Mexican Rice
This Mexican rice recipe is better than any other I’ve tried so far. The flavor is outstanding, and the colors and textures make any dish look better.
This makes enough for six or seven servings, so you might have some left over. If so, that’s a bonus, because it can accompany some other dish another night.
I made this dish the other night to go with chimichangas, and used Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes with Lime Juice and Cilantro. No doubt that made the recipe even better.
I got some fresh peppers from my garden, and wound up with two Poblanos and one jalapeño. They give a little special flavor to the dish at the end, and can be used as garnish. However, I found that the jalapeño was tender and sweet after spending ten minutes in the rice, and was delicious and not too hot to eat along with the rice.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup long grain white rice
7 or 10 ounce can of chopped tomatoes, with juice, preferably Ro-Tel
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 fresh green chiles, such as Poblano or Anaheim, maybe one of them a jalapeño
1 cup frozen peas, or one 8 ounce can
black pepper
cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
Put the rice in a bowl and cover with boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the rice into a strainer, rinse, and let sit to drain for a while.
Pour the tomatoes, garlic, and onion into a blender and process until smooth. Here you can use a blender, food processor, or a hand blender (boat motor) in a bowl. Or if you don’t have any of these just leave them mixed as-is.
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan, and add the rice. Stir the rice to distribute the oil. Let the rice cook undisturbed for five minutes, stir, and repeat. After 10-15 minutes the rice should be light brown and smell great.
Add the tomato mixture and stir for three or four minutes to absorb the liquid. Add the stock, salt, chiles, and peas if you are using frozen. If you are using canned peas, wait until the end to add them. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, another ten minutes or so until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. (Your mouth will know when it’s done.)
Take the pan off the heat, cover it, and let it stand for another ten minutes or so. When it’s time to serve, remove the chiles, fluff up the rice, and enjoy!