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?
hey, scsunnyd-- what are these 'oven crisp black bean and corn flautas' you speak of? they look gooood
Hey Laur b.
They are actually from www.vegetariantimes.com. I thought I got it from this site, but since I didn't, I couldn't post the recipe. If you have trouble finding the recipe, you can email me. They were awesome, and paired with this rice, made the best meal I've had in a long time. Even my boyfriend, an omni, raved about it! ;)b
hey, scsunnyd-- what are these 'oven crisp black bean and corn flautas' you speak of? they look gooood
This rice was absolutely wonderful! I made it for dinner tonight with the Oven Crisp Black Bean and Corn Flautas...perfect! I will definitely make again. I did add a bit more roma tomato and jalapeno, which I think just added to the flavor. It tasted just like real Mexican rice that I would order from any restaurant.
man oh man, this was good, fast, easy, you name it!
I used Japanese rice (it's all I have), and in addition to the recipe's ingredients, I used approximately 1 cup of corn. Oh, and instead of the tomato ingredients, I used 1/2 a can of "cut tomatoes."
I've made this 3 times, and I think that the first two times I was making two cups of broth and then putting it into the rice. But no, you really need to use 1T of powder/bouillon. It gives it a stronger, delicious flavor (it's 3 times the amount I would use for 2 cups of broth).
WOW!! This was perfectly delicious! My 10 year old twins loved it! It was very quick, easy and we will be eating this very often!! Thanks so much for sharing such a great recipe.
Absolutely awesome rice. Thanks for the recipe! I use canned chipotle peppers to give it a great element of spicy-smoky flavour. I sometimes add black-eyed peas for a complete meal - it's exceptionally tasty!
Just made this tonight as an accompaniment to Unbelievable Lentil Tacos, and what a meal! This rice turned out well... though, believe it or not, mine actually ended up being a little too flavourful and spicy! I think I put in too many jalapeños.
I used a vegetable bullion cube instead of imitation chicken broth, and it was very good. Also, I ended up having to add a bit more water, as when it appeared to be "done" the rice was actually still a touch on the crunchy side.
I will definitely make this again. Thanks!
This rice tates just like what I get from my favorite mexican restraunt! :D
This recipe is wonderful. I continue to be impressed by all the recipes on Vegweb, but this one is my new favorite. So easy to make, and it freezes well too.
Thank you so much!
This was absolutely delicious! It tasted exactly how I remeber the mexican rice from the restaurants, which was always my favorite thing and have been unsuccessful (until now) in reproducing. I added vegetable broth instead of "chicken" and next time I will probably peel the tomato before adding it. An awesome recipe that I will definately be making again! :)
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