Authentic Mexican Rice
A staple in Mexican homes and restaurants both, Mexican rice is a versatile side dish, or as part of a meal stuffed into a burrito, or with a few additions it can be a meal all its own. Easy to make, this flavorful rice dish comes together quickly and is super popular for a reason.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- ¼ white or yellow onion, peeled and root end removed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 serrano or jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise
- Salt to taste
- Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for garnish
Directions
- Start by washing your rice. This will remove the excess starch coating the rice grains and keep them from clumping together when it cooks. Pour 1 ½ cups of rice into a large bowl and fill with water about an inch or so above the rice and agitate with your hand. The water should be very cloudy, which is the starch you’re trying to remove.
- Strain the rice from the water with a fine mesh strainer, return to the bowl, and add more water. Repeat this process a few times until the water is mostly clear. Set the rice aside to dry some.
- Remove the skin from the onion and cut into quarters. Remove the root end from one of the quarters and reserve the rest of the onion for another use. Cut the small stem part off the tomatoes and leave whole or simply cut in half and remove the skin from the garlic cloves. Toss everything into a blender along with the ¼ teaspoon of cumin, salt to taste, and 2 cups of chicken stock and blend well. You’ll add this mixture to the rice after it’s been toasted.
- Place a medium or large sauce pot over medium heat, then add 3-4 tablespoons of oil and heat it up. You can drop a small pinch of rice grains into the pot and if they sizzle, the oil is ready. Add all the rice into the pot and stir until all the grains are well coated with oil. Continue toasting and stirring the rice until the color starts to change to a yellow hue, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently as the color changes. Add the tablespoon of tomato paste and stir to combine well.
- Once the tomato paste is incorporated and cooked for a minute or so, add the blended mixture to the rice. Stir so that the rice is fully mixed with everything and turn up the heat until the liquid begins to boil. Slice the serrano in half lengthwise, if using, and place on top of the rice. Cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat down to its lowest setting.
- Cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until almost no liquid remains. Remove from the heat, remove the serrano, fold the rice into itself, then return the lid and let it sit off the heat for about 10 minutes.
- Now you can remove the lid, fluff up the rice, and serve. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.
Equipment Used
Notes
1) If you choose to try any of the variations in the post above, keep in mind the total amount of liquid that you may be adding to the rice as it cooks. This will add to the time it takes to cook and may affect the texture of the finished rice.
2) If you want to add more heat, add a teaspoon of chili powder along with the cumin, and/or add a diced serrano or jalapeno to the rice as it cooks. Alternatively, you can swap out the fresh tomatoes for a jar of salsa instead.
3) If you’d prefer to use the product caldo de tomate instead of chicken stock, keep in mind that while it is a tomato-based bouillon, it does contain chicken as well, so if you’re looking for a vegetarian option, you’ll have to skip this one. Also, almost all the brands sold in stores contain msg, so if you’re sensitive to that, keep it in mind.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 4gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 138mgPotassium: 186mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg
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