Mexican Rice
Mexican Rice is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is made with rice, tomatoes, onions, and spices, and can be served with a variety of sides.
Mexican Rice is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is made with rice, tomatoes, onions, and spices, and can be served with a variety of sides.
- Carbohydrate 21.1543265731111 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.09758107754139 g
- Fiber 0.622839273906788 g
- Protein 1.99497341786778 g
- Saturated Fat 0.118513257325874 g
- Serving Size 1 1 to 8 serving (105g)
- Sodium 6.65830949033681 mg
- Sugar 20.5314872992043 g
- Trans Fat 0.0506670337240295 g
- Calories 104 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and saute until translucent.
- Pour the rice into the pan and stir to coat grains with oil. Mix in cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, salt and water. Cover, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cook at a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.
Most home cooks ruin Mexican rice by adding cold liquids straight from the refrigerator, which drops the pan temperature and creates unevenly cooked grains. Toasting long-grain rice directly in vegetable oil coats each starch molecule, preventing the grains from bursting and turning mushy during the simmer. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Sauté the diced onions until translucent before adding the rice. Stir constantly for three to four minutes until the edges of the grains turn chalky white. Ground cumin and chili powder bloom in the hot oil during this toasting phase, releasing fat-soluble flavor compounds that dry spices added to water simply miss. Once tomatoes, salt, and water enter the pan, cover tightly and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for twenty to thirty minutes until the liquid absorbs completely and the rice reaches a tender bite. Fluff the finished grains gently with a fork to release trapped steam.
Adapting for Dietary Needs and Scaling
This formulation is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and free of major allergens like dairy and nuts. Substitute the vegetable oil with an equal one-to-one ratio of refined coconut oil or avocado oil if preferred. Scaling quantities requires maintaining the liquid-to-rice ratio. Double the water and rice proportionally while keeping the cooking vessel wide enough to promote even evaporation.
- Rice is crunchy: The liquid evaporated before starch gelatinization finished. Cover the pan and steam on the lowest heat setting for five additional minutes with two tablespoons of added water.
- Rice is gummy: The heat was too high initially or stirring broke the starches. Reduce liquid by two tablespoons on subsequent attempts.
