I had a craving for turmeric soup recently. Initially, I was going to make a turmeric chicken noodle soup. This was a few weeks ago back in February when the weather was still brutally cold and the snow was still deciding whether or not to melt.
I have an affinity for turmeric… preferably straight from the root. I mean, ground turmeric is great and super easy to use. But there is something so satisfying with using turmeric straight from the root. It has a very earthy, pungent smell… not pungent in a bad way.
So, initially I was going to make fresh turmeric chicken noodle soup to soothe the soul. My local grocery, however, didn’t have any fresh turmeric, so, I did what I’ve done in the past, ordered it on Amazon. I’ve actually had great success ordering turmeric root on Amazon. It has always arrived super fresh! Unfortunately, there was a delay in shipping… and then a delay in shipping. And then I canceled it because I no longer was craving turmeric chicken noodle soup. Then, go figure, the turmeric arrived in my mailbox!
Now I had a bag of turmeric root and no craving for turmeric chicken noodle soup anymore! I contemplated making mi quang, my son’s and my favorite Vietnamese soup dish! But, seeing as I posted a mi quang recipe not so long ago, I wanted to switch things up.
Like many of my recipes, I can’t even tell you where the seed germinates. Once again, an idea pops into my head and I start down the rabbit hole, bouncing along flavor ideas, one thought to the next. For dishes like this, when I want to go vegetarian or vegan and need someone to bounce flavors or thoughts off of, I reach out to my vegan buddy and ask his thoughts.
The first thought that popped into my head was making a turmeric rice instead of a turmeric soup. I figured I could just add the turmeric root to the rice broth and it would infuse as it cooked. I prepared the turmeric root with the ginger and garlic. Have you ever used fresh turmeric root? The color leeches like crazy! I’ve smartened up and wear disposable gloves now.
The first step is to peel the turmeric, which is very similar to peeling ginger. I take a small spoon and scrape it along the skin. Ginger I normally scrap away from me, while turmeric I scrape toward myself. Turmeric is more fragile than ginger, so scrape toward myself seems to reduce pieces popping off and flying into the sink.
I like to throw the ginger, garlic, and turmeric in a mini food processor. It’s just quicker and more convenient. But, you can just as easily finely mince everything on a cutting board. As I said though, the turmeric coloring leeches like crazy! If you’re using a wooden cutting board, don’t use your favorite wooden cutting board. Ditto with plastic cutting boards! I don’t use plastic, so I can’t speak to how well the color will rinse off. But, it will definitely stain wood cutting boards. It will eventually wear off, but it does take a few weeks! And if you don’t wear gloves, plan on looking like a 4-pack a day smoker for at least a few days!
So, I lightly fried up the turmeric, ginger, and garlic before adding coconut milk and water for the rice plus cherry tomatoes. By the time the rice was done, it was a gorgeous yellow (isn’t it funny how orange turmeric generates almost neon yellow food?). And, the tomatoes were perfectly burst!
When going down the rabbit hole of flavors, I was initially thinking roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and a garnish of roasted peanuts. But, my vegan buddy said the lack of protein (or enough protein) wouldn’t pass for his vegan groupies. I’ve heard of so many people roasting chickpeas and sprinkling them on salads, so I figured I would give that a go!
I was able to roast all the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and chickpeas on the same sheet pan, divided by thirds. I made a delicious spice blend to toss everything in when they were done baking. I ultimately decided to only toss the chickpeas and sweet potatoes in the seasoning. I love roasted cauliflower with just a little bit of salt sprinkled on top. I personally love the flavor of roasted cauliflower as is! The chickpeas and sweet potatoes, though, are amazing in this light curry, coconut seasoning!
I placed a dollop to tzatziki on top of each bowl and served with pieces of naan. IF you’re making this vegan, keep in mind to get vegan yogurt to make vegan tzatziki. ALSO, store-bought naan is generally not vegan! I mean, naan in generally is usually not vegan! I’m not sure where you can buy vegan naan, but I have no doubt that it’s available somewhere!
I absolutely loved how this dish turned out. I was super unsure when I started. I had no idea how the flavors would come together, how turmeric rice would be, and if this was a horrible idea, particularly when I had no leftovers in the fridge as a back up dinner! Thankfully it was amazing and all of the flavors popped beautifully! I cannot wait to make more turmeric rice dishes!!
Please let me know if you try this! And tag me on Instagram!
Enjoy!
Turmeric Basmati Rice with Roasted Chickpeas, Sweet Potatoes, & Cauliflower
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Vegan, Vegetarian, Indian, Middle-Eastern
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Rice
½ TB coconut oil
3 TBs fresh turmeric root, finely minced
2 shallots, finely minced
2” ginger, finely minced
6 garlic, finely minced
2” lemongrass, finely minced
10 oz cherry tomatoes
1½ cups basmati rice
1 cup coconut milk
1½ cups water
Roasted Vegetables
1 – 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pieces
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, & patted dry
1 small to medium head of cauliflower, cut into medium florets
1 TB curry powder
2 tsps ground cumin
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp cinnamon
2 TBs coconut oil
2 TBs vegetable broth
To Serve
cilantro
watercress
tzatziki (keep it vegan with vegan tzatziki)
naan (again, if keeping this vegan, look for alternatives)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
In a medium pot with a lid, melt the coconut oil over a medium flame. Add the turmeric, shallots, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass. Lightly salt and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the coconut milk and water and cover the pot with the lid. Bring the liquid to a boil (keep a close eye on it because the coconut milk will boil over). Add the rice and tomatoes and stir. Then cover and reduce the temperature to low. Cook for 20 minutes, then turn the heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. When done, carefully fluff and stir the rice.
Meanwhile, arrange the cauliflower, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, keeping them all equally within their own third of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, toss the chickpeas and sweet potatoes every ten minutes.
In a small, microwave-proof bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave ~ about 20 to 25 seconds. Add the curry powder, ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and vegetable broth to the bowl and whisk to combine. When the vegetables are done, transfer the sweet potatoes and chickpeas to a medium bowl and toss with the spiced coconut oil.
Divide the rice among bowls. Add the cauliflower, spiced sweet potatoes, spiced chickpeas, a dollop of tzatziki, and garnish with cilantro and watercress.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!
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