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5.0 from 3 votes

Nasi Kuning - Indonesian Yellow Rice In Fragrant Coconut Milk With Turmeric

Nasi Kuning is the Indonesian yellow rice cooked in fragrant coconut milk with turmeric. It's a rice dish that often enjoyed on happy occasions and celebrations. But you can have this delicious vibrant looking rice any time.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 5
Calories: 472 kcal
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: Indonesian

Ingredients

  • 1.1 pounds jasmine rice or long-grain rice. Approximately 2½ cups.
  • 3 cups of coconut milk.
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves.
  • 2 salaam leaves see the note.
  • 1 lemongrass.
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder see the note.
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons salt or according to taste I use Himalayan salt.
  • 1 teaspoon Lime juice.

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Place the coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, salaam leaves (if using), lemongrass, and turmeric in a large cooking pot. Heat it to boil at moderate-high heat. Once the coconut milk reaches boiling point, leave it to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the milk is cooked and fragrant. You can see the milk looks shiny with a little bit of oil on the edges. 
  2. Using the steamer on the cooker/ stove
  3. At the same time, wash the rice until the water runs clear. Drain the rice and steam it for about 25 minutes until it is half cooked. Set aside.
  4. Put the rice in the coconut milk and continue cooking until all the milk evaporates. 
  5. Stir the rice every now and again to make sure it doesn’t stick at the bottom of the pot. 
  6. Once the milk evaporates, transfer the rice to the steamer. And steam the rice for about 20-30 minutes until it’s fully cooked.
  7. Serve your Nasi Kuning with all the sides that you like.
  8. Using a rice cooker or an instant pot
  9. Wash and drain the rice until the water runs clear.
  10. Place the washed rice, the coconut milk and all the herbs in the bowl of your rice cooker/ instant pot. Set the cooker/ IP to cook the rice as per manual instruction. Typically, it takes about 25-35 minutes to cook in a rice cooker and approximately 10-15 minutes to do it in an instant pot. It can vary according to the appliance brand. 

Notes

  • Make sure you boil the coconut milk until it’s really cooked and looks shiny. The best is when a little bit of oil slightly separates from the edges. Or your rice won’t taste nice. 
  • If you don't have salam leaf, you can substitute it with a mix of curry leaves and a bay leaf. For this recipe, 3 curry leaves with 1 bay leaf are more than enough.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1g Calories 472kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 45g (15%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 32g (49%) Saturated Fat 28g (140%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Sodium 603mg (25%) Fiber 1g (4%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 5Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 472

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 472kcal 24%
Carbohydrates 45g 15%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 32g 49%
Saturated Fat 28g 140%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Sodium 603mg 25%
Fiber 1g 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.