It’s not Spanish rice. It’s Mexican rice. An underrated and delicious staple of Mexican cuisine.
All killer, no filler.
Mexican rice, or arroz rojo, is a classic component of Mexican cuisine. This red rice is found in most burritos and on almost every plate in your favorite Mexican restaurant, usually along side refried beans. This is not filler, however. When I visit Mexican restaurants and taquerias, I always try the rice and beans. They are integral and both have to be very good or I probably won’t come back. Lucky for us, we’ve got options, as we live near the East Bay city of Concord’s Taco Trail.
And by the way, stop calling it Spanish rice. No one in Spain or Mexico does. It’s a strictly American name for a strictly Mexican dish that, strictly speaking, did not actually originate in Spain. Yes, Spain indeed has a rich, Islamic-influenced culinary heritage with rice dishes, and did bring rice from Asia to Mexico when they invaded in the early 1500’s. But the method and style is uniquely Mexican, so if you really want to sound cool, simply call it arroz or arroz rojo, as they do in Mexico.
Method
Start with sautéing long grain rice in a skillet with a little oil (the purists might opt for lard) until it starts to toast and turn golden brown. Next, add an oniony, garlicky tomato puree (or if reaching for your pantry, one of those small cans of Tomato Sauce), along with some spices. No canned sauce? No problem. You can use tomato paste or salsa if you prefer. As the rice starts to absorb the tomato flavoring, add hot chicken stock, a small handful of cilantro sprigs, and cover the pan. Simmer about 30 minutes and let rest for 10 off the heat, before fluffing your red rice. Some add diced vegetables during cooking, like carrots, peppers, corn or peas, but that’s up to you.
Serve as a side dish, or in burritos, rice bowls, soups, even on salads.
Arroz Rojo
Equipment
- Blender
- heavy skillet with lid
Mise en place
- 2 c long or extra long grain white rice
- 1/4 c oil corn or safflower is preferred, avocado or olive oil is fine
- 2 ea tomatoes about 1 lb, quartered
- 1/3 c white onion roughly chopped
- 2 ea garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tbsp chili powder or 1 t each of cumin, dried oregano, paprika and black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 c chicken stock warmed
- 4 sprigs cilantro
- 1 tbsp lime juice fresh squeezed
Method
- Soak the rice in hot water for 5 minutes, then rinse with cold water and drain well
- While the rice is soaking, puree the tomatoes, onions, garlic, chili powder and salt, in the blender and set aside.
- Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and toast the well-drained rice, about 3-4 minutes, until the rice has turned milky white and feels like the grains have hardened when you stir it around.
- Add the tomato puree, stir to coat the rice thoroughly and absorb into the rice, about 2 minutes.
- Add the warm chicken stock to the skillet with the lime juice, gently stir and arrange the cilantro sprigs on top of the rice.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the skillet and simmer the rice, about 18-20 minutes.
- Check the rice for doneness and seasoning. If it needs to cook a bit more, make sure there is some liquid in the pot. If not, add a couple of tablespoons of water, cover and cook a few minutes more.
- Let the rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
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