Halal carts serve up iconic, brightly coloured yellow rice as a base for their meals. This homemade yellow shawarma rice is light, fluffy, and full of flavour. This method yields perfectly fluffy, never gummy rice. Serve this rice as a base for air fryer chicken shawarma, topped with that iconic white sauce.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Jasmine rice
- Water
- Chicken bouillon concentrate
- Garlic powder
- Turmeric
- Butter
- Lemon
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Instructions
START WITH...
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Rinsing your rice - I recommend rinsing the rice at least three times, for the water to be somewhat clear.
Bring the water to a boil - Bring your water to a boil before adding the remaining ingredients.
Dissolve chicken bouillon concentrate and spices: To the pot of boiling water, add the chicken bouillon concentrate. Stir vigorously to dissolve the bouillon into the water. Add the spices to the water.
Cook the rice: Add the rice to the pot, and top with the butter. Turn the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and keep the rice covered for another 5 minutes.
Fluff: Once the rice has cooked, take off the lid and squeeze the juice of a fresh lemon. Fluff with a fork, and enjoy!
Expert Tip
Do not leave out the fat! If you have ever noticed that the water boils over when you are cooking starchy rice such as jasmine rice, butter or oil will counteract that! Don't leave it out!
Substitutions
- Jasmine rice - instead of jasmine rice, you can use basmati or long grain rice.
- Chicken bouillon concentrate - use chicken broth, or powdered bouillon instead of the concentrated version
- Butter - use olive oil instead of butter, but don't leave it out!
Even if your reader doesn't follow a specific diet (eg. gluten free), they may have friends or family that they're cooking for that could use this. This is also a great idea to link out to another blogger with a similar recipe that fits a different diet.
Equipment
This is what I used to make this recipe - Please be mindful that different equipment and cooking utensils may yield varying results. Most of my favourite equipment can be found on my storefront.
- Sauce pan
Storage
The rice keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days in the fridge. Store in an airtight container.
The rice heats well in the microwave, but you may want to add a splash of water to keep the rice moist.
Looking for more meal inspiration? Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly recipe roundups, straight to your inbox! Follow us on our socials, on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook! If you try one of our recipes, let us know how it was by rating and commenting!
Yellow Shawarma Rice {Halal Cart Copycat}
Ingredients
- 1 cup Jasmine rice
- 2 cups Water
- 1 tablespoon Chicken bouillon concentrate
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ tablespoon Salted butter
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 Lemon
- 1 teaspoon Sea salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Boil the water: Boil the water over medium heat.2 cups Water
- Dissolve chicken bouillon concentrate and spices: To the pot of boiling water, add the chicken bouillon concentrate. Stir vigorously to dissolve the bouillon into the water. Add the spices to the water.1 tablespoon Chicken bouillon concentrate, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- Cook the rice: Add the rice to the pot, and top with the butter. Turn the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and keep the rice covered for another 5 minutes.1 cup Jasmine rice, ½ tablespoon Salted butter
- Fluff: Once the rice has cooked, take off the lid and squeeze the juice of a fresh lemon. Fluff with a fork, and enjoy!1 Lemon
Notes
- Do not leave out the fat! If you have ever noticed that the water boils over when you are cooking starchy rice such as jasmine rice, butter or oil will counteract that! Don't leave it out!
Aileen Susan Hammond
Great recipe. Turned out amazing. made twice in 1 week at my family's request.
Sunena Anand
I am so happy to hear that, Aileen! Glad your family enjoyed it 🙂
Julie Anne
I’m so glad I came across this recipe, I was wondering if it has ever been tried in a rice cooker!! I’ve never had much luck cooking rice on the stovetop.
Sunena Anand
Rice is really just one of those things! If you prefer, this recipe would still come out great in a rice cooker - I just recommend following the liquid ratios that your rice cooker recommends. If you want to give the stovetop version a try though, I find that it comes out perfect every time! 🙂
Kristen
If I don’t have chicken boullion concentrate what would the substitution be for chicken broth? 2c chicken broth instead of water? Thanks!
Sunena Anand
Hi Kristen,
You can definitely use chicken broth in place of concentrated bouillon. You may want to add a tiny bit more salt to the rice, especially if you use lower-sodium chicken broth. Enjoy! 🙂
Arleen
The recipe has Sea Salt; when and where do you add the Sea Salt? When you boil the water? It doesn't say.
Sunena Anand
Hi Arleen! Thank you for bringing that to my attention, I will make that edit right away. You will want to add the salt into the water, at the same time as the other spices.
Jamie
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! I made this in the Instant Pot this evening; equal parts of rice and water (as instructed in the IP manual). Followed the recipe as described. I placed the butter in the IP before the cook. When it was finished I added a splash of lemon juice and fluffed with a fork. Too easy. Thanks again 🙂
Sunena Anand
I'm so glad you liked it, Jamie! I love my IP, too! 🙂