Curry Rice-A-Roni with Craisins

I love rice. I always have, I always will. As kids, it would show up on our table at various times of day. We’d eat it for breakfast with a little butter and sugar. We’d eat it at dinner as a side dish. So it is no wonder, that it regularly has a place on my table.

As a kid one of the places rice would show up in our house was as rice pilaf–specifically Rice-A-Roni. I won’t lie. I love rice pilaf. There is something about that toasty vermicelli with flavored rice that just gets my taste buds singing. I don’t know if my parents bought Rice-A-Roni because it was cheap, because it was easy, or because it was the San Francisco Treat (they were from the Bay Area), but I remember that famous red box with the trolley in our kitchen many times throughout my childhood. (And I’m not complaining!)

Like all products and brands, Rice-A-Roni has an interesting backstory. It exists because of a Canadian bride, an Italian-American pasta family and an Armenian-genocide survivor. That is a story for another day, but you can read about it here if you are curious about its origins.

So, homemade Curry Rice-A-Roni with Craisins. How did that come about? I was needing a side dish last night for dinner to go with our grilled chicken. I decided rice pilaf (or Rice-A-Roni) sounded good. Yet, we didn’t have any on hand. Thinking about it for two minutes, I didn’t see why I couldn’t make a homemade Rice-A-Roni. I had pasta and rice on hand. I have made Rice-A-Roni enough times in my life that I had the technique down. So it was just a matter of seasoning it.

I planned to do the a more traditional “Chicken and Garlic” flavored homemade Rice-A-Roni until my husband came in, mid dinner prep and asked if I’d make a curry chicken dinner. Ummm. No. Wheels were in motion for grilled chicken with rice pilaf. All dinner suggestions need to be submitted by noon. (Just kidding! But not really.) While I didn’t have time to switch gears and make a curry sauce, I thought about it and decided I could do a curry rice. Why not? It would turn my pilaf into more of a Rice-A-Roni / Briyani mashup.

I was three-fourths of the way through my Curry Rice-A-Roni preparation when my husband decided to continue making game-changing requests. Can you add Golden Raisins? Ummm. No. We were out. We only had regular raisins and the kid won’t eat the rice if there are raisins in it. However, I know my kid MIGHT eat it if there are Craisins. So in they went instead.

Fifteen short minutes later I had a flavorful side dish that will be in regular rotation at our house. It has the flavor profile of a Briyani (without the work!) and the toasted texture and goodness of rice pilaf. I don’t know why Rice-A-Roni doesn’t have a curry flavor in their product offering–I mean, they have Buffalo Chicken but not Curry?! C’mon–but I’ll be skipping the box for homemade going forward anyway. Homemade is so easy, I’ll be coming up with my own flavor combinations in the future. Stay tuned!

Curry Rice-A-Roni with Craisins

Recipe by Kacey Baxter, Oven and SpiceCourse: SidesCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

This homemade take on the popular “San Francisco Treat” combines the flavors of Indian Briyani with an Armenian pilaf. It is just as easy as opening a red box of the stuff from the Bay Area, but packs a lot more flavor. It makes a great side dish to chicken, veggie kebabs or anything else you can think of!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 cup spaghetti or vermicelli, broken into 1/2 inch pieces

• 3/4 cups long grain white rice

• 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base*

• 2 cups water

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 3/4 teaspoon Garam Masala

• 3/4 teaspoon Curry Powder*

• 1/4 cup Craisins

Directions

• Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the pasta and rice and cook until the pasta is browned, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, Garam Masala and Curry Powder to the pan and stir to combine. Allow to cook about 30 seconds before adding in the Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base. Cook for 30 seconds longer to warm base, stirring constantly. Then poor in water.
• Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir one last time. Add Craisins. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low.
• Cook for approximately 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve. Enjoy!

Notes

• * My favorite all-purpose curry powder is “The Now Curry” by Penzey’s.
• * Better Than Bouillon’s Vegetable Base can be substituted to keep it vegetarian friendly.