An epicurean adventure to: South Africa
When it comes to serving a South African bobotie, there’s one side dish that’s an absolute must-have – traditional “Geelrys”!
This classic yellow rice is a staple in Cape Malay cuisine, bringing together vibrant yellow hues, a fluffy texture and beautifully fragrant aromas.
Divinely buttery, lightly sweetened with hints of cinnamon warmth and bursting with soft sultanas. Lekker!
It’s an easy, one-pot wonder. Just dump-and-go – but what comes out is so much more than just a side dish. It’s a taste of tradition.
In South Africa, this aromatic Cape Malay yellow rice takes its name from the Afrikaans term “geelrys,” with “geel” meaning yellow and “rys” meaning rice.
It’s turmeric-infused for that golden-hued colour (not saffron!), making it a rather economical dish – lightly spiced, deeply comforting and the perfect bobotie companion.
A classic South African duo!
For more lavish, zhooshed-up grains, why not try this majestic Moroccan rice, copycat Nando’s spicy rice or this easy Egyptian rice with vermicelli?
What’s to love about this recipe
- Mostly hands-off – just add everything and let it simmer.
- Perfectly balanced sweet and savoury flavours.
- Fragrant, warmly spiced and anything but bland.
- This geelrys recipe is ready in under 30 minutes.
- A heritage classic for bobotie, yet versatile enough to pair with many mains.
Key ingredient notes and substitutions
White basmati rice
You can swap long-grain basmati for any other long-grain rice. Jasmine rice will be too sticky for this dish though.
Can you use brown rice for bobotie yellow rice? Yes! However, soak it for at least 30 minutes beforehand to ensure it cooks evenly and is perfectly tender.
Top Tip
Always rinse your rice in a sieve until the water runs clear – this removes excess starch and ensures it cooks up to fluffy, golden perfection!
Butter
A generous helping of butter gives this South African yellow rice its signature buttery finish – an essential touch that perfectly complements bobotie’s rich flavours.
You can use salted or unsalted butter.
For a vegan alternative, swap it with vegan butter or a neutral-flavoured oil like canola or sunflower oil
Spices
Spices are so essential in this Cape Malay-inspired dish!
Cinnamon and turmeric bring hints of warmth, while cardamom adds a citrusy sweetness.
You can skip the cardamom if you don’t have any on hand, but do try it at least once – you’ll be a convert!
Feel free to use a cinnamon stick instead of ground cinnamon.
Top Tip
Avoid peeling cardamom pods with your nails. Instead, gently crack them in a mortar and pestle, then remove the husks and grind the seeds.
Castor sugar
A key characteristic of traditional geelrys is its subtle sweetness with a buttery finish.
If you prefer a touch more sweetness, feel free to add a little extra sugar! (Or don’t add sugar at all).
If you don’t have castor sugar on hand, regular sugar works just as well.
Raisins or sultanas
Dried fruit in rice? Yes, please!
You can use either sultanas or raisins for geelrys, whichever you have on hand.
After cooking, you’ll have beautifully soft sultanas that add an extra burst of sweetness and even more depth of flavour.
Choice of saucepan
For the best results, use a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, as this helps build steam and evenly cook the rice.
We love using a cast-iron saucepan (Dutch oven), but any large saucepan with a snug lid will work.
Step-by-step: How to make geelrys
- Add all the ingredients and water to a large lidded saucepan, then give it a quick stir.
*We highly recommend using a cast iron casserole dish (Dutch oven), but any lidded saucepan will do. - Bring the water to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted, reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
Cover the saucepan tightly with the lid and leave to simmer undisturbed over low heat for about 12 minutes. - After 12 minutes, take a quick look to see if all the water has been absorbed. A good visual clue that it’s ready is the appearance of small holes on the surface of the rice. If you don’t see any, simmer for a minute or two more.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and keep the lid on tightly. Let it rest undisturbed for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Fluff up the cooked rice with a fork and serve warm.
What to serve with South African geelrys
Although this yellow rice is traditionally served with bobotie – and undeniably the perfect companion for it – geelrys is a versatile side dish that pairs wonderfully with a variety of other mains, like:
- Curries like this Nepalese curry, beef coconut curry, chicken karahi or this pasanda curry.
- Grilled fish.
- Dahl.
- Spicy sautéed shrimp.
- Tandoori paneer or tofu.
Storage, reheating and freezing
Storage
Yellow rice will keep well in the fridge for up to 24 hours when stored in an airtight container. Make sure to move it to the fridge within 2 hours of cooking to keep it safe and fresh.
Reheating
Yellow rice is always best served warm. To reheat, simply warm it in the microwave or heat it in a saucepan with a splash of water. Ensure it’s piping hot throughout.
Freezing
Yellow rice freezes very well for up to three months. To defrost, remove it from the freezer a day before and let it thaw in the fridge. Reheat as instructed and consume within the day.
