Nando’s-Style Spicy Rice (Easy One-Pot Copycat)

Spicy rice is the side everyone orders twice: fluffy yellow rice with soft peppers, sweetcorn and peas, warm with paprika and a little chilli rather than fiery. This one-pot version takes about 30 minutes and uses spices most kitchens already have.

Two things make it fluffy instead of sticky. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, and once the lid goes on, leave it alone — no stirring, no peeking — so the steam does the work.

Serve it with grilled or air-fried chicken, or on its own with a squeeze of lemon. This is an inspired-by recipe, not the restaurant’s own, and the site has no link to Nando’s.

Ingredients

• 300 g (1½ cups) basmati or long-grain rice
• 1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½–1 tsp chilli flakes (or 1 tbsp peri-peri sauce)
• 1 tbsp tomato purée (tomato paste)
• 600 ml (2½ cups) hot chicken or vegetable stock
• ½ tsp salt (less if your stock is salty)
• 80 g (½ cup) frozen peas
• 80 g (½ cup) sweetcorn, drained if tinned
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Small handful of chopped parsley or coriander, to serve

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice: Put the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold water, moving it with your hand, until the water runs almost clear. Drain well.
2. Soften the vegetables: Heat the oil in a wide pan with a tight lid over medium heat. Cook the onion and red pepper for 5 minutes until soft.
3. Add the spices: Stir in the garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, oregano and chilli and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato purée for 30 seconds.
4. Toast the rice: Add the drained rice and stir for 1 minute so every grain is coated and shiny.
5. Simmer: Pour in the hot stock, add the salt and bring to the boil. Stir once, put the lid on, turn the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes without lifting the lid.
6. Steam: Take the pan off the heat. Scatter the peas and sweetcorn on top, put the lid straight back on and leave for 10 minutes.
7. Finish: Fluff the rice with a fork, mixing in the vegetables. Add the lemon juice, taste for salt and chilli, and scatter with herbs.

Tips for the best result

• Use a pan with a tight lid. If steam escapes, the rice cooks unevenly; put a clean tea towel under the lid if it is loose.
• For more heat, stir in peri-peri sauce at the end rather than more chilli flakes, so the heat is even.
• Brown rice needs about 750 ml stock and 25–30 minutes on low.
• Use vegetable stock for a vegetarian and vegan side.

Storing and reheating

Cool leftover rice quickly — spread it out and refrigerate within 1 hour of cooking — and eat it within 24 hours. Reheat it once only, until steaming hot all the way through. Cooked rice left warm can grow bacteria (Bacillus cereus) whose toxin is not destroyed by reheating.

Frequently asked questions

What makes Nando's-style rice yellow?

Turmeric, with some colour from smoked paprika and tomato purée. One teaspoon of turmeric is enough for 300 g of rice.

Is spicy rice very hot?

No. It is warm rather than fiery. Start with ½ teaspoon of chilli flakes and add peri-peri sauce at the end if you want more heat.

Why is my rice sticky?

Usually because it was not rinsed, there was too much liquid, or the lid was lifted while it cooked. Rinse until the water runs clear, use 600 ml of stock for 300 g of rice, and leave the lid on.

Can I make it in a rice cooker?

Yes. Soften the onion, pepper, garlic and spices in a pan first, then put everything except the peas, sweetcorn and lemon into the rice cooker with the stock. Stir in the vegetables when it switches to warm.