Next Post
Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas is the best bowl of (healthy) comfort food. Kind of like soup, similar to a stew, but creamier with more rice. Turmeric infused golden rice made creamy with coconut milk and made “soupy” with a bit more broth than usual. Top each bowl of souper golden rice with spiced, extra crispy chickpeas, and a dollop of creamy yogurt. The perfect bowl of warming comfort food that’s also healthy and quickly made on the stove in less than an hour. Just be sure to serve with a side of fresh naan for a bowl of (easily made vegan) comfort food.
Starting the week off on a healthy, but still cozy, note with this Indian..ish inspired recipe. Somehow it’s already the second week of February and I know many of you have spring on your minds. Here in Colorado, it’s still very much winter, and very, very much comfort food kind of weather.
That said, we’re coming off a weekend of enjoying way too much ski resort food, meaning lots of french fries and cocktails, after watching my younger brother, Red, compete (and win!!!) at the Dew Tour on Saturday. I will share more details and photos in Sunday’s Favorites post, but I will say that it was such a special weekend and everyone soaked up the time together. I know I’ve said it before, but being able to watch both Malachi and Red achieve their goals, and do it together, makes me the happiest, proudest sister.
Anyway, a fun weekend spent snowboarding and eating with family means that colorful recipes full of food with all things good for us are very much needed today.
Enter this “souper” creamy golden rice. This is the ultimate bowl of healthy comfort food that’s truly just as delicious as a bowl of cheesy pasta. That’s saying a lot coming from the girl who loves both cheese and pasta more than most.
It. Is. SO GOOD. Creamy, herby, perfectly spiced, and topped with addictingly delicious crispy chickpeas…and served with naan. Of course.
Ingredients
- Salted butter
- Ground turmeric
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Long grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati
- Full fat coconut milk
- Low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- Kosher salt
- Greens such as kale, chard, or spinach
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chickpeas
- 4 cloves garlic
- Shallots
- Ground ginger
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
- Raw sesame seeds
- Fresh mint or cilantro
- Toasted naan, Greek yogurt, red harissa sauce for serving
The inspiration.
Growing up my mom would make what she called “souper rice”. Basically, it was cream of chicken soup plus a whole lot of rice. So much rice that you really couldn’t call it soup anymore…enter “souper rice”. To this day she still recalls it as one of her favorite childhood comfort foods.
I drew inspiration from mom’s souper rice and created a more Indian inspired version, made with coconut milk for extra creaminess. It’s not quite the same as mom’s canned soup version (thankfully), but it’s just as delicious. Different, but delicious.
Here is how you make this creamy golden rice.
First up, the rice. GOLDEN RICE, I’m all about some golden rice. It’s simple. Just melt a little butter, add in some turmeric, crushed red pepper, canned coconut milk (preferably full fat for extra creaminess), and water. Once boiling, stir in the rice, then add plenty of greens, cover and let the rice steam until cooked.
For the greens, you can really use whatever greens you love most. My top choices are kale, spinach, or chard. The greens steam with the rice, so you don’t even have to worry about cooking them. It’s so easy.
While the rice is cooking, you should make the chickpeas, and trust me, you do NEED the chickpeas. They add not only heartiness but a nice crunch and plenty of good flavor to this creamy rice. They’re salty, savory, and just a little hard to stop eating. Kind of like a healthier chip with crispy shallots, nutty coconut, and toasty sesame seeds too.
The secret to souper golden rice?
Once the rice is cooked, stir in a splash more broth to make the rice on the soupy side. As you are stirring, smells of turmeric, coconut, and butter will quickly hit your nose.
It’s wonderful.
Remove the rice from the heat, and simply top with a dollop of yogurt, those spiced crispy chickpeas, and plenty of fresh mint or cilantro. At this point, you should eat immediately. This dish is meant to be on the soupy side, meaning there should still be broth around the rice. The rice will soak up the broth if it sits too long. So enjoy it right away, it will be just perfect.
So much flavor. Extra creamy. A touch crunchy. So delicious.
How are the leftovers?
The leftovers are just as good, but a little different. Even though this is best right off the stove, the leftovers are still so delicious. The rice becomes more like risotto and when heated up, makes for the perfect lunch the next day. Love a dish that you can enjoy for dinner one night and lunch the following day!
If you’d like to make this a little heartier, try adding a fried or soft boiled egg. Or serve alongside last week’s lemon garlic chicken. That would be so good.
And that’s it. The simplest, healthy bowl of winter comfort food. Hope you all enjoy!!
If you make this creamy golden rice with spiced chickpeas, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Souper Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1080 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter (using vegan butter or olive oil, if desired)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups long grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati
- 1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- 2-2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 2 cups roughly torn greens such, as kale, chard, or spinach
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- 2-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup fresh mint or cilantro
- toasted naan, Greek yogurt, and red harissa sauce, for serving
Instructions
- 1. To make the rice. Melt the butter, turmeric, and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium pot over high heat. Add the rice and toss to coat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of broth, the coconut milk, and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the greens on top of the rice, but do not stir. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 10 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, make the chickpeas. Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, chickpeas, garlic, shallots, ginger, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chickpeas are crisped all over, about 8-10 minutes. Add the coconut flakes and sesame seeds, tossing to combine. Cook 2 minutes, until toasted, remove from the heat.3. When the rice is cooked, switch the heat onto low, add additional broth 1/2 cup at a time until the rice is creamy, but with just a touch of liquid. Taste, adding salt as needed.4. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and spoon the chickpeas overtop. Serve with naan, yogurt, and fresh mint or cilantro. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on February 10, 2020
Hi!!
