Red rice

Red rice is long grain rice cooked with tomato paste fried in oil, until every grain comes out separate, red and glossy. In the homes of Jews from Kurdistan, Iraq and Libya it is the fixed Friday side, and in any Israeli home it is the simplest way to turn white rice into something people wait for.

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Red riceIllustration
Time45 minCook 25 min
Amount8 portions1.6 kg
Per portion315 kcal5.2 g protein · a 200 g portion
Cost of the pot₪11for the pot, about ₪1.4 a bowl

The story of Red rice

Rice was the staple food of the Jews of Iraq and Kurdistan, cooked at almost every meal: white rice with most stews, and rice cooked with tomatoes or tomato paste as a more festive, colourful version, next to chicken, meatballs in sauce or kubbeh soups. Libyan families give their red rice paprika and cumin too, and some add chickpeas.

In Israel red rice crossed every community and became a side of dining halls, weddings and Friday dinners. The same idea lives far away too: in Mexico rice is fried golden and cooked in a purée of tomato, onion and garlic, and in West Africa jollof cooks in a tomato and pepper sauce until it turns red orange. In all these places tomato does for rice what saffron does in Persia: it turns a side into a celebration.

What makes Red rice itself

Red rice is a lesson in rice science, because the tomato paste adds one more variable. The rice is rinsed to remove free starch, the paste is fried in oil until it turns brick red, and the ratio of rice to liquid is exact, because nothing gets drained at the end. After a short cook over low heat comes the rest, when the steam finishes the job. And whoever leaves the pot a few minutes longer on the heat gets a crisp crust on the bottom, the hikakeh of Iraqi Jews.

Red rice for any number of people

Change the number of people and the portion size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per portion.

Portion size
Units
1.6kg of food
3Pot to use, litres
₪11Cost of the pot
₪1.4per portion
315kcal per portion
5.2g protein per portion
IngredientAmountCost
The rice
Long grain rice (Persian or basmati), rinsed500 g₪5.5
Boiling water900 g
The red base
Canola oil60 g₪0.9
Small onion, very finely chopped (optional)120 g · 1 pcs₪0.7
Tomato paste100 g₪3.5
Sweet paprika3 g₪0.3
Sugar, a pinch to balance the acidity3 g₪0.0
Salt11 g₪0.0
Black pepper1 g₪0.1
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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Red rice? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Red rice has 158 calories per 100 g. A 200 g serving made with our recipe has 315 calories: 5.2 g protein, 7.6 g fat and 54.1 g carbohydrates.

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 500 g228 kcal per serving
  • 60 ml61 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs6 kcal per serving
  • 100 g17 kcal per serving
  • 3 g1 kcal per serving
  • 3 g1 kcal per serving
  • 11 g0 kcal per serving
  • 1 g0 kcal per serving

How to make Red rice

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Rinse the rice in a bowl: cover with water, rub with your hands and pour off, 4 to 5 times, until the water is almost clear. Drain for 10 minutes.
  2. In a heavy 24 cm pot with a tight lid heat the oil over medium heat and fry the onion for 6 to 7 minutes, until soft and golden.
  3. Add the tomato paste and paprika and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the paste turns brick red and smells sweet.
  4. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes, until every grain is coated red and the edges turn opaque.
  5. Add the boiling water, salt, sugar and pepper and stir once. Taste: the liquid should be as salty as soup. Bring to a boil.
  6. Boil uncovered over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until small craters appear on the surface and the water is barely visible.
  7. Wrap the lid in a tea towel, cover tightly and cook over the lowest heat for 15 minutes, without opening.
  8. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork from the edges inwards and serve. For a crust, leave the pot 8 to 10 minutes longer over medium low heat before the rest.

The science of Red rice

Kitchen science

Why red rice is rinsed

Rice grains keep a dust of starch from polishing. In hot water it dissolves into a sticky gel that binds grains into a lump. Rinsing until the water is almost clear removes it, so the tomato paste can coat each grain separately. Long grain rice, rich in amylose, stays more separate than round rice, which has more sticky amylopectin.

