This one-pan sweet chilli vegetable rice is a tasty, colourful side dish that's packed with vegetables and full of flavour. With everything cooked together in one pan, it's quick, easy and ideal for busy weeknights. Add a few pieces of grilled chicken or steamed fish along with a fresh green salad for a simple and satisfying dinner!
This one-pan sweet chilli vegetable rice recipe actually started life as a recipe for oven-baked cod and prawns in sweet chilli rice - and you can find out how I made that under Variations below. Unfortunately, all my final photos turned out blurry, so rather than remake it, I decided to make the rice without the fish (on the stove this time) as a simple one-pan sweet chilli vegetable rice!
Since then, this sweet chilli vegetable rice has become a firm family favourite. It pairs beautifully with fish or chicken and is so easy to make. You just soften onions and red bell peppers (capsicum) in a saucepan, stir in the rice, stock and flavourings and leave it to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Let it stand off the heat for a few minutes (without removing the lid) so it steams in the residual heat, and you've got a super versatile rice side dish.
The sweet chilli sauce adds tons of flavour, and because there are so many vegetables in the rice, you can get away with simply adding your favourite grilled chicken. I like to serve it with this Nando's peri peri chicken, or a piece of fish - try it with these pan-fried fish fillets in a light batter.
Cooking everything in one pan means the rice absorbs all the flavours from the stock and vegetables, making this a really simple and tasty meal.
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Why you should try this recipe
This easy rice dish has a lot going for it - here's what makes it special:
- ⭐ All cooked in one pan - less clean up, more time to relax.
- ⭐ Super versatile - serve the rice as a side dish or stir in some pieces of shredded chicken or sauteed prawns for a complete meal.
- ⭐ Quick and easy - 5 minutes to prep the veggies and about 20 minutes to cook.
- ⭐ Packed with vegetables - a super easy way to get extra goodness into your meals.
- ⭐ Family-friendly - mild enough for everyone to enjoy.
Recipe information
- ⌚ Prep time - 5 minutes - just to prep a few vegetables.
- ⌛ Cooking time - about 20 minutes - 5 minutes to soften the onions and capsicum, and about 15 minutes to cook the rice.
- 🍚 Yield - Serves 4 people
Ingredients for sweet chilli vegetable rice
**You can find the exact ingredient quantities on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**
- Rice. This is white basmati rice. Substitute with any long-grain white rice. Brown rice will take longer to cook, and this recipe hasn't been tested with brown rice (see FAQ below).
- Red bell pepper (or capsicum) - deseeded, inner membranes removed and diced. You could use any colour bell pepper - red, green, yellow or orange - whatever you prefer.
- Onion. Peeled and diced. You could use shallots or red onion instead.
- Vegetable oil (not pictured). This is used for softening the onions and bell peppers. Use any neutral-flavoured cooking oil.
- Vegetables. I used tenderstem broccoli (or broccolini), mushrooms and frozen peas (which I defrosted before adding). You could substitute (or add) other vegetables of your choice - green beans, carrots, or sweet corn would be nice. The vegetables should be finely diced.
- Stock. Use either chicken or vegetable stock. Beef stock would have too strong a flavour.
- Tomato puree (or tomato paste) and dark soy sauce. For extra flavour. Substitute the soy sauce for Worcestershire sauce.
- Sweet chilli sauce. Use your favourite brand from the supermarket.
- Salt - not pictured and totally optional. I find the saltiness of the stock and soy sauce is more than sufficient. You may like to add a little salt to your own taste.
Instructions
Step 1: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and stir-fry the diced onions and bell peppers for 3 to 4 minutes until they start to soften.
Step 2: Add the mushrooms and continue to stir-fry for another 3 minutes.
Step 3: Stir in the rice. Add the stock, tomato puree, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and broccoli (or your vegetables of choice) and bring to a boil.
