Ghee rice is a fragrant dish made with clarified butter, and aromatic spices like cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. These spices give the rice a warm, nutty flavor.
These 13 side dishes are perfect for serving alongside ghee rice. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a hearty dish, a healthy dish, or something super quick to make.
The best side dishes for ghee rice are butter paneer, sweet potato curry, or coconut chicken curry. You can also serve spicy baked cauliflower or tandoori shrimp skewers. For a more refreshing option, go with cucumber raita or onion and kachumber salad.
Egg and peas kurma
When eggs are a staple ingredient in your house (like they are in mine), you’ll find this egg and peas kurma recipe a delight. And if you want to make this heartier, add other vegetables such as carrots and potatoes.
Maria uses fresh coconut cream for this recipe, but one recipe reviewer mentioned they’ve had success with evaporated milk and a splash of water.
Pack this delicious side dish along with your ghee rice to take to work, or simply have it at home for dinner.
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Egg & peas kurma
Make it vegan
Cauliflower kurma
Make it simpler
Chickpea korma
Cucumber raita
Cucumber raita is an Indian side dish made from yogurt, cucumber, herbs, and spices. It’s designed to cool down all the spicy dishes you’ve been eating and cleanse your palate to prevent your meal from becoming too heavy.
Panning the Globe’s recipe uses English cucumbers because they have thin skins and fewer seeds, which prevent turning your raita watery. Other varieties like Japanese or Persian cucumbers also share the same properties, so you can use them if they’re what you have on hand.
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Cucumber raita
Skip the yogurt
Cucumber and basil salad
Another Indian classic
Spicy cucumber chutney
Sweet and spicy baked cauliflower
This is a fun twist to your regular roasted cauliflower. The florets are first coated in a mixture of maple syrup, sriracha, and seasoning before baking, infusing them with a spicy-sweet flavor.
The Fitchen’s recipe uses two tablespoons of sriracha for this, which brings the right amount of heat. You can easily adjust it if you prefer a spicier kick.
Serve these sticky cauliflower florets over a bed of your ghee rice for a tasty and nourishing meal.
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Sweet and spicy baked cauliflower
Make it unique
Whole roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce
Fire up the stove
Sweet chili fried cauliflower
Butter paneer
Butter paneer is a tasty treat for anyone who loves the creamy texture and mild flavors of paneer. The paneer cubes are drenched in a silky tomato sauce, that uses butter to make it extra rich.
It’s not great for your waistline, but everyone deserves to indulge sometimes. And you can make it slightly lighter by using low fat cream.
Psst… try adding a sprinkle of fenugreek leaves for an aromatic finish.
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Butter paneer
Make it spicy
Paneer vindaloo
Go vegan
Vegan tofu butter masala
Kachumber salad
Kachumber salad is the burst of freshness your rice and curry needs. It starts with classic salad ingredients like cucumber, tomatoes, and onions. Then you add some chili to make it spicy, and some spices like cumin or cayenne pepper. Lime juice and cilantro are also common additions.
And if you have chaat masala, a pinch will add just the right amount of extra zing (or you can use one of my tried and tested chaat masala substitutes).
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Kachumber salad
Make it fruity
Cucumber and mango salad
Make it different
Corn and pomegranate salad
Coconut curry chicken
This coconut curry chicken recipe takes the humble curry to the next level.
Liza from Salu-Salo uses a combination of coconut milk, tomato paste, and sauce as the base, creating a robust, creamy sauce that’ll have everyone coming back for seconds. This recipe also has the right amount of heat, making it great even for those who aren’t a fan of spicy food.
Whip up this hearty curry to go with your ghee rice for a warm and filling weekend dinner.
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Coconut curry chicken
Make a favorite
Butter chicken
Make it meatless
Tofu tikka masala
Kadai vegetables
This dish gets its name from the cooking utensil kadai, where the vegetables are cooked.
It features a medley of sauteed onions, tomatoes, and assorted veggies simmered in a kadai gravy. This vegetable curry has a bold flavor that pairs well with your buttery ghee rice.
Cook, Click, and Devour’s recipe uses cream to make the gravy extra thick, but you can swap it with coconut cream to make this dish vegan.
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Kadai vegetables
Make it meaty
Kadai chicken
Make it different
Indian tomato-cilantro chicken curry
Tandoori seafood skewers
Tandoori seafood skewers are a lighter, but equally flavorful alternative to traditional tandoori dishes. This recipe uses shrimp, but you can also use a firm fish like salmon or cod, you’ll just need to avoid more delicate fish because they’ll fall apart on the skewers.
