Today I will teach you how to make the signature Nando’s Portuguese spicy rice. If you are a fan of this well-known food chain you will love this post.
One of the things I enjoy the most about cooking is that I can recreate some of my favorite restaurants, takeaway or food chain recipes, and doing it from the comfort of my home. I just love a good copycat recipe.
This is an easy side dish recipe for those days where a simple plain white rice doesn’t seem enough. I like to make it accompany a good piece of peri-peri chicken or the classic fried chicken.
What makes Nando’s Portuguese spicy rice so special?
It’s all about the spices. The characteristic flavor of Nando’s rice comes from a particular mix of 4 spices.
- Turmeric: This is the key to the yellow color of the rice. But turmeric not only adds that appealing color, but it also gives a pungent bitter flavor that gives richness to the rice.
- Garlic powder: This is used to add more garlicky notes to the rice. The recipe includes fresh garlic but the powder version keeps the flavor strong through the cooking process.
- Cayenne pepper: The spicy factor. You can control how much heat you want in your plate by adding the right amount of cayenne pepper. In this recipe, I use ½ tsp of cayenne pepper for 1 cup of rice to get a mild spicy result.
- Paprika: This spice adds that smoky flavor that makes this rice so unique.
These 4 spices will give a punch of flavor to the rice. The rest is some veggies: bell pepper, onion, and peas. Easy peasy!
I hope you like this copycat Nando’s rice as much as I do, and I see you in the next recipe!
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