Last Updated on December 8, 2023
Red rice: A staple in Mexican cuisine
One of the determining characteristics of Mexican cuisine is the variety of colors it shows. 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 provides us with more seasoning, and therefore, more flavor.
These two preparations are cooked with Minute® Instant white rice. Get it in this link below, together with another mexican recipe you can easily try at home: https://minuterice.com/recipes/mexican-rice/.
Preparation of Mexican Arroz rojo (red rice)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of white long grain rice.
- 1/2 cup of fried tomato sauce.
- 2 cups of water or vegetable broth (could also be made with chicken, poultry or beef broth).
- 2 cloves of garlic.
- 1/2 white or purple onion.
- 1 green chili.
- 1 dessert teaspoon cumin powder.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Vegetable oil or olive oil (3 large tablespoons).
- To serve: A sprinkling of fresh cilantro.
Preparation
- The first step is to peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Next peel and chop in small dices the onion and the green chili. Put a splash of oil in a large non-stick pan (3 tablespoons approximately) and heat it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and onion and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
- Then lightly fry the rice and add the pepper and salt to taste along with the cumin. Stir everything so that the flavors integrate.
- Let the rice cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
- When the time has elapsed, add the fried tomato sauce. Continue mixing and then add the chicken broth or water if you do not have this type of broth. This mixture that will be formed is what is known in Mexico as caldillo de jitomate. You can also make this rice with poultry broth, meat broth or vegetable broth (if you want a vegetarian rice), according to your taste.
- After preparing the mixture, lower the heat and let the rice cook with the pot covered and without stirring it for 20 minutes.
- Then uncover the rice and if you see that the liquid has not been absorbed completely, let it cook five more minutes.
- Serve it with a little cilantro on top and you will have an incredible rice that will serve as an accompaniment to countless foods.
Mexican style rice: A traditional recipe
The special touch to this dish is that the onion and cilantro are blended and then fried. Also, when it is almost ready, a little butter is added to prevent it from sticking and to give it that creamy touch so typical of Mexican rice.
Ingredients
- Corn kernels,
- 2 tablespoons of cilantro leaves,
- ½ onion,
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
- ¾ cups of rice,
- ½ liter of chicken broth,
- 0.5 oz of unsalted butter.
Preparation
- Once you shelled the corn, blanch the corn (bring a pot with water and a little salt to boil, add the corn kernels and let them cook for 3 minutes). Strain and rinse with cold water.
- In the glass of a blender place the cilantro leaves together with the onion, blend until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, when ready fry the rice for one minute, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cilantro and onion, and sauté for a few minutes. Add the chicken broth and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Season to taste. In the last three minutes add the corn kernels.
- Remove from the heat and add the butter, mix until you get a creamy rice.
Cook’s tip: Mexican rice can be served as a first course or as an accompaniment to a variety of Mexican dishes.
