Perfect homemade Nando's spicy rice

An epicurean adventure to: South Africa

We're big fans of the Nando's spicy rice! But why wait in line at Nando's when you can whip up this fakeaway recipe for spicy rice in the comfort of your own kitchen?

This Nando's spicy rice recipe only needs one saucepan and less than 30 minutes to make, making it a fantastic option for a flavourful, quick and easy side dish to accompany a chicken main. It's great with grilled seafood too!

To make Nando's rice, you'll only need a few simple ingredients, plus our suggested combination of well-balanced spices.

We think it's a pretty close copycat for this signature side that made Nando's so popular, along with their infamous peri-peri chicken and often controversial, yet undeniably witty TV adverts in South Africa - Look them up on YouTube, but don't say you haven't been warned!

What's the origin of Nando's and their popular spicy rice?

Nando's, the purveyor of finger-licking good flame-grilled chicken, hails from the sunny land of South Africa! It all began in the bustling city of Johannesburg back in 1987. Since then, Nando's has spread its wings far and wide, delighting taste buds in numerous countries across the globe.

They are the number one go-to spot for Portuguese-inspired flavours. As their millions of fans will tell you, Nando's spicy rice is the BEST!

This rice is often mistakenly referred to as peri peri rice, but it contains no premade peri-peri sauce, just spices akin to the sauce.

Fast facts - South Africa

Location	Southernmost tip of the African continent. It is bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Lesotho.
Language	South Africa has 11 official languages, including English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Pedi, Venda, Tsonga, Swati, and Ndebele. English is widely spoken and is the language of business, while Zulu and Xhosa are the most commonly spoken African languages.
Population	Circa 60.2 million
Trivia	South Africa is famous for its wildlife, but it's also home to the "dassie," also known as the rock hyrax. These small, furry creatures are often mistaken for rodents but are, in fact, the closest living relatives to the elephant. It's hard to imagine the resemblance!

Key Ingredient notes and substitutions

Chicken stock cube

We use two chicken stock cubes. You will notice that we are adding less salt to this recipe than you normally would for this amount of rice. That's because most of the saltiness will come from the stock.

For a vegan-friendly version, swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock cubes.

Red bell pepper

You can also use long, pointed peppers instead of red bell peppers. Just ensure the amount of diced pepper is roughly the same volume as the diced onions.

Nando's rice is usually made with red pepper, but you can add some green pepper as well if you prefer.

Red chilli flakes

This is a spicy rice recipe after all, so half a teaspoon of chilli flakes will give you a reasonable simmer of heat. Let's call it a medium heat.

If you or one of your guests are a bit spice-averse, you can add less chilli flakes. Or more, at your own peril.

If you want a very spicy rice, you can add a little pinch of cayenne pepper.

Rice

Any long-grain white rice, like Basmati rice, will work. You can use brown rice too, just bear in mind it will no longer be a close match for the Nando's version.

If you are using brown rice, it's always a good idea to soak it in hot water for a few hours before cooking it.

Frozen green peas

We would highly recommend using petit pois for their sweetness. They also look good in the rice because they're small, bright green and compact, unlike normal garden peas that can swell up quite large when cooked, and lose their colour.

This is purely a personal preference, so use your favourite frozen peas!

How to make Nando's spicy rice - Step-by-step

Prepping

1. Start by dissolving the two chicken stock cubes in the 800ml boiling water. Set aside.

2. Chop the onion and red pepper into small cubes of roughly 1cm x 1cm. Set aside.

Make the rice

3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat on the stove top.

4. Add the chopped onions and red pepper to the hot oil and put the lid on. 

5. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened.
   
   You don't want to brown them, so keep an eye on them and give them a stir every minute or so

6. Add the turmeric, smoked paprika, cumin, chilli flakes and black pepper to the vegetables. 

7. Fry for a further 1 minute.

8. Add the dry, long grain rice, chicken stock and salt to the pan.

9. Stir through with the vegetables and spices.
   
10. Bring the water back up to a gentle simmer. Turn the heat down to low, put the lid back on and cook for 7 minutes. Keep it over a low heat throughout.

11. After 7 minutes, stir in the peas. Place the lid back on and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest, with the lid on, for a further 10 minutes.
    
    The cooking time is not very long, so it's imperative to keep the lid on for the final 10 minutes after you've removed it from the heat. It's a great way to give the rice time to absorb all the liquid without running the risk of drying it out or potentially burning it during an 'on-the-heat' cooking process.

12. Fluff up the rice with a fork and serve.

Serving suggestions

This Portuguese rice is a great accompaniment to many dishes, like:

• Homemade peri peri chicken, grilled chicken breast, lemon herb chicken, chicken wings.

• Fish and seafood.

• Coleslaw.

• Sweet potato fries.

• Chips with peri peri salt, or peri peri sauce.

• A fresh, crispy salad.

• Garlic bread.

• Corn on the cob.

• Grilled pineapple.

• Crumbed mushrooms.

• Portuguese bread rolls.

• Perinaise - Mix mayonnaise with Nando's peri-peri sauce.

• Toasted pitas.

• Enjoy it as a main dish by adding some sliced up, cooked chicken breasts to it.

• Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.

• To drink, try Rock shandy or a Nutella Milkshake.

• For dessert, to calm the heat, dark chocolate ice cream.

Make it vegan

Simply replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. Serve with a spicy chickpea burger or a rainbow bowl with spiced grains, hummus and long stem broccoli.

Storage

For safety reasons, cooked rice should be consumed within 24 hours, so the rice will keep well until the next day if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Transfer the leftover rice to the fridge quickly and don't leave it outside in the warm.

Reheating

You can reheat the rice in the microwave. It will need about 3 minutes on high. Give it a stir and give it another blast if it's not hot enough.

You can also reheat the rice in a saucepan on the stove. You may need to add a small splash of water. Alternatively, you can fry the rice in a frying pan - this is delicious, especially if you get a few toasty bits.

Freezing

The rice will freeze really well if stored in an airtight container in the freezer, for up to three months. To defrost, put the rice in the fridge to thaw overnight. Ensure you eat it all within 24 hours. Follow the reheating instructions above.

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