Mexican rice
A restaurant-quality dish you can serve as a side, or add to burritos or rice bowls.
A classic side from Tex-Mex restuarants, made by simmering rice in a spiced tomato broth. The trick is to toast the rice in the pan before adding liquid, giving it an extra boost of flavour and texture in the pot.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
- Optional garnish: cilantro and lime
Directions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add uncooked rice and cook, stirring frequently, until rice is golden brown, around 5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, salt, and cumin. Cook until fragrant, another minute or two.
- Add broth and tomato sauce, and stir until combined. Turn heat up to medium high and bring pot to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let simmer until rice has absorbed all of the liquid and cooked, around 20-25 minutes.
- Serve up garnished with cilantro and lime, if desired.
Tips
- Toasting the rice in the pan before boiling gives it some extra texture and flavour, and is well worth the extra time.
Variations
- Instead of tomato sauce, you can blend fresh or canned tomatoes with half an onion.
- To make this dish a main, stir in a can of black beans, cooked chicken, corn kernels and/or cooked cubed sweet potatoes.
Storage
- Cool completely and keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To freeze, cool completely and ladle into portion-sized freezer safe containers or bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe adapted from the Edmonds Food Bank