Easy Curried Rice with Raisins

Curried rice with raisins is a simple Indian-style recipe made with broth, onions, curry powder and golden raisins. An easy recipe and delicious side dish.

It has a mild curry flavor with a touch of sweetness from the raisins. The onions and parsley enhance the flavor and there are many other things you can do to intensify the flavors and vibrant yellow color if you like.

bowl of curried rice with raisins f

The cooking aromas bring back lots of memories for me. Back in the day, my mother’s curried rice with raisins seemed pretty fancy. Probably not anymore, but it’s delicious and I still love it. My mother served it with broiled or grilled lamb chops. Yum!

Tailor To Your Taste

Here are a few variations and substitutions you can try.

For more intense flavors

  • substitute cilantro for the parsley
  • add a pinch of turmeric, garam masala or an extra teaspoon curry powder
  • use full strength undiluted broth (with just half the water called for)
  • add some heat with chili flakes

Substitutes

  • Broth: Use chicken, beef or vegetable broth.
  • Rice: Basmati, jasmine or any long white rice work well.
  • Raisins: Instead of golden raisins (sultanas), try dark raisins, dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots.
  • Herbs: instead of parsley, try cilantro or chives

Add-ins

  • Add roasted chopped cashews just before serving
  • Sauté a finely chopped bell red pepper with the onions.
  • Add a sliver of butter after cooking for extra richness.

Can I use other curry spices?

If you don’t have curry powder, you can play around with the different spices typically included in curry powder such as turmeric, cumin, ginger, and black pepper (and sometimes cinnamon and garlic).

rice, broth, curry powder, parsley, oil
Easily available ingredients: rice, curry powder, golden raisins, oil, broth, salt, pepper, parsley.
green onions sauteed in pan
Saute onion in butter or oil. Then add  Add rice, curry powder and salt and saute a couple more minutes.
broth and rice and onions in pot
Add broth and raisins. Bring to boil, then lower heat and cook until liquid is absorbed.
curried rice with raisins in pot
Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, add parsley and serve.
bowl of curried rice and raisins

What to serve with this rice dish

I love to serve this rice with meat and chicken recipes like grilled pork chops, chicken with herb garlic lemon smear, sous vide lamb chops, grilled rack of lamb, sous vide veal chops with mushroom sauce, apricot chicken, Mongolian beef (sous vide or grilled), sous vide leg of lamb, and grilled marinated flank steak.

You can also use the curry rice recipe as a main dish if you add cooked chicken breasts, shrimp or meat. For a vegetarian main dish, add tofu or roasted vegetables.

For an Indian-style theme, try serving the rice with Indian butter chicken (sous vide or regular).

  1. Pair the type of broth with what you are serving. Although not essential, I like to use beef broth serving this curried rice with meat and chicken broth when serving it with chicken. For a vegetarian side dish, use vegetable or mushroom broth.
  2. Rice to liquid ratio: I like to use Basmati rice. Long grain white rice and Jasmine rice are fine too. Just be mindful that the liquid-to-rice ratios may be different. For Basmati, I use a rice to liquid ratio of 1 cup rice to 1.5 cups liquid. For long grain rice, I use 1: 1.75 ratio. Be sure to check the package for directions.
  3. There are many other international versions of curried rice if you’re interested – Spanish recipes, French recipes, Mexican recipes, Asian recipes, etc. All on google of course! Here’s a good yellow rice African recipe.

