Mexican Red Rice
Rice usually serves as a blank canvas for the rest of the dish. But not this one! This traditional rice imparts a beautiful red hue as well as a flavorful punch. Feel free to experiment with the quantity and variety of fresh chiles in the recipe—using or removing the seeds to control the heat as you see fit.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Puree the Vegetables
Step 1
Combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapeño in a blender and puree until smooth. You may need to poke the mixture with the handle of a wooden spoon while the blender is turned off to get the puree going.
Sauté the Rice and Vegetable Puree
Step 2
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the rice and stir for 2 minutes or until the rice is completely coated in oil and it begins to release a toasty aroma.
Step 3
Add the vegetable puree, taking care not to get splattered by the mixture, which will steam as soon as it hits the pan. Stir until the puree and rice are well blended.
Simmer the Rice
Step 4
Add the chicken broth along with the salt and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
Fluff and Serve
Step 5
Remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit, covered, for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.
COOKING NOTES
Step 6
INGREDIENTS
Step 7
Chicken Broth versus Water
Step 8
While its fine to use either ingredient, the chicken broth will impart a richer flavor to the rice. Vegetable broth is another good option.
Step 9
TECHNIQUES
Step 10
Imparting the Red Color
Step 11
The pureed tomatoes will give the rice its red color. Therefore, it is important to use the ripest and reddest tomatoes you can find.
Step 12
ADVANCE PREPARATION
Step 13
Rice is always best eaten the day it is made. However, any leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator and reheated in the microwave. Just sprinkle a bit of water over the rice before reheating to make sure it doesn’t dry out too much.
