Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice
Serves6 to 8
Cook25 minutes
The key to this recipe is to sauté the rice in sizzling oil until toasted and golden brown. This helps the grains keep some of their texture after they are cooked. Next, the rice simmers in a puree of tomatoes, onions, and chicken stock to really absorb all of those delicious additional flavors. A handful of cilantro, a few big squeezes of lime, and a light fluff with a fork guarantees the best rice ever, every single time.
I suggest playing around with it to make it your own. I love the loaded tomato flavor, but you can reduce the amount of tomatoes and sub in more stock if you want a slightly mellower taste. If you like lots of heat, go big on the fresh chiles, but whatever you do don’t skip the cilantro — I think it’s a must. (And if you need something to serve with your new favorite rice, I highly recommend a batch of Delta Hot Tamales!)
Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice
Cook time 25 minutes
Serves6 to 8
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 (28-ounce) can
whole peeled tomatoes
- 1
medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 cups
low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground cumin
- 1/3 cup
neutral cooking oil, such as canola or safflower (or rendered lard)
- 2 cups
long-grain white rice
- 1 to 2
medium jalapeño or serrano chile peppers, seeded and minced
- 4 to 5 cloves
garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup
finely chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 2 medium limes, plus more wedges for serving
Instructions
Place the tomatoes and their juices and onion in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Transfer 2 cups of the tomato mixture to a medium saucepan. (Reserve any excess tomato mixture for another use, such as Tomato Sauce.) Stir in the chicken broth, salt, and cumin and bring to a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, toast the rice.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the rice and sauté, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeños and cook until softened, about 2 minutes, lowering the heat as needed. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
Pour the boiling tomato mixture over the rice and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and gently fluff the rice with the fork. Cover again and set aside to steam for 10 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice and fluff again to combine. Taste and season with more salt as needed. Serve with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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