The Mexican cuisine is characterized by dishes having concentrated and spicy flavors. It is appreciated very much by people who like these strong food. If you are one of them in this post you will find a special recipe of Mexican rice that you are going to love.
It is a delicious recipe perfect to accompany any other preparation of the Mexican gastronomy. It is also an ideal recipe for patriotic celebrations, since Mexicans really like to prepare dishes allegorical to these festivities. Indeed, this Mexican rice recipe is so representative of the cuisine of Mexico as this rice can be perfectly served to accompany or fill the classic tacos or burritos among others.
Let’s go to the kitchen
Below you’ll find the ingredients and directions to cook this rice, as well as some particular and interesting recommendations to enhance the preparation.
Ingredients
To prepare this savory recipe make sure you have at hand all the necessary ingredients, namely:
- 1 1/2 cup of white rice.
- 2 tomatoes, cut into 4.
- 1 1/2 cup of chicken broth. In case you do not have, you can use warm water.
- 2 tablespoons of oil.
- 1 small onion, coarsely chopped.
- 2 cloves garlic.
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.
- 1 jalapeño bell pepper.
- Salt to taste.
- Chopped cilantro for garnish.
Preparation
It is really simple rice, but delicious that all your guests will want to repeat. Below are the easy-to-follow steps for cooking this rice:
- First place the tomatoes and onion in a blender or food processor. They should be completely ground.
- Then remove the seeds from the jalapeño and cut it into small squares.
- Next heat a pot with two tablespoons of oil for one minute.
- Add the rice and let it cook for a while, stirring so that it does not stick.
- When the rice takes another color it is ready, this takes about 3 to 5 minutes approximately.
- Then add the finely chopped garlic cloves and the jalapeño.
- Stir for a minute.
- Add the tomato and onion mixture, the chicken broth or water, plus the tablespoon of tomato paste.
- Finally, add salt to taste.
- Cover the pot and cook over medium low heat for 25 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
- Make sure the rice does not overcook.
- Once ready, serve with chopped fresh cilantro on top
This recipe may require a preparation time of 10 mins and for the cooking time, it will take 25 mins. For more details about the preparation, you can visit https://minuterice.com/recipes/mexican-rice/ to get precise information about it.
Chef’s Tips
In this section, we would like to give you some useful tips to prepare the perfect Mexican rice. With them, you will have a more optimal result of your recipe and for a better enjoyment of it.
First, it should be taken into account that Red Rice is a favorite side dish. Therefore, it is perfect to accompany different food, like meat, chicken, pork and fish stews. Also, you can add vegetables such as peas, yellow corn and carrots.
In case you have tried to cook it, but the beans are hard or, on the contrary, too watery, stuck to the bottom of the pot, or lacking flavor, don’t worry. Here there are some tips to cook the perfect Mexican rice:
- It is important to measure the amount of rice you are going to use before washing it. Remember that one cup of rice is two cups of water or in this case, two cups of tomato broth.
- Then, you have to wash it, but do not let it soak. All you have to do is put it in a bowl, add water and strain it immediately.
- Dry the rice, after straining it. For that, you place it on paper towels and dry it as best as you can.
- Next, fry it, since this will help to cook the grain better, add flavor and prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Here you can also add vegetables.
- Remember to use frozen or natural peas and yellow corn. Avoid using the one that comes in a can. When cooking it you run the risk of overcooking and watering it down.
- Chop the carrot the same size as the peas and corn kernels. This will help the vegetables to cook evenly.
- Add chicken broth. You can use plain water but the broth will give it a better flavor. You can also use powdered chicken broth diluted in boiling water.
- Prepare the broth separately. Blend onion, tomato, garlic, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Once the rice is fried, add the broth, stir and boil covered for 30 minutes.
- Rectify the amount of salt before boiling and cover the pot, this will prevent it from becoming unpalatable.
- Avoid moving the rice after you have cooked it. After cooking it covered for 30 minutes, remove the lid, check that there is no water left at the bottom, cover it again with the heat off and let it rest for 10 more minutes. Move it carefully using a fork.
More about this recipe
You will find in some regions that this Mexican rice is considered a super traditional dish in Mexican food. As it is well known, in Mexico, rice is consumed a lot and, like beans, it is usually a complement to all their daily meals.
Very probably you may find they crave it for breakfast with some delicious fried eggs with salt and pepper, and some chilitos or salsita to give it a spicy touch.
Also, one of the determining characteristics of Mexican cuisine is the variety of colors. To this respect, the Mexican rice, also known as Red Rice, is precisely one of the rice dishes that contribute to this characteristic and although white rice is a delight in itself and works perfectly as a garnish, Mexican rice gives us more seasoning, and therefore, more flavor.
A frequent question about this recipe is what is the perfect Mexican rice like? Well, it is fluffy, with the grains whole and soft but not beaten or burnt. Also, it shows an attractive, uniform red color throughout the rice, seasoned and cooked to perfection.