These skewers make a nice pairing with ghee rice when you’re not feeling a curry. The slighly smoky flavors tastes great with the nuttiness of the rice.
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Tandoori shrimp skewers
Make it tropical
Seafood, pineapple, and coconut skewers
Make it herby
Lemon and herb marinated salmon skewers
Satay sweet potato curry
This sweet potato curry is another dish I love pairing with ghee rice. It’s hearty and delicious, but won’t break the bank. Plus, it’s incredibly nourishing because aside from the sweet potatoes, it’s also loaded with broccolini and chickpeas.
But what makes this curry special is its rich, creamy sauce made from coconut cream, peanut butter, tomato paste, and spices. It boasts a mildly spicy kick, with a warm flavor that feels like a hug in every bite.
And have I mentioned this is vegan too?
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Satay sweet potato curry
Make it classic
Spinach and potato curry (aloo palak)
Make it extra spicy
Sweet potato and vegetable vindaloo
Lamb Rogan Josh
Rogan Josh is a celebration of lamb.
Lamb is the perfect meat for this curry sauce because it’s meaty flavor can still shine through all the bold spices. But you’ll need to plan slightly ahead, because it’s best to marinated the lamb overnight, to ensure a really tender texture.
Pro tip: this curry also goes really well with kachumber salad, so I would serve this alongside your rice.
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Lamb Rogan Josh
Make it quicker
Pressure cooker lamb curry
Make it lighter
Lamb and spinach stew
Yellow lentils with crispy squash
Looking for another filling and protein-loaded side dish for your ghee rice? You can’t go wrong with this lentils and squash dish.
It’s big on flavor, thanks to the curry leaves and a medley of spices like cumin, chili powder, garam masala, and turmeric. Plus, the roasted squash adds a lightly crisp bite to contrast the soft texture of your rice.
Recipe creator Kylie garnishes this dish with chopped cilantro for color and extra freshness, but you can skip this if you don’t like cilantro.
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Yellow lentils with crispy squash
Back to basics
Red lentil dahl
Make it fun
Lentil patties
Chunky onion and tomato relish
This relish recipe is a delicious way to jazz up your ghee rice. It’s tangy, sweet, and delicious.
And the best part? Everything comes together in 25 minutes!
The recipe from Oz Braai uses canned tomatoes, which makes prep work a breeze. But if you have plenty of fresh tomatoes to use up, you’ll need to dice about eight of them for this recipe.
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Chunky onion and tomato relish
An Indian classic
Baingan Bharata (roasted eggplant mash)
Make it fermented
Gajar ka achar (carrot pickle)
Sauteed green beans
When you need a side that’s light and crisp to balance out your meal, sautéed green beans are my go-to. It will add a nice pop of color, a crisp texture, and an extra does of nutrients!
Green bean last ages in the fridge too, so you can buy a pack to have on hand without worrying about needing to use them within a few days.
I always blanch my green beans before sautéing them to keep the color bright.
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Sautéed green beans
Make it nutty
Green beans with toasted walnuts
Make it spicy
Spicy green beans with chili sauce
Spinach and chickpea masala
For those days when you’re crave something green but satisfying, spinach and chickpea masala will hit the spot. It’s a harmonious blend of nutrient-rich spinach and hearty chickpeas, simmered in a tomato-based sauce with a hint of spice (or more than a hint if you want).
I always add a dash of lemon juice right before serving as well to give it a burst of freshness. And because you can used canned chickpeas, you can have this on the table in 10 minutes.
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Spinach and chickpea masala
Make it richer
Creamy spinach and paneer
Make it simpler
Tomato and chickpea soup
What To Serve With Ghee Rice [13 Sides]
Ingredients
- 1 portion egg and peas kurma
- 1 portion chunky onion and tomato relish
- 1 portion sweet potato curry
- 1 portion yellow lentils with crispy squash
- 1 portion coconut curry chicken
- 1 portion sweeet and spicy baked cauliflower … and more
Instructions
- Prepare your ghee rice according to your favorite recipe.
- In the meantime, choose one of the following sides to serve alongside it.
- Side dishes include: egg and peas kurma, cucumber raita, coconut curry chicken, Kadai vegetables, creamy sweet potato satay curry, yellow lentils with crispy squash, chunky onion and tomato relish, roasted vegetables with garlic and herbs, and sweet and spicy baked cauliflower.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
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