Kitchen science

The rice to water ratio

Long grain rice absorbs about 1.5 times its weight in water as it cooks, and some more evaporates. At one cup of rice to one and a half cups of liquid, about 1.8 ml per gram, there is enough to cook it with nothing left over. Tomato paste is about three quarters water, so it counts as part of the liquid, not on top of it.

Kitchen science

Steam and the rest

Rice starch turns soft and translucent between 70 and 80°C. After the boil the surface water runs out, and the steam in the closed pot finishes the centre of each grain. Opening the lid lets the steam out and leaves the grain hard in the middle. During the 10 minute rest the moisture evens out, and the grains firm slightly and separate with a fork.

Kitchen science

The crust at the bottom

When the water at the bottom runs out, the temperature there climbs past 120°C. The rice's starch and proteins go through the Maillard reaction, and the sugars of the tomato paste caramelise and speed up browning. That is why the crust of red rice browns faster than white rice and needs medium low heat. Iraqi Jews call it hikakeh, Persians tahdig.

Kitchen science

Cooked rice and safety

Rice can carry spores of the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which survive cooking. When cooked rice sits warm at room temperature they wake up and produce a toxin that reheating does not destroy. So cool rice within about an hour, keep it in the fridge and reheat it only once, until steaming. At an event keep it hot above 60°C.

Red rice in every kitchen

Kurdish and Iraqi

Long grain rice with tomato paste, oil and a little onion, almost unspiced, so the clean taste of tomato comes through. Served with chicken, meatballs and kubbeh soups, with the crust waiting at the bottom of the pot.

Tripolitan

With sweet paprika, cumin and sometimes garlic, and often cooked chickpeas. Deep red and slightly hot, and good next to chraime or mafrum.

One pot with chicken

Browned chicken thighs set over the rice, which cooks in the tomato paste and the chicken juices. A whole meal in one pot, and the pot is meat.

With chickpeas

Cooked chickpeas are mixed into the rice before cooking. Common in Libyan and Israeli homes, and adds texture and substance.

Mexican

The rice is fried golden in oil and then cooked in a purée of fresh tomatoes, onion and garlic with stock. The colour is orange red and the taste gently tomatoey.

Jollof, West Africa

In Nigeria and Ghana the rice cooks in a thick sauce of tomatoes, red peppers and onion with stock and spices. The smoky crust at the bottom counts as the prize.

Common Red rice problems and how to fix them

My red rice came out sticky

The rice was not rinsed, there was too much water, or it was stirred while cooking. Rinse until the water is almost clear, measure 900 ml for 500 g, and stir only once, before the boil.

The rice stayed hard

The lid was not tight, it was opened midway, or there was too little water. Sprinkle 100 ml of boiling water over the top, close tightly with a towel and cook 8 more minutes over low heat.

The rice burned on the bottom

The heat was too high after covering, or the pot is thin. Tomato paste sugars burn faster than plain rice, so use a heavy pot and the lowest heat, and on strong burners a heat diffuser.

The colour came out pale orange, not red

There was too little tomato paste, or it was not fried. 100 g of paste for 500 g of rice, fried in oil until it changes colour, gives a deep red. A teaspoon of sweet paprika strengthens the colour without changing the taste.

The rice tastes sour

The tomato paste did not cook long enough before the water, or it is especially sharp. Fry it for 2 to 3 minutes until it smells sweet, and add a pinch of sugar to balance.

Storing, freezing and reheating

3 days

In the fridge

2 months

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Sprinkle a spoonful of water over every 2 cups of rice, cover and reheat in the microwave or over low heat until fully steaming. Reheat only once.

