Mexican Rice:
A.K.A. Arroz Mexicano
Many people refer to this dish as Spanish rice however it's actually not made in Spain. Go to Spain and ask for it. They will look at you all cock-eyed. Looks like this one is a Mexican dish through and through. And quite a tasty one at that.
I've been eating Mexican rice all my life. Growing up in a (mostly) Mexican family, it was something my grandma always had on hand. That and her refried beans. Those are very good memories, let me tell you. However, these days, I gotta abstain from such delights because she cooks the rice with chicken stock and the beans are made with bacon fat. But, as the old saying goes, "necessity is the mother of invention". Which goes hand in hand with the saying "where there's a will, there's a way". That being said, I have embarked on this little mission of mine to make food taste just as good as, if not better than, the original meat-centric dishes. And think of all the little creatures still wandering this good Earth that will thank you for their lives.
I love cruisin' past farms and seeing those cows out there. I yell at them, "I don't eat you!!". They look at me like I'm crazy. One day, I'm gonna have a farm where I can save these poor bastards. I'm gonna have an old folks home for cows, goats, dogs, cats, and whoever wants to come and chill at the crib.
I've been eating Mexican rice all my life. Growing up in a (mostly) Mexican family, it was something my grandma always had on hand. That and her refried beans. Those are very good memories, let me tell you. However, these days, I gotta abstain from such delights because she cooks the rice with chicken stock and the beans are made with bacon fat. But, as the old saying goes, "necessity is the mother of invention". Which goes hand in hand with the saying "where there's a will, there's a way". That being said, I have embarked on this little mission of mine to make food taste just as good as, if not better than, the original meat-centric dishes. And think of all the little creatures still wandering this good Earth that will thank you for their lives.
I love cruisin' past farms and seeing those cows out there. I yell at them, "I don't eat you!!". They look at me like I'm crazy. One day, I'm gonna have a farm where I can save these poor bastards. I'm gonna have an old folks home for cows, goats, dogs, cats, and whoever wants to come and chill at the crib.
As I build my Mexican recipe collection, this was obviously one the first recipes I had to get right. I tried several different recipes and combos thereof before I came across this one. I happen to love this recipe. It's lighter in color than some of the recipes I've run across that, to me, call for way too much tomato. I like to keep it simple. I don't want chunks of tomato, peas, corn or anything like that in my rice. Yes, you read it right...peas and corn. What? Oh no he di'int put peas in his rice! Just give me a milder tomato flavor infused with straight rice. Save the peas for your fried rice, people. Or better yet, put them in a pot pie (coming soon to blog near you).
This is a side dish. That much is definitely true. But it's also a great one to roll up in a tortilla with some beans, diced onion, cilantro, a splash of lime juice and something spicy. Knock 'em back with a cold brewski and it doesn't get much better than that.........Crap, now I'm hungry.
Arroz Mexicano
Ingredients:
- 4 Tbsp vegetable oil (I like to use peanut oil)
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 4 cups vegetable stock
Preparation:
1. Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold water until the water runs clear, about a minute to a minute and a half. Then let it drain very well. This is going to help stop the rice from being sticky and should help it to fluff up nice.
2. Heat the oil in a pot over a medium high heat. Add the rice and fry until the rice begin the brown just a little. Add the cumin, salt and onions and continue to fry for another minute or so.
3. Add Add the tomato sauce and vegetable stock to pot and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a pot over a medium high heat. Add the rice and fry until the rice begin the brown just a little. Add the cumin, salt and onions and continue to fry for another minute or so.
3. Add Add the tomato sauce and vegetable stock to pot and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
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