Mexican Rice | Spanish Rice
Arroz Rojo, commonly referred to as Mexican Rice or Spanish Rice, presents a lively and tasteful vegan meal. This recipe for Mexican rice showcases robust long-grain rice, cooked with tomatoes, an abundance of vegetables, and a medley of spices, resulting in a burst of flavors.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onions – 50 grams or 1 medium sized
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 small to medium-sized garlic cloves
- 1 cup long grained rice (heaped), 200 grams – basmati or any long grained rice variety
- ¼ to ⅓ cup finely chopped carrots
- ¼ to ⅓ cup finely chopped red bell peppers or any colored bell pepper or capsicum
- ¼ to ⅓ cup green peas – fresh or frozen, optional
- 1 teaspoon chopped serrano peppers or jalapeño or green chillies
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped celery
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika or red chilli powder or ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin (cumin powder)
- 1 cup Tomato Puree – 200 grams, 2 medium to large tomatoes or 1.25 cups chopped tomatoes
- salt as required
- 1.75 to 2 cups Vegetable Stock or water – add as required
Instructions
- First, rinse the long grained or basmati rice under cold running water for a couple of times. Set the rinsed rice aside, and prep, gather all of the remaining ingredients needed.
- Heat olive oil in a pan.
- Add the chopped onions, garlic and sauté them for a minute on medium heat.
- Lower the heat and add the rinsed rice.
- Mix well, and stir continuously as you sauté the rice in the oil on a low to medium-low heat. The outside of the rice should start to get slightly browned, but take care not to burn the grains. The rice grains should become a light brown and opaque.
- Add the carrots, bell peppers, green peas, and serrano or jalapeño or green chilies, celery, cayenne (or paprika or red chilli powder) and ground cumin.
- Add salt according to taste.
- Mix and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on a low to medium-low heat.
- Add tomato puree. Combine and Mix gently.
- Add the vegetable stock or water.
- Mix again and taste the broth. It should be a bit salty.
- Cover with lid and simmer on a low to medium-low heat until the rice grains are tender and fluffy for about 20 to 22 minutes. All of the stock should be absorbed.
- While the rice is cooking, keep checking a couple of times. If there are no liquids left in the pan and the rice grains are undercooked, add ¼ cup hot water/hot veg stock or more as needed. Gently mix without breaking the rice grains. Cover and continue to simmer.
- When the cooking is completely, fluff the cooked rice with a fork.
- Serve Mexican rice hot or warm with a side salad or with Mexican sides like a vegetarian or vegan burrito, quesadilla, empanada or chimichanga.
- You can also serve with a side of lemon wedges and sprinkling of cilantro if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 351kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 6gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 25mgPotassium: 368mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2937IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg
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