Mexican Rice
Slightly different in flavor profile from Spanish Rice, milder with peas and carrots.
This is a recipe for Mexican Rice, not to be confused with Spanish Rice. They’re similar, but they are not the same. Spanish Rice is spicier and in Spain, it is not always a side dish; sometimes it contains protein like mussels, shrimp or chicken. Mexican Rice, on the other hand, is strictly a side dish, often paired with refried beans. It is milder in flavor and frequently contains green peas and sometimes, carrots.
Tomato Bouillon
Unlike Spanish Rice, which often has crushed or diced tomatoes and sometimes bell peppers, Mexican Rice derives its tomato flavor from tomato bouillon and a bit of tomato sauce. You can find tomato bouillon, which also contains chicken flavor, in the Hispanic section of your neighborhood grocer if you have a large enough Hispanic population nearby to support it; otherwise, it is easily available online.
There are two ways to make this dish, a traditional stovetop method and, for a larger batch, an oven method. The latter is easier since it’s a self-attended recipe that you don’t have to monitor, but it will yield approximately 7-1/2 cups of rice, which is a lot. It may be possible to pare down the quantity of the recipe in the oven method, using as smaller baking dish, but I have not yet experimented with that. Both stovetop and oven methods are posted as separate recipes below.
Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups long grain white rice (like, Ben's Original Long Grin White Parboiled Rice)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic , minced
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce ,(like, Hunt's)
- 2 teaspoons tomato bouillon (like, Knorr)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1-1/2 cup frozen green peas and carrots, thawed in the microwave
- 14.5 oz can chicken broth (like, Swanson's)
- 1-1/4 cups water
- 1 whole Serrano pepper
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan over medium high heat, sauté the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rice and stirring constantly, toast the grains until they begin to show a little caramelization, another 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté a minute longer.
- Add the tomato sauce, tomato bouillon, salt and chicken broth. Stir well, then add the green peas and carrots.
- Place the whole Serrano pepper in the pan, then bring everything to a boil.
- Back off the heat to medium low and allow the rice to gently simmer covered until all the liquid has been absorbed, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and allow it to sit for 20 minutes.
- Remove and discard the Serrano pepper, then fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
Mexican Rice (Oven Method)
Slightly different in flavor profile from Spanish Rice, milder with peas and carrots.
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups long grain white rice (not par-boiled or converted rice)
- 5 cups chicken stock (like, Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- 1 cup frozen peas & carrots, thawed
- 1/2 cup chili sauce (like, Heinz)
- 3/4 stick butter, melted
- 2 tbsp tomato bouillon (like, Knorr)
- 1/2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Southwest Seasonings
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/8 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp ground cumin
- 1 whole Serrano pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F
- Mix the rice, chicken stock, peas & carrots, chili sauce, butter, bouillon, and seasonings in a mixing bowl. Blend well.
- Pour the ingredients into a 9" x 13" Pyrex baking dish.
- Place the whole Serrano pepper in the middle of the rice mixture.
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 90 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave the dish covered until ready to serve. Discard the Serrano pepper and fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
Notes
- This recipe will yield approximately 7-1/2 cups of cooked rice.
