Authentic Mexican Rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 cups cold water
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1 small roma tomato, chopped into about 4 pieces
hot pepper, sliced lengthwise (I use jalapeno)
1/4 cup (little less) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon comino seeds (cumin) ground into powder
1 tablespoon vegan chicken bouillon
salt, to taste
1. Put olive oil into a medium-sized pot and heat to a medium temperature. Add the rice and brown in the oil. Make sure all the rice is lightly coated with the oil.
2. You do not have to stir the rice around very much at first, while browning, but as the rice becomes browner you want to be stirring it around to make sure it all browns evenly and doesn't burn. It will turn brown. It's not burning unless it's turning dark/black. Towards the end of the browning, add the garlic so that it is sauteed/browned.
3. Next, dump the water on the rice (it will steam up loudly) and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and cover (with a small air escape). Reduce heat to medium-low to medium, and let cook for 20-30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes.The essential part of this recipe is do not peek while the rice is cooking.
4. When it is ready, all the water will be absorbed, the rice will fluff, and each grain will be split open because of the browning. It should be dry, not saucy. You can adjust the spices/peppers to your taste.
Goes great with any manner of Mexican beans or as a side dish to Mexican entrees such as tacos, enchiladas, burritos, etc. Also great by itself! This dish is a staple in my house! It is cheap, easy, and yummy!
Source of recipe: This is an authentic recipe (other than the vegan chicken bouillon) passed down to me by my boyfriend's mother, a Mexican American who grew up in Texas right on the border with Mexico. Its as authentic as you can get! This is the type of rice I was raised on, and it is wonderful. Some people expect it to be spicier or richer. I wouldn't call it bland but it is a main staple simple dish, and it can be spiced or dressed up if you want, according to your taste. It's versatile!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I've made this recipe so many times, but I'm finally reviewing it. I'm getting my first apartment next year, and I can see that this will be a staple. It's cheap, easy, quick and tasty. I usually heat up some beans and eat with tortilla chips. Rice, onions, tomato paste and garlic are affordable for us poor college kids.
Yummy! This was my first attempt at making spanish rice and I really like this recipe thank you!!
I've tried all kinds of fried rice recipes, and never been impressed, not even with packet mixes...but this one is amazing! it's very flavourful, fluffy and not sticky, and just plain perfect.
I've made it so many times and the only changes are a little ground coriander in the mix (american 'cilantro') and I'm getting much better at the frying the rice at the start. I looove this rice!!
So good!!! I used jasmine rice, salsa instead of tomato sauce, and soy sauce instead of bouillion. Still turned out tasty!!
Just made this tonight, and it was a hit! My fiance and I were sick of trying to find boxed mexican and spanish rice that wasn't loaded with MSG and other un-savory ingredients (Even the "healthy" ones we found have MSG in the ingredients). So we thought we would try this out, and we absolutely love it!
I added extra cumin, cracked pepper, and a few dashes of chili powder to doctor it up a bit. We will definitely be making this again. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Cant figure out how to edit this in but i forgot to mention i used one large serrano and one average jalepeno for a DOUBLE recipe :)
Awesome recipe! Finally an allergy friendly mexican rice i can make at home ;)b . I only made a few changes brown rice instead of white, diluted tomato paste instead of tomato sauce (equal parts water and paste), and i added about a cup of mixed color bell peppers. For dinner i mixed in some rinsed black beans, chopped cilantro, sprinked with chopotle pepper, and topped with avocado. Also to break down the onion, tomato's, and bell peppers i sauted them with the rice after browning but before water works great :). I rarely make any untested recipe doubles but im sooo glad i did this time. I had dinner for 2, leftovers in the fridge, and 2 quart size bags in the freezer.... yet i get the feeling it wont last long ;D
This was soooo good! I've been looking for a recipe like this for a long time and I'm so happy I finally found it! The only things I did differently were: used 2 cups of vegetable broth instead of water (didn't have any bouillon) , used enchilada sauce instead of tomato sauce and added the garlic & onions the same time as the rice. I posted a picture of what was left (not much!) Thanks a lot for this delicious recipe :)
Yummy. I used brown rice and 1/2 can of diced tomatoes with chilis instead of the fresh tomato and pepper. I also added some assorted frozen veggies. It is not overly flavorful in and of itself but made an excellent side dish . I did add about 15 minutes to the cooking time, but that is to be expected with the brown rice. My daughter and I are trying to switch to brown rice, but aren't big fans. This doesn't have the strong nutty flavor I associate with brown rice, and for us that is a good thing.
I didn't really follow the recipe like I should have, and it still came out super delicious. I wanted to make the rice in the rice cooker (it's new, and I'm like a little kid), so I sauteed the onions, garlic (sliced it), 1/2 bouillon cube, and cumin in a pan. I then added a can of diced tomatoes and cubed tofu, let that simmer a while, then added the cooked rice and some frozen peas. The rice is flavorful, but not overpowering--it complements the tortilla soup I made quite well. My rice is wetter than everyone else's, but I didn't follow the directions properly! I swear next time I make it I'll do it right! But anyway, this recipe is fool-proof, because I barely followed it and it was still super awesome!
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