Sri Lankan Yellow Rice with Cashew Curry (Kaha Buth)

About This Recipe

Kaha buth, or yellow rice, is Sri Lanka's festive rice dish, cooked with turmeric, a few threads of saffron, whole spices and coconut milk until each grain turns a rich golden color and carries a subtle fragrance from cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. It's the rice served at weddings, New Year celebrations and other special occasions, almost always paired with a mild, creamy cashew curry rather than the sharper, spicier curries eaten with plain rice on ordinary days. The cashew curry is built for contrast against the rice: raw cashews are soaked and simmered gently in coconut milk with turmeric, cinnamon and a touch of chile until they turn tender and slightly sweet, the curry staying pale and mild so it doesn't overpower the fragrant rice. This pairing of festive rice with a gentle, slightly sweet curry is deliberate — the meal is meant to feel special and rich rather than fiery. Both components rely on good coconut milk and patience: the rice needs to be cooked in a wide, heavy pot so it doesn't turn mushy, and the cashew curry needs a slow simmer so the nuts soften fully without breaking apart into mush.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupsbasmati rice(washed and drained)
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 1 pinchsaffron threads
• 1cinnamon stick
• 4cardamom pods
• 4cloves
• 2 cupscoconut milk
• 1 cupwater
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 2 cupsraw cashews(soaked 2 hours)
• 1 cupcoconut milk(for the cashew curry)
• 1 sprigcurry leaves
• 1green chile(split)
• 0.5 tspturmeric(for the curry)

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the whole spices

   In a heavy pot, briefly toast cinnamon, cardamom and cloves in a little oil until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. 2

   Cook the rice

   Add rice, turmeric and saffron, stirring to coat. Add coconut milk, water and salt, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on very low heat for 18 minutes.

   Resist lifting the lid while the rice cooks — steam trapped inside is what finishes the grains evenly.

3. 3

   Rest the rice

   Remove from heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

4. 4

   Simmer the cashew curry

   In a separate pot, simmer soaked cashews with coconut milk, curry leaves, green chile and turmeric over low heat for 20 minutes until the cashews are tender and the sauce is creamy.

5. 5

   Serve together

   Serve the golden rice alongside the cashew curry, spooning extra sauce over the rice.

Variations

• •

  Add raisins and fried onions to the rice for a more elaborate festive presentation.

• •

  Make the cashew curry spicier by adding an extra split chile or a pinch of chile flakes.

• •

  Use jasmine rice in place of basmati if that's what's available, adjusting the water slightly.

Storage

Refrigerate rice and curry separately up to 3 days; reheat the rice with a splash of water covered in the microwave or on the stove, and warm the curry gently to avoid the coconut milk splitting.

Frequently Asked Questions