Can I substitute with quinoa ??
Hi Natasha! Love that idea. I am sure quinoa will be great!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I made this for the second time, and it is so delicious!! I added turkey meatballs for my hubby. By two year old practically ate all the yummy chickpeas! So so good!
Aw that is so great! Thank you Elizabeth! xTieghan
When I saw this recipe posted, I knew I was going to love it! I finally got around to making it tonight and it was just as good as i expected. Used an onion in place of the shallot. Like a few others noted, I will use two cans of chickpeas next time to have more of the crispy topping. I used kale, which has such a hearty texture, which I think I would prefer over spinach. This is definitely going in the rotation.
Thank you so much Rachel! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This is goooood. It’s very simple but super delicious and filling. The rice would be so yum as a side with nearly anything.
Thanks for another winner!
Thank you Amanda! xTieghan
OMG, I just made this on a rainy day down in Australia and its so delicious! Will definitely be making multiple times again!! Thanks Tieghan 🙂
Thank you Alice! I am so glad you’re loving this recipe! xTieghan
I really liked how light, but filling this recipe was. The only suggestion is in step 2 add the oil and chickpeas for a few minutes first and then add the garlic and shallots. With adding them all at the same time and trying to allow the chickpeas to crisp by only stirring occasionally, the shallots and garlic got overcooked and bitter overtaking the other flavors. Even so, my husband said we definitely should make it again!
Hi Maddie! I am so glad this turned out so well for you both! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Hi! I’ve tested out the rice in the instant pot and figured it out for those asking – Soaked the rice in filtered water for 10 mins Then strained, sautéed the butter, rice, turmeric and red pepper for just a few minutes to toss around. Turned off and added full can of coconut milk and one cup of vegetable broth. Mixed, added the torn greens on top, sealed top and set to pressure cook high for 6 minutes. Allow natural steam release. Came out perfect and fluffy. I’ve made this dish a few times on the stove, but this came out just as good.
Hi Ana! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
Ok this dish is insane, I 100% recommend it. I topped it off with Greek yogurt and harissa like suggested, and it put this rice over the top, definitely do not skip adding those two things! The only substitutions I made was that I just used grated fresh ginger instead of ginger powder and lite coconut milk instead of regular. I really really love this dish!
Thank you so much Rianne! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was so good! I was also using brown rice and discovered the comments while cooking,so my rice was more creamy than brothy. Still amazing. I’m even excited for the leftovers!!
Amazing! Thank you so much for trying this Whitney! xTieghan
I made this last night for my in-laws and it was a HUGE hit! It’s perfectly spiced – rich and flavorful without having too much heat for folks with sensitive palates. I also love the textures. I tend to not like soggy rice dishes like risottos because they can taste bland and monotonous, but the crispy chickpeas and crunchy coconut flake mixture in this recipe paired amazingly with the rice and made it impossible to get tired of eating this. Also, the turmeric and coconut milk made the rice deliciously tasty on its own! The greek yogurt and cilantro toppings lifted it and added some tang. HIGHLY recommend!
As a side note, I just want to gush and say how obsessed I am with your blog, Tieghan! I’ve gotten a few friends and family members hooked on your work, too. My wife and I eat vegetarian at home, and I love how flavorful, interesting, and filling your vegetarian entrees are! I’m sure your meat dishes are wonderful too, but thank you for posting so many delicious veggie-friendly recipes for us!
Hi Amanda! Wow I am so happy this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it and I hope you continue to enjoy some other vegetarian recipes!! xTieghan
This was sooo good and the pictures are fantastic.
Thank you so much! xTieghan
would just like to say, I accidentally used smoked paprika in place of the turmeric because the spices look similar and have the same container in my house…The result was amazing and I can’t say I was upset about how it turned it out. I will try it with Turmeric next time. Great Recipe though.
Haha so glad you still enjoyed this Jeff! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi!
Don’t you just love it when you see a recipe that you like and realise you have all the ingredients??
Made this last night for the fam. I loved it! and so did the kids. I made a vegan version with vegan butter and coconut yogurt.
It was delish!
My significant other suggested to add dried raisins (he’s moroccan – they love sweet and salty dishes). Told him I will make a little bit on the side for him next time.
Thanks for the recipe. ??
Ahh yes that is the best feeling!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you all! Thank you for trying it Nat! xTieghan
I made this tonight, delicious!!! Loved all the layers of textures and flavors.
That is so great to hear! Thank you for trying this Katie! xTieghan
I roasted the chickpeas with sweet potatoes, inspired by your Kale Caesar Salad. So delicious!
Yum! So glad this turned out so well for you Amy! Thank you! xTieghan