Yellow rice for Bobotie (Geelrys)
Equipment
- 1 Large saucepan with a tight fitting lid
Ingredients
- 350 gram (12.4 oz) Basmati rice, rinsed or other long-grain rice
- 60 gram (2.1 oz) butter roughly 4 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon castor sugar, heaped
- 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon or a cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 6 Cardamom pods, shelled and seeds crushed in a mortar and pestle optional
- 1½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 6 tablespoons raisins or sultanas
- 800 millilitre (3⅓ US cups) water
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients and water to a large lidded saucepan, then give it a quick stir.We highly recommend using a cast iron casserole dish (Dutch oven), but any lidded saucepan will do.350 gram (12.4 oz) Basmati rice, rinsed, 60 gram (2.1 oz) butter, 1 tablespoon castor sugar, heaped, 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 6 Cardamom pods, shelled and seeds crushed in a mortar and pestle , 1 teaspoon turmeric, 6 tablespoons raisins, 1½ teaspoon salt, 800 millilitre (3⅓ US cups) water
- Bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Give it another quick stir.
- Cover the saucepan with the lid and leave to simmer undisturbed over low heat for 12 minutes.
- After 12 minutes, take a quick look to see if all the water has been absorbed. If not, simmer for a few minutes longer.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and keep the lid on tightly. Let it rest undisturbed for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Fluff up the cooked rice with a fork and serve warm with bobotie or any other main of your choice.
Notes
- Always rinse your rice in a sieve until the water runs clear – this removes excess starch and ensures it cooks up to fluffy, golden perfection!
- For the best results, use a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, as this helps build steam and evenly cook the rice.
- If you do not have Basmati rice to hand, plain long-grain rice will work just as well
- You can use normal sugar instead of castor sugar
- No ground cinnamon? You can add one cinnamon stick to the pot which can be removed once the rice is cooked.
Nutrition
For food safety advice, including guidance on food allergies
What a beautiful recipe for geelrys! I love that it’s been ‘poshed-up’ with butter and cardamom. I can eat the whole pot by myself 😀
Thanks Jessie! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
with the castor sugar, raisons and cinnamon i found this rice far too sweet.
Hi Mark,
Thanks so much for the feedback – I really appreciate you giving it a try! This yellow rice is definitely on the sweeter, more traditional side (especially to go with something like bobotie), but I totally get that it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
You could absolutely tone down the sugar and raisins next time to suit your taste.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment!
Maretha.
Loved this recipe! Just for next time, I’m assuming I can make it in the rice cooker. Do I need to make any adjustments if I’m doing that?
Hi Steph, thank you so much. So glad you enjoyed it! 😊
I haven’t tested this in a rice cooker myself (I don’t actually own one), but in theory it should work since everything goes in together at the start; rice, water, butter, spices and all.
If you do try it, I’d stick to your rice cooker’s usual rice-to-water ratio and just add the rest of the ingredients along with it. The only thing to keep an eye on is the butter and spices distributing evenly, so maybe give it a gentle stir at the beginning if your cooker allows.
If you give it a go, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Maretha x
This dish was so delicious. I made it with brown rice and used raw sugar instead of caster sugar. It made my home smell heavenly. The only feedback I have is that for the brown rice, it took about 30 ish minutes of cooking covered on the stove top (I even had to cook it on a rapid boil covered towards the last 10 minutes or so) in order to get it to absorb the rice. I had to peek under the lid a few times to see if it had absorbed after the 12 minute mark. Other than that, it was divine. I brought it to an African themed potluck. The brown rice became soft and fluffy. I was also told by others that they didn’t realise that I had used brown rice, which is a great bonus as brown rice is so much healthier and was a painless substitute for this dish. Thank you!
Hi Toria,
Thanks so much for your lovely message—I’m thrilled you enjoyed the rice and that it went down well at your African-themed potluck!
Great to know the brown rice worked out in the end, even with the extra cooking time. I love hearing how people adapt the recipe to suit what they have – especially when it turns out as beautifully as yours did.
And that heavenly smell? Totally agree!
Thanks again for taking the time to share your feedback!
Maretha x
Lovely recipe. I did leave out the sugar as didn’t want it that sweet but left everything else as the recipe states. Came out fluffy and fragrant and family loved it.
Hi Diane,
That’s so lovely to hear! I’m thrilled it turned out fluffy and fragrant, and even better that the family loved it. Leaving out the sugar is a good idea if you like it less sweet.
Maretha x
Can this recipe be cooked in a rice cooker?
Hey Gabbi!
Yes, you can! Just pop the rinsed rice, spices, butter, sugar, raisins, salt and water straight into the rice cooker, give it a quick stir and cook on the regular white rice setting. Once it clicks over to warm, leave it covered for 10–15 minutes before fluffing it up with a fork.
A couple of small things to keep in mind:
If your rice cooker has a habit of cooking a bit on the dry side, add a splash more water (about 50 ml) before you start.
The raisins will plump up even more in a rice cooker, thanks to all that trapped steam — which is actually rather lovely.
Full disclosure: I haven’t tested this recipe in a rice cooker myself, but it should work perfectly well with those little adjustments.