A Taste of Home: Crafting Mexican Rice in Tradition

I grew up in a household with a mixture of Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Mexican cuisines. While these cuisines can have quite a few differences, there is one ingredient that ties them all together: rice. Rice dishes can be simple yet packed with flavor and the preparation varies from household to household.

If you’ve ever tried asking for a recipe from my bio or step-grandparents they would dodge the question and sit you down so you can watch. “A little bit of this”, “a pinch of that”, and “a handful of that”, was how I learned, and in the end, I appreciated this lackadaisical teaching method because it made me a more creative cook. 

After booking a trip to Mexico for later this year, I started thinking about all of the food I’d be eating and how much I appreciate that a lot of Mexican food is made from humble ingredients. So this week, I decided to make Mexican rice, a savory, delicious dish that can be served alongside everything from soup to braised chicken.

I start my Mexican rice by roasting my vegetables. When roasting anything, your oven should be at 400 degrees and above, otherwise you’re just steaming. I roasted the cut tomatoes, onions and halved jalapeño first for about 10 to 15 minutes before adding the smashed garlic (this tends to char quickly so it’s best to add it later) for the remaining 5 to 10 minutes. Note: The second jalapeño will be cooked with the rice so cut a vertical slit into it and set aside. 

To prepare the rice, I run cold water over two cups of rice in a strainer. This helps to remove excess starch and leads to a fluffier result. Some chefs swear by it, others don’t rinse at all. I do so in this recipe because it’s how I was taught, but otherwise, I don’t always follow the rules. Cooking is all about trial and error; this step isn’t required but it can be helpful, particularly for longer-grain rice. 

The next step is the most crucial step to making this dish: toasting the rice. This is a ten-minute process, at minimum, to get that iconic nuttiness that Mexican rice delivers. To toast the rice I start with 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in my caldero, an aluminum pot that you’re likely to find in every Hispanic kitchen. Heat that over medium heat before adding the rice. If you don’t hear a sizzle, your oil is not hot enough. Stir the rice occasionally until it is toasty and light brown. 

While the rice is toasting, I put together my tomato base. The base and the sazón (see further down) give the rice a beautiful red-orange hue. Combine the roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, halved jalapeño, sazón, salt, and one cup of water with dissolved bouillon paste (or one cup chicken stock) in a blender or food processor until combined. Strain directly into the rice. Add the remaining two cups of water and nestle the second jalapeño (the slit jalapeño) into the middle of the rice. This brings some additional heat to the dish without directly adding it to the base by releasing the vapors from the pepper as it steams. This isn’t a super spicy dish, but if you’re sensitive to heat you can omit this part and only use the jalapeño in the tomato base. 

Bring everything to a boil, cover, and let cook, undisturbed (resist the urge to peek!) for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes before opening. Remove the jalapeño and fluff the rice. I like to squeeze a little lime juice on the dish because I love that pop of citrus against the nuttiness and savoriness of the rice. I also garnish with a little cilantro for color and a hint of herbiness. 

Serve and enjoy! 

Mexican Rice 

Yields: Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes 

Cook time: 45 minutes 

Total time: 1 hour 

3 small Roma tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, cut into thirds

2 jalapeños, 1 cut in half lengthwise and 1 with a small vertical slit in the side

1 medium yellow onion, cut in thirds

3 whole garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed

1 cup of hot water 

1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon paste (dissolved in the hot water)

2 teaspoon of salt 

1 sazón packet 

2 cups of short or medium-grain white rice, rinsed in a strainer 

2-3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 

2 cups of water 

Optional garnishes: 

Juice of half a lime 

1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the tomatoes, halved jalapeño, and onions on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic cloves to the sheet tray and roast for another 5-10 minutes or until all vegetables are nicely charred. 
3. While the vegetables are roasting, heat 2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olivve oil in a heavy pot. Place the rinsed rice into the pot and toast for a minimum of 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. While the rice is toasting, place all of the roasted veggies into a blender, food processor or the base of an immersion blender. Add salt, sazón and 1 cup of water with bouillon paste dissolved into it. Blend until combined and strain directly into the toasted rice. 
5. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Taste and season accordingly with salt. 
6. Tuck the slit jalapeño into the middle of the rice. It does not need to be submerged. 
7. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Cook undisturbed for 15 minutes. 
8. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes.
9. Uncover, remove the jalapeño and fluff the rice.
10. Optional: Squeeze a little lime juice on the rice and garnish with cilantro.

Sazón is a staple in Hispanic cooking. It is a versatile blend of spices, often described as citrusy, including culantro, achiote, garlic, cumin and coriander. You’ll want to look for the sazón that comes in red packets and includes achiote and culantro. 

If you’re in the mood for more global fare, check out these upcoming classes: 

• Culinary Adventure: Trip to Puerto Rico on Saturday, April 5 at 6pm
• Mediterranean Mezze on Friday, March 28 at 6pm
• Greek Islands on Wednesday, April 2 at 6pm
• Tuscany in the Spring on Thursday, April 3 at 6pm
• Night in Spain on Friday, April 4 at 6pm

See our class calendar

Yield: 4

Author: Elexis Ruiz

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Mexican Rice

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

For the rice

• 3 small Roma tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, cut into thirds
• 2 jalapeños, 1 cut in half lengthwise and 1 with a small vertical slit in the side
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut in thirds
• 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
• 1 cup of hot water
• 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon paste (dissolved in the hot water)
• 2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 sazón packet
• 2 cups of short or medium-grain white rice, rinsed in a strainer
• 2-3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups of water

For the optional garnishes

• Juice of half a lime
• 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the tomatoes, halved jalapeño, and onions on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic cloves to the sheet tray and roast for another 5-10 minutes or until all vegetables are nicely charred.
3. While the vegetables are roasting, heat 2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olivve oil in a heavy pot. Place the rinsed rice into the pot and toast for a minimum of 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. While the rice is toasting, place all of the roasted veggies into a blender, food processor or the base of an immersion blender. Add salt, sazón and 1 cup of water with bouillon paste dissolved into it. Blend until combined and strain directly into the toasted rice.
5. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Taste and season accordingly with salt.
6. Tuck the slit jalapeño into the middle of the rice. It does not need to be submerged.
7. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Cook undisturbed for 15 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes.
9. Uncover, remove the jalapeño and fluff the rice.
10. Optional: Squeeze a little lime juice on the rice and garnish with cilantro.

https://www.thechoppingblock.com/blog/a-taste-of-home-crafting-mexican-rice-in-tradition

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @the_chopping_block on instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithtcb

Created using The Recipes Generator