Make Ahead

  • Leftover rice will keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
  • Or make the full curried rice a day or two ahead and rewarm it in the microwave (or the stove top) with a few tablespoons of broth or water to keep it moist.
  • Freeze the rice in a ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 1 month. Heat from frozen in the microwave, covered, with a few tablespoons of water.
bowl of curried rice and raisins p1

If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟with a comment in the recipe card below. Thanks so much!

bowl of curried rice with raisins f
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4.86 from 27 votes

Curried Rice with Raisins

Indian-style curried rice with raisins is a simple recipe made with broth, onions, curry powder and golden raisins. It has a mild curry flavor with a touch of sweetness from the raisins. and great color.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Basmati rice, rinsed well and drained in a strainer Note 1
  • 2 -3 green onions, finely chopped (or 1/2 small onion)
  • 2 teaspoon butter (or vegetable oil or olive oil)
  • 1 1/2 cups broth (chicken, beef or vegetable)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (use more for more intense flavor)
  • salt and black pepper to taste, Note 2
  • 1/2 cup raisins (golden or dark)
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish (optional) (or cilantro)

Instructions

  • See Note 3 for variations and substitutes.
  • SAUTÉ: Melt butter (or oil) in a medium saucepan on medium heat and sauté onion until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add rice, curry powder and salt. Mix well and continue to cook another 2 minutes.
  • COOK RICE: Add broth and 1/2 cup raisins. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low/simmer, cover tightly and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. If rice is too firm, add a bit more broth and cook for another few minutes.
  • SERVE: Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff cooked rice with a fork and mix in parsley if desired. Transfer the rice mixture to a serving bowl and serve immediately. Note 4 to make ahead or freeze.

Recipe Notes

  1. Rice option and adjustment: Jasmine or long grain white rice can be used instead of Basmati rice. For white uncooked long grain rice, add an extra 1/4 cup broth.
  2. Salt: The amount of salt will depend on the broth used. If using low-salt broth, add 1/2 teaspoon salt or more. Start with less, then taste and adjust if needed. 
  3. Variations and Substitutes
    • For more intense flavors
      • substitute cilantro for the parsley
      • add a pinch of turmeric or an extra teaspoon curry powder
      • use full strength undiluted broth (with just half the water called for)
      • add some heat with chili flakes
    • Substitutes
      • Broth: Use chicken, beef or vegetable broth.
      • Rice: Basmati, jasmine or any long white rice work well.
      • Raisins: Instead of golden raisins (sultanas), try dark raisins, dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots.
      • Herbs: instead of parsley, try cilantro or chives
    • Add-ins
      • Add roasted chopped cashews just before serving
      • Sauté a finely chopped red bell pepper with the onions.
      • Add a sliver of butter after cooking for extra richness.
  4. To Make Ahead:
    • Make earlier in the day or a day ahead. Leave out parsley initially. When ready to serve, add a few drops of water, cover (but allow for steam to escape), reheat in microwave on high for about 90 seconds. Or on stove top over low heat, stirring. Add parsley.
    • Make and hour or two ahead: Leave on counter in pot and reheat on medium low, stirring, with a few tablespoons of liquid. 
    • Leftover rice will keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
    • Freeze the rice in a ziploc or airtight container for up to 1 month. Heat from frozen in the microwave, covered, with a few tablespoons of water.
Nutritional information is estimated. 

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 381mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 626IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?We’d love you to rate it above under ‘rate this recipe’ or in the comment section below. Thanks!

This recipe was originally posted in September 2016 and has now been updated with new pictures and information.

4.86 from 27 votes (22 ratings without comment)

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12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night and it was a HUGE hit! I did drop the curry down to 1 tsp and added in 1 tsp of garam masala and some turmeric. I’m not usually a fan of raisins, nor do I usually like sweet and savory together. This recipe, however, was so very good. I also added the roasted, chopped cashews as suggested in her “add-ins”. This will be in a regular rotation in our meal plan!! Thanks so much!

  2. 4 stars
    I enjoyed this recipe the first time I made it, but I loved it the second time with a few additions: I used half the veggie stock recommended, added braised peppers and onions, and taco-vinegar marinated chicken breasts. The mix of flavours was surprisingly delicious! Thank you for inspiring this new dish that is going to become a regular!

  3. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I was in the mood for peanuts, so I tossed them in when the rice went in and omitted the raisins. It worked well.