?
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Have you ever tried turmeric? Would you consider adding it to your rice?
Instant Pot Tutorials:
How to Set Up a New Instant Pot (With Video!)
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(SAVE $$$ ON DINNER OUT!)
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How to Cook Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot FAST
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Category: Real Food Recipes
Tags: contributing, contributing writer, Instant Pot, rice, turmeric