Step 4: Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and leave for 10 to 12 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat, leaving the lid on. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Stir in the defrosted peas, and if necessary, heat gently until heated through. Serve hot as a side dish with rice or chicken.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your sweet chilli vegetable rice always turns out perfectly:
- Cut the vegetables into small dice. Keep the vegetable pieces small; because they are mixed with rice, we don't want large chunky vegetables mixed in.
- Allow the onions and bell pepper to soften before adding the rice. This gives the onions and bell peppers a head start in the cooking process, ensuring they are nicely softened once the rice has cooked.
- Allow the rice to simmer gently. Once the rice and stock have come to a boil, be sure to turn the heat to simmer before covering the pan with a lid. Basmati rice cooks this way in 10 to 12 minutes, and leaving it to stand, covered and off the heat, for a further 10 minutes ensures it finishes cooking without the chance of it burning on the bottom of the pan.
- Defrosted the frozen peas before adding them. If the rice isn't hot enough once the peas have been added, return the pan to a VERY low heat and stir gently to allow it to warm through. Don't add frozen peas - they will cool the rice too much.
- Fluff the rice before serving. Use a fork to fluff the rice gently before serving. This separates the grains and prevents clumps.
Serving suggestions
This is a versatile dish, and you can serve it in a variety of ways:
- As a side with chicken or fish. I've mentioned this previously, but worth mentioning again.
- Add some pan-fried prawns or crispy tofu for a quick protein-packed meal.
- Stir in some leftover rotisserie chicken for a quick and easy supper.
- Serve a bowl of sweet chilli vegetable rice as a quick vegetarian lunch or light supper.
- Serve warm or at room temperature as part of a buffet or BBQ spread.
Variations
I mentioned above that this recipe started life as an oven-baked rice and fish bake. This is how I did it - you may like to try it!
Extra ingredients: Add 4 raw fish fillets (one per person) - use a firm fish such as cod or haddock -and a 180 gram (6 ounce) packet of raw frozen cleaned and shelled (defrosted) prawns to the sweet chilli vegetable rice ingredient list.
Marinate the fish fillets and prawns in the sweet chilli and soy sauce for 15 minutes.
Combine the rice, stock and tomato puree in an oven-proof casserole (8" x 12" should be large enough) and place it in a pre-heated oven (200C/400F) while you fry the onions. This will allow the stock to heat up.
Fry the onions, bell pepper and mushrooms on medium heat until the onions start to turn translucent, then combine them with the rice and stock.
Remove the stock from the oven and add the chopped broccoli and peas.
Nestle the marinated fish fillets into the dish, and scatter the prawns over the top.
Cover the dish tightly with tinfoil (so the steam stays in the dish) and return the dish to the oven for 30 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is tender. Leave for a few minutes longer if the rice isn't done.
The more tightly the foil covers the dish, the more likely it is that the rice will cook in the time allowed.
Equipment
These are the main items of equipment you will need to make the sweet chilli vegetable rice.
- Medium-sized saucepan (large enough to hold all the ingredients). Remember, rice swells when it cooks!
- Sharp knife and chopping board for cutting up the vegetables.
- Spatula for stirring.
If you intend to try the oven-baked sweet chilli fish variation, you will need a large oven-safe casserole dish. Mine was 8" x 12", or 20 x 30 cm.
Storage and freezing
- Refrigerator - allow the rice to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freezing - portion the cooled rice into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. If using plastic bags, flatten the rice in the bag for easy storage and faster defrosting.
- Defrosting - thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or use the defrost function on your microwave if you're in a hurry.
- Reheating - transfer the rice to a saucepan and reheat on the hob. Add a splash of water or stock to loosen it if necessary. You could also reheat in the microwave.
- Food safety - cooked rice should be cooled quickly and stored safely to avoid foodborne illness. Once the rice has finished cooking, remove the lid and allow it to cool for no more than 1 hour before transferring it to the fridge or freezer. Always reheat rice until it is piping hot and never reheat it more than once.
