Add to: Recipe Box | Grocery List | Meal PlannerRecipe submitted by
ashmo@neo.tamu.edu, 05/01/04
Authentic Mexican RiceIngredients (use vegan versions): 1 cup uncooked rice -- your choice
2 cups cold water
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
olive oil
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
small roma tomato, chopped into about 4 pieces
hot pepper of your choice, sliced lengthwise (I use jalapeno)
tomato sauce (id say a little less that 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon comino seeds (cumin) ground into powder
1 tablespoon vegan chicken bouillon
salt, to taste
Directions:This is an authentic recipe (other than the vegan chicken bouillon) passed down to me by my boyfriends 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, but it can be spiced or dressed up if you want, according to your taste. its versatile!
Put a little olive oil (tbsp or so) into a medium-sized pot and heat to a medium temp. add the rice, uncooked, and brown in the oil. Make sure all the rice is lightly coated with the oil. 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....its not burning unless its turning dark/black. Towards the end of the browning, add the garlic so that it is sort of sauteed/browned.
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. (cooking time and temp varies with your stove....check after 20 min to make sure you don't burn!)
The essential part of this recipe is DO NOT PEEK while the rice is cooking
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. The recipe can be changed by keeping with the 1 cup rice/2 cups water ratio, and adjusting remaining ingredients.
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!
Serves: 6 large servings
Preparation time: 30-45 min
Mmmm, almost exactly like I make it. I love the texture you get from sauteeing rice before you boil it. The only thing I would change is to saute the onion slightly before or at the same time as the rice, as opposed to steaming it with all the other ingredients.
Archived comment by: sharway
Tastes really authentic! The only changes I made were to use ground cumin rather than the crushed seeds, and I used brown rice. For me, the onion was fine to just steam with the rice. Definitely be making this again and again!
Archived comment by: willwolf
I can't tell you how good this was! I just made it for the first time, for dinner tonight. I'm not crazy about rice, but try and eat it a few times a month....but knowing this recipe, I'll be making it alot more! It wasn't all that spicy, like the author stated....but it has a great taste (and I omitted the chicken broth) and great texture and even looked great! I think I screwed up though...as it didn't fluff quite like it was supposed to- I think I have to play a little with the frying part! But it was SO good anyway! Thanks! This is now my favorite rice recipe!
Archived comment by: sirFartsAlot
Thanks everyone for the comments! I hope you guys continue to enjoy this recipe....it is a wonderfully cheap, easy, basic food that can feed anyone from a poor college student to an entire family!
Archived comment by: blended
One of the best rice dishes I've ever had.
Archived comment by: toho
This is not a very flavourful recipe. The texture is awesome though. Perfect for serving with black beans or tofu scramble.
Archived comment by: shinjiko
I made this for dinner last night and it came out wonderful! Definitely authentic. Added a bit more jalapeno pepper, but other than that, followed recipe exactly. Thanks for a great recipe, I'll make this often!
Archived comment by: marthamydear
I have searched for a tasty mexican rice dish and I FINALLY found what I was looking for. I've tried many others and was usually disappointed in the taste and/or texture of the dish. This dish is VERY tasty without being too spicy or not spicy enough. The texture is great as well. Thank you!
Archived comment by: 41356
i like to add a can of black beans and serve it with a big pot of chili. it goes over really well at potlucks and is ridiculously inexpensive to make en mass.
Archived comment by: bitterasbile
i have made this rice so many times, its ridiculous. i love it - its cheap to make, easy, and extremely tasty, with lots of wiggle room for variations. ive served it on its own as a side, mixed with black beans, cilantro and hot sauce for a main dish, wrapped with beans and corn in a burrito, etc. even my mom, who generally prefers her rice on someone elses plate, ate this right up. yum!
Archived comment by: plainjewel
This rice was great - just like the rice you would find in a restaurant. I made it for a Cinco de Mayo fiesta, and everyone wolfed it down.
Archived comment by: kparsons
so i tried it with barley... and it was rad! when i browned the barley i also added some crushed almonds...
Archived comment by: chouchou
Again, this is great rice! Having it with guacamole, pinto beans, and White Mountain Vegetarian Tamales (vegan)...made hot sauce as well! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe! Try it, you'll never make any other rice dish!
Archived comment by: marthamydear
This is one of the best and easiest recipes around! I like to substitute quinoa for the rice (still 1 cup, and takes less time to cook than rice), add some cubed tofu and sometimes black beans, and it is just delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
Archived comment by: veggiefrog
Hey I make my rice almost exactly like that! I like to a little green & red bell pepper for color & carrots but essentially its all the same. I can eat rice almost every day.
Archived comment by: smurfette2002
This recipe is good! It mixes well with many other dishes! I made it only once, and next time I'll leave out the cumin(I discovered I don't like cumin!!!)
Archived comment by: printemps
