This Pinoy-style shawarma rice comes with buttery yellow rice, a veggie side salad, and garlic yogurt sauce. Best lunch break meal ever.
This Pinoy shawarma rice is the dish of your lunch break dreams assembled in the comfort of your own kitchen. No meat on a shawarma spit required, either—we cheat a bit by using pan-seared beef tapa. Expect the classics with everything else: steaming hot, turmeric-yellow rice; the crunchy side salad of tomatoes and cucumbers; the drizzle of creamy garlic yogurt sauce. Prep a big batch and you're set for lunch the entire work week.
This recipe has four components:
Kasubha, also known as safflower or Philippine saffron, is a coloring agent used in Filipino cooking to impart a yellow hue. While similar in appearance, it should not be confused with Spanish saffron. Kasubha comes from a different plant, and has a milder flavor and aroma.
Marinate beef: In a large bowl, combine the beef with the soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and cumin. Set aside and let marinate for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
Make yellow rice: Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Once foaming, add turmeric and kasubha to the butter and cook, 3 minutes. Add long-grain rice and stir until grains are toasty and evenly coated with butter, about 5 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover pot and cook rice as usual.
Make side salad: Add tomatoes, cucumbers, rice vinegar, and olive oil to a mixing bowl. Toss until vegetables are well coated. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make garlic yogurt sauce: Combine yogurt, garlic, and garlic powder in a small mixing bowl (or in the plastic cup the yogurt came in). Season with salt and pepper. Taste to adjust seasoning, then transfer sauce to a squeeze bottle.
Cook beef: Heat pan over high heat. Add beef and sear until a crust forms, 2 minutes. Flip to sear the second side, another 2 minutes. Remove beef from pan and let rest on a chopping board for 5–7 minutes. Using a sharp knife, slice the beef into small bite-sized pieces (about 1cm squares).
Assemble and serve: Divide turmeric rice between bowls. Top rice with chopped beef, then add a spoonful of salad on the side. Drizzle garlic yogurt sauce over everything; the iconic zigzag motion is required. Serve immediately.
This recipe has been updated with new ingredients and an improved procedure in 2024. The original recipe was published in 2015.