- Sweet chilli vegtable fish and rice bake. I haven't tried to freeze this dish, but it can be safely stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated either in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
Top Tip
Don't stir the rice while it's cooking. Once the lid is on, leave it on a gentle heat so it can steam properly. Stirring the rice can make it sticky or cause it to break.
FAQ
Yes, you can, but the brown rice will take longer to cook. I haven't tested this recipe with brown rice, but this is what I would do:
- Add an extra half cup of stock.
- Boil the rice (covered) for 10 minutes before adding the vegetables.
- Add the vegetables, turn the heat to simmer and continue to follow the recipe.
Yes, add a pinch of chilli flakes or a finely chopped fresh red chilli to the onions for a spicier version.
Yes, you can scale the recipe to make a larger batch.
You will need 2 cups of stock for each cup of rice. You can double the soy sauce and tomato puree, but I'd be inclined to taste before doubling the sweet chilli sauce. Different brands can be quite spicy, and you don't want to blow your head off! Adjust that to taste!
You will need 2 to 3 cups of vegetables for each cup of rice.
You may also need to allow more cooking time for the larger batch, and of course, a larger pan to hold everything.
Save for later
If you would like to try this sweet chilli vegetable rice, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
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📋The recipe
One pan sweet chilli vegetable rice
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Medium saucepan with a lid
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Spatual
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 185 grams uncooked basmati rice
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper (capsicum) deseeded and diced
- 4 ounces / 113 grams mushrooms finely sliced
- 4 ounces / 113 grams broccoli florets cut quite small
- 1 cup frozen peas (defrosted) optional
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock you can make it with stock cubes
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree (tomato paste)
- ¼ cup / 60 ml sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and stir-fry the diced onions and bell peppers for 3 to 4 minutes until they start to soften.1 medium onion, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 medium red bell pepper (capsicum)
- Add the mushrooms and continue to stir-fry for another 3 minutes.4 ounces / 113 grams mushrooms
- Stir in the rice. Add the stock, tomato puree, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and broccoli (or your vegetables of choice) and bring to a boil.1 cup / 185 grams uncooked basmati rice, 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, 2 tablespoons tomato puree (tomato paste), ¼ cup / 60 ml sweet chilli sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 4 ounces / 113 grams broccoli florets
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and leave for 10 to 12 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat, leaving the lid on. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the defrosted peas, and if necessary, heat gently until heated through. Serve hot as a side dish with rice or chicken.1 cup frozen peas (defrosted)
Notes
- Cut the vegetables into small dice. Keep the vegetable pieces small; because they are mixed with rice, we don't want large chunky vegetables mixed in.
- Allow the onions and bell pepper to soften before adding the rice. This gives the onions and bell peppers a head start in the cooking process, ensuring they are nicely softened once the rice has cooked.
- Allow the rice to simmer gently. Once the rice and stock have come to a boil, be sure to turn the heat to simmer before covering the pan with a lid. Basmati rice cooks this way in 10 to 12 minutes, and leaving it to stand, covered and off the heat, for a further 10 minutes ensures it finishes cooking without the chance of it burning on the bottom of the pan.
- Defrosted the frozen peas before adding them. If the rice isn't hot enough once the peas have been added, return the pan to a VERY low heat and stir gently to allow it to warm through. Don't add frozen peas - they will cool the rice too much.
- Fluff the rice before serving. Use a fork to fluff the rice gently before serving. This separates the grains and prevents clumps.
- Refrigerator - allow the rice to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freezing - portion the cooled rice into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. If using plastic bags, flatten the rice in the bag for easy storage and faster defrosting.
- Defrosting - thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or use the defrost function on your microwave if you're in a hurry.
- Reheating - transfer the rice to a saucepan and reheat on the hob. Add a splash of water or stock to loosen it if necessary. You could also reheat in the microwave.
- Food safety - cooked rice should be cooled quickly and stored safely to avoid foodborne illness. Once the rice has finished cooking, remove the lid and allow it to cool for no more than 1 hour before transferring it to the fridge or freezer. Always reheat rice until it is piping hot and never reheat it more than once.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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