Cooks Country Mexican Rice Recipes

MEXICAN RICE

Steps:

• Soak rice in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Place tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a medium-large, heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until rice turns a light golden color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree. Cook for 8 minutes, frequently scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking.
• Stir in broth, salt and vegetables and giblets, if using. Cook, uncovered, until all the broth has been absorbed and air holes appear on the surface of the rice, about 20 minutes. Turn heat to very low. Cover the pot with a towel. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed and serve.

MEXICAN RICE

Steps:

• Blend vegetables, salt and stock or water together into a mostly smooth purée (a few small pieces of onion and pepper are fine).
• In a large skillet with a tightfitting lid, heat oil. Add rice and toast until it absorbs most of the oil and begins to smell nutty.
• Add blended ingredients, stir gently with a wooden spoon to prevent breaking up the rice too much and bring to a light boil. Cover, reduce heat to the lowest setting possible and cook undisturbed for 17 minutes. Let sit for another 10 minutes.

MEXICAN FIESTA RICE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid, then add the onion, pepper, garlic and cumin and sizzle gently for 8-10 mins until the vegetables are soft and golden. Stir in the tomato purée and smoked paprika and cook for 1 min, then stir in the rice.
• Pour over the stock, then cover and bring to the boil. Stir quickly, then cover again and place on the lowest heat possible. Simmer for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and leave, covered, for a further 10 mins. If serving straightaway, stir through the coriander and spring onions; alternatively, leave the rice to cool, chill, then re-fry before serving and stir the coriander and spring onions through at the end.

BETTER THAN AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN SPANISH RICE

Steps:

• Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350.
• Process rotel and onion in processor or blender until pureed and thoroughly smooth. Transfer mixture to measuring cup and reserve exactly 2 cups. Discard excess.
• Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear- about 1 1/2 minutes. Shake rice vigorously to remove excess water.This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick. IF YOU OMIT THIS STEP YOUR RICE WILL NOT BE DRY AND FLUFFY.
• Heat oil in heavy bottomed oven-safe straight sided 12" saute pan or Dutch oven with tight fitting lid over low-medium heat about 2 minutes. Drop a few rice grains in and if they sizzle then it is ready. Add rice and fry stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Be careful that the oil doesn't get too hot too fast or the oil will splatter.
• Reduce heat to medium, add garlic, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Stir in broth, pureed mixture, corn and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.
• Cover pan and transfer pan to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-35 minutes. Stir well after 15 minutes.
• Stir in cilantro, minced jalapeno to taste, and pass lime wedges separately.
• For Freezing Ahead: Cool, portion and freeze in a ziploc bag.
• To reheat from frozen: Place in a covered pyrex dish and warm in the microwave, stirring every 2-3 minutes until heated through.