Mexican rice is easy to make but should be simple yet flavorful. Pair with the best Mexican dishes from Taco Tuesday to Cinco de Mayo.
Ingredients needed for the recipe
- Long-Grain White Rice
- Chicken Stock
- Roma Tomato
- Garlic
- Yellow Onion
- Chicken Boullion Cube
- Tomato Paste
- Frozen Peas & Carrots
- Annatto Powder
Please don’t make these mistakes, helpful tips
- You still need to rinse and drain the rice. You will toast it before cooking but you need to get the excess starch from it.
- Heat the chicken stock up before blending. This way it can break down the bouillon cube before.
- Salt is tricky in this recipe. The bouillon cube can vary from brand and then we have our own personal taste. I suggest you add very little before and then adjust to taste after. Then, next time you can play with the amounts you need.
How to store this recipe
Storing Mexican rice is no different than any other rice. You can leave it in the refrigerator a few days or you could toss it in something safe and freeze it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What makes Mexican rice different?
Not to be confused with Spanish rice, Mexican rice is done differently. Different spices are used and mainly their use of tomato which give the rice its classic orange, reddish tint.
Why do Mexican fry rice before cooking it?
A very good question and one I wanted to test. When you fry the rice there’s this toasted note that just isn’t there if you skip the step. The rice is given a very warm and inviting flavor from the toasting of the rice.
Is Mexican rice healthy?
Whole foods should always be apart of your daily diet. This rice recipe has natural foods and one grain so it’s a great side dish that could be classified as healthy. Definitely better than French fries!
What to serve with Mexican rice?
- Carne Asada
Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1.5 cup chicken broth
- 1 roma tomato
- 3 clove garlic
- 1/2 medium yellow onion
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon annatto powder (sub with paprika)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 cup frozen peas & carrots
- 1 serrano pepper
Instructions
- Heat up chicken broth in microwave. In a blender add tomato, onion, cloves of garlic, chicken bouillon cube, tomato paste, annatto, cumin and turmeric. Blend until smooth.
- Rinse and drain 1 cup of rice
- In a pot or sauce pan on medium high heat add about 2 TB of oil. To test when oil is hot drop a couple of grains in. When it sizzles add in all the drained rice.
- Continue to stir until most of the rice is a golden brown. Then, lower the heat to low and pour in the contents from the blender.
- Give the pan a minute to cool down some because when you pour the contents in the will sizzle and steam.
- Add in peas and carrots then mix everything together. Slice a Serrano pepper down the middle then sat it in the pot.
- Cover then slowly cook for 20 minutes. When time is up remove from heat. Some of the tomato will be sitting on the top but simply fluff the rice then add it back in.
- Cover the rice again and allow the rice to sit 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
Thanks for the recipe! I love Mexican rice, but haven’t tried making it from scratch before. Added annatto powder to my shopping list for next week. 🙂