Mexican Rice

Course: Appetizer or Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican / TexMex

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: people

Calories: 146kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

We're really not making this up. This truly is the Best-Ever Mexican Rice! Find the Caldo de Tomate in the Latin section of your supermarket. We go with Knorr. If using a sodium-free version, you'll need to add ¾ teaspoon of salt when adding the other seasonings.

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Equipment

Blender or food processor
2 saucepans, one preferably should be 3-quart pan approx. 8 inches in diameter.

Ingredients

2 Roma tomatoes sliced in half
1 cup onion roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1¾ cups chicken stock plus 2 tbsp, or water
2 teaspoon Caldo de Tomate
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
1 cup long grain rice

Instructions

Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic in a blender, or food processor, and purée until smooth. Using a spatula to scrape down any onion pieces that didn't get puréed. Repeat and set aside.
2 Roma tomatoes, 1 cup onion, 2 cloves garlic
In a medium saucepan, heat the stock over medium heat and stir in the Caldo de Tomate and chili powder.
1¾ cups chicken stock, 2 teaspoon Caldo de Tomate, 1 teaspoon chili powder
Meanwhile, in a separate 3-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's slightly translucent and barely toasted, about 5 to 6 minutes.
2 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 cup long grain rice
Transfer the tomato/onion/garlic mixture into the pan with the rice. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until any excess liquid cooks out, about 3 minutes.
Turn the heat to high and add the stock mixture to the rice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low, and cover. Cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, remove the lid, and fluff with a fork. Serve at once.

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video near the top of the recipe for visual guidance.

If you can't get decent Roma tomatoes, you can go with a 15 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained.

Water can be sustituted for the chicken stock. If you want 100% vegetarain, check the Caldo de Tomate label, in most varieties, there is some chicken fat. You'll need to use vegetable bouillon in place of the Caldo de Tomate. The taste won't be as authentic, but it will still be good.

If using a sodium-free Caldo de Tomate, you'll need to add ½ to ¾ tablespoon of salt to the cooking liquid.

It is not uncommon for there to be a thin layer of lightly burnt rice at the bottom of the pan. We think it adds a little texture to the final dish. However, if you prefer, when transferring the cooked rice from the pan to the serving dish, just don't scrape the bottom of the pan. A soak in soapy water will make clean-up super easy.

The rice can be made up to 1 day in advance, and we find that re-heating it on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes works best.

The rice will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and freezes for up to 1 month, although with Mexican rice, fresh is definitely best.

Nutrition