CREAMY Turmeric Rice with Vegetables | Arroz Meloso con Curcuma y Verduras

📝 Ingredients

• 1 liter vegetable broth (4 1/4 cups)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (60 ml)
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 carrot
• 1 tsp ground turmeric (2 grams)
• 1/2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika (1.25 grams)
• 1 cup short-grain rice (190 grams)
• 2 tsp lemon juice (10 ml)
• sea salt & black pepper
• chopped cilantro

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch (0.625 cm) thick rounds, finely chop the onion, roughly chop the garlic, finely chop the carrot (peeled), and cut the red bell pepper into small strips
2. 2Add the broth into a saucepan and heat with a medium heat
3. 3At the same time, heat a large fry pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil
4. 4After a couple of minutes, add the sliced zucchini into the hot fry pan, mix it together, and then mix every 1 to 2 minutes
5. 5Once the zucchini is lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes, remove it from the pan and set aside
6. 6Using the same pan with the same heat, add in the chopped onion, garlic, carrot, and red bell pepper, mix continuously, after 4 minutes and the vegetables are lightly sautéed, add in the turmeric, paprika, and season with salt & pepper, mix together, then add in the rice and mix continuously
7. 7After sautéing the rice for 2 minutes, gently add in the simmering vegetable broth and mix together, then mix every 2 to 3 minutes, as this will help release the starch in the rice
8. 8After simmering the rice for 16 minutes, which in my case was 2 minutes shy of the rice being cooked through, add the sliced zucchini back into the pan and mix it together, simmer for another 2 minutes or until the rice is cooked through, then turn off the heat, add in the lemon juice, and give one final mix
9. 9Transfer into shallow bowls, and top off with chopped cilantro, enjoy!