Nutrition of Red rice

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 200 g portion3155.27.654.11.7
Our recipe, 100 g1582.63.827.10.9
Typical Red rice, 100 g1492.35.222.30.7

What the ingredients of Red rice cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Long grain rice (Persian or basmati), rinsed₪11 per kg₪5.5Supermarket
Tomato paste₪35 per kg₪3.5Supermarket
Canola oil₪15 per litre₪0.9Supermarket
Small onion, very finely chopped (optional)₪5.9 per kg₪0.7Greengrocer
Sweet paprika₪86 per kg₪0.3Supermarket
Black pepper₪139 per kg₪0.1Supermarket
Salt₪2.1 per kg₪0Supermarket
Sugar, a pinch to balance the acidity₪5.5 per kg₪0Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Red rice and its culture

On Friday in a Kurdish or Iraqi home the pot of rice stands in the middle, and its colour says this is a festive meal, not a weekday one. The hikakeh, the crisp crust from the bottom, is part of the ritual: some families share it out in turns, and in others it is kept for grandfather.

Red rice is one of the most common sides at events and office lunches in Israel, because it holds its colour, stays separate in a hot tray and suits any main course, meat, fish or vegetarian. In communities of Iraqi Jews in London and the United States it remains the taste of Friday at home.

Make Red rice a meal

Shabbat

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Hosting

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Tray planner
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Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Red rice

Serve with chicken, meatballs in sauce, fish or stuffed vegetables, with a chopped vegetable salad. In Kurdish and Iraqi homes it also comes with kubbeh soups, and on a Friday table next to any dish with a sauce.

The cuisine behind Red rice

Kurdish

Kurdish cuisine

Rice was the staple food of the Jews of Iraq and Kurdistan, cooked at almost every meal: white rice with most stews, and rice cooked with…

Kurdish cuisine
Iraqi

Iraqi cuisine

Iraqi cuisine
Libyan

Libyan cuisine

Libyan cuisine

Red rice in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 200 g portion. For trays, catering and community kitchens.

Guestskg of food3 kg traysCost of ingredients
255.02₪34
50104₪69
100207₪137
2004014₪275
50010034₪687

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Red rice

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Red rice

Order Red rice for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

How do you make red rice?

Rinse long grain rice, fry chopped onion and tomato paste in oil until the paste changes colour, add the rice, boiling water and salt, and cook covered over low heat for 15 minutes plus a 10 minute rest. The ratio: 500 g of rice, 100 g of tomato paste and 900 ml of water.

How much tomato paste goes into red rice?

About 100 g of paste for every 500 g of rice, roughly 2 heaped tablespoons per cup of rice. Less gives orange rice, more gives heavy, sour rice.

What is the rice to water ratio for red rice?

One cup of rice to one and a half cups of water, about 1.8 ml of water per gram of rice, with the tomato paste counted as part of the liquid. For rice soaked in advance, use about a quarter cup less water per cup of rice.

What is the difference between red rice and red whole grain rice?

Home red rice is white rice cooked in tomato paste. Red whole grain rice is a variety whose bran is naturally red; it cooks for 30 to 40 minutes in more water and tastes nutty, not of tomato.

Can red rice be made with chicken in one pot?

Yes. Brown skin on chicken thighs in a wide pot and lift them out, fry the onion and tomato paste in the fat, add the rice and 10 per cent more water, set the chicken on top and cook covered over very low heat for about 35 minutes. The pot is meat.

Should rice for red rice be soaked?

Not necessarily. Rinsing until the water is almost clear is enough. A 20 minute soak gives longer, more whole grains, and then you use a little less water.

How much red rice do I need for 50 people?

As a side allow about 180 g cooked per person, so about 9 kg of red rice for 50 people, which is about 2.8 kg of uncooked rice and about 560 g of tomato paste. In a large pot use a little less water, because less liquid evaporates.

How many calories are in Red rice?

A 200 g portion of Red rice made with our recipe has about 315 calories and 5.2 g of protein. Per 100 g: 158 calories.

How much does it cost to make Red rice at home?

A tray or pot of 8 portions costs about ₪11 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪1.4 a portion. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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