How to Make Portuguese Rice

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

One of the classic recipes of Portuguese cuisine, this Portuguese rice is cooked with bell peppers and spices. This beautiful yellow rice is easy to make and pairs really well with chicken.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (capsicum), chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp dried chili flakes
2 cups rice, rinsed (long grain rice or basmati rice)
1 chicken stock cube, crushed
2 tsp lemon juice
½ cup green peas (frozen or cooked)
1 cup chopped tomatoes (optional)
3 cups water
Salt

Steps

1
Saute the vegetables. Heat oil in a medium-sized pan. Add the onions, capsicum and garlic. Fry for 2 minutes or until the onions become soft. Add chopped tomatoes (optional)^{[1]
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2
Add the turmeric powder, cumin, paprika, and chili flakes. Stir to combine.

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3
Add the washed rice to the pan. Stir. Fry for 2 minutes.
4
Add the chicken stock cube, water, and lemon juice. Season with salt. Stir well. When it boils, reduce heat to low, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the rice is nearly done.
5
Add green peas. Add green peas to the pan and stir gently.
6
Cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed. The cooking time of rice vary depends on the type of rice you used. Long grain rice usually take about 20 minutes to cook and basmati rice will take about 10 minutes to cook.^{[3]
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