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Home » Dinner Recipes » Turmeric Rice with Shrimp

Turmeric Rice with Shrimp

Published: Nov 9, 2019 · Modified: Apr 25, 2020 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

Turmeric rice with shrimp and kale is a simple, one pot dinner made with coconut milk and sesame oil. 

Coconut turmeric rice with shrimp and thinly sliced kale.

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28 minutes minutes 9 Comments

I’m an avid reader of the New York Times and their cooking section is one of my favourite reads. I find so many incredible ideas for recipes and dishes to cook on their website and app. Most of the time, I’ll cook them on my own for dinner (their sheet pan shawarma chicken recipe is incredible) but other times, I’ll use them as inspiration for my own recipes.

Add a “Living Lou” twist, if you will.  

The key when it comes to cooking is finding inspiration all over; food you eat in restaurants, photos you see on Instagram or Pinterest, recipes in cookbooks or publications like the New York Times. 

Closeup of coconut turmeric rice with shrimp and thinly sliced kale.

One day, I was browsing the NYT Cooking app and found this recipe for one-pot turmeric coconut rice with greens. It looked incredible and I knew that I could use a similar method from my one pot shrimp with couscous and create a bit of a hybrid of these two recipes.  

I loved the idea of cooking a flavourful, coconut rice with turmeric and greens all in one pan. 

My Living Lou twist? Well, there were quite a few. I veered away from the vegetarian angle of the recipe and added shrimp. I also added coriander, and sesame oil, swapped out the coconut oil for olive oil and omitted the sesame seeds and coconut flakes.

The first time I tested in recipe, all I added to the shrimp was salt and pepper, but I figured it would do well from a little extra flavour and a quick marinade. The second test was much better than the first test. 

I decided to marinate the shrimp in spices that are already being used in the dish; chili flakes, turmeric, coriander and lime juice. This way you’re not using different flavours for the shrimp and the rice; this is one way to simplify cooking. 

Shrimp marinating in lime juice, chili flakes coriander, turmeric and garlic.

For the kale, which gets added right at the end, I decided to toss it in salt and sesame oil which adds another layer of depth and savoury, umami to the recipe. 

I also added lots of ginger and garlic, as well as ground coriander and chili flakes to really up the flavour in the rice. 

What I ended up with was quite a different dish from the original, but I think you can still see the original inspiration. 

What can I make with turmeric? 

Turmeric is one of my favourite spices, it’s actually a root (like ginger) and you can buy it dried and ground or fresh. Typically in recipes, you’ll use ground turmeric. It has a distinctive bright yellow colour and its flavour is slightly bitter. A few of my favourite turmeric-flavoured recipes are Moroccan chicken soup and coconut brown rice.  

Coconut turmeric rice with shrimp and thinly sliced kale.

Turmeric Rice with Shrimp

Author: Louisa Clements
4.92 from 12 votes
Turmeric rice with shrimp and kale is a simple, one pot dinner made with coconut milk and sesame oil. 
Pin Print
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 18 minutes minutes
Total: 28 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

Shrimp Marinade:

  • 340 g / 12 oz raw frozen shrimp, deveined, shelled and thawed
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric

For rice:

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon coriander
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes
  • ½ teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 396 ml coconut milk, or 1 can
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 2 cup thinly sliced kale
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions

  • Prepare shrimp. In a medium glass bowl, whisk lime juice with canola oil, ground coriander, chili flakes and turmeric. Add shromp, and set aside.
  • While shrimp is marinating, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add turmeric, coriander, chili flakes and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook another minute until very fragrant.
  • Add rice and toast, stirring to evenly distribute spice into rice. Add coconut milk, water, lime juice and fish sauce. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer rice for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, massage kale with sesame oil and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. When rice has cooked for 10 minutes, arrange kale on top, followed by shrimp. Cover and cook another 5 minutes.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!
Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, easy, fish, gluten free, quick recipes
Nutrition Facts
Turmeric Rice with Shrimp
Amount Per Serving
Calories 581 Calories from Fat 306
% Daily Value*
Fat 34g52%
Saturated Fat 22g138%
Cholesterol 214mg71%
Sodium 1108mg48%
Potassium 559mg16%
Carbohydrates 48g16%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 25g50%
Vitamin A 3458IU69%
Vitamin C 51mg62%
Calcium 205mg21%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Let me know if you give this turmeric rice with shrimp and kale a try in the  comments below. 

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4.92 from 12 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. John

    March 13, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    Outstanding! Could be served in the finest restaurants I made with brown rice which required 1 1/4 cu of water and 1 hr rice cooking time. Excellent, but suggest basmati rice the first time. This recipe is a rare find. Thank you! John

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      May 02, 2025 at 4:23 pm

      So glad this was a hit with you John!
      Reply
  2. Lokelani

    June 16, 2024 at 3:17 pm

    I’ve made this many times…with shrimp…with chicken…with veggies. So delicious. How would this work with brown rice?
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      July 01, 2024 at 9:22 am

      So glad you enjoy this recipe Lokelani! I haven't tried this with brown rice, but I think you would just want to follow the instructions for cooking brown rice from the package, and then continue with step 4 for adding the kale and shrimp! Let me know how it goes!
      Reply
  3. Brian

    March 10, 2023 at 11:00 am

    The family really liked this recipe. It's been added to the list of favourites!

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      April 02, 2023 at 9:35 am

      So glad your family enjoys this recipe, Brian! Thanks for letting me know.
      Reply
  4. Shirley Clements

    January 11, 2022 at 12:53 pm

    Wow! This recipe looks sooo delicious! Must try it soon!
    Reply
  5. Sameer S Nilatkar

    May 08, 2020 at 10:49 pm

    Wow what a simple yet great dish to devour. Enjoy your recipes. Keep posting. Also would appreciate if you check out my blog - https://culturekurry.com
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      May 15, 2020 at 11:49 am

      So glad you enjoyed it, thanks Sameer!
      Reply

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Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 14 years.
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