Recipe: Mexican Rice

Mexican rice, it’s underrated, but so delicious. This recipe is easy to master, and it reminds me of risotto. The tomato paste makes this recipe, so if you make your own, your rice is going to pack a punch! Let’s get cooking.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 2 cups of basmati rice
• 1/2 a white onion, diced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• a teaspoon of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup of tomato paste
• 3 cups of water
• salt to taste

First, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and once hot , add the rice and toast/cook, stirring constantly, until it’s golden, so about 5-10 minutes. You want the grain of rice to feel light and not sticky.

Roasting the rice beforehand helps bring in some toasty and nutty notes, which adds to the depth of flavour.

Then, add in the onion, carrot and the garlic, cooking until the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes or so. You’ll need to stir the dish frequently, but not constantly.

Next, add the tomato paste and stir until well incorporated. Then add the water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce to a simmer. Add salt to taste and cook and give it a stir every 3 minutes, until the dish is thickened and getting starchy, about 10 minutes or so.

Once it’s getting thick, add the cover and turn the heat down very, very low and let it cook without disturbance until the rice is tender and all the water is gone, so about 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Then, dish out and serve. We had our Mexican rice with a flattened roasted chicken and a side of asparagus.

Overall, this dish is great – it’s perfect with tacos, as a side with enchiladas, or BBQ chicken.

It takes a bit of time to cook, yes, but it keeps well and makes a lot!

Hopefully you give this underrated dish a try – it’s worth it! Next time I might spice it up with some cumin or some fiery tomato paste.

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you again soon. Until then, happy eating!