Mexican Red Rice

Arroz Rojo

There is rice and there is Mexican red rice or arroz rojo to the locals and it must be said that it was a welcome addition to my Mexican feasts and I really don’t know why it took me so long to find.

This rice dish is a must have side whenever you cook up a Mexican fiesta. It is more or less the same as my Arroz con Pollo but without the pollo! That’s chicken!

Not only does Mexican red rice make a good side to dishes like Chicken Tinga , but if you are making burritos Mexican red rice is a great part of the filling.

Try this recipe out. You can always make it your own an add other ingredients

Serves 4-6 as a side dish:

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño chili, chopped
  • 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp tomato purée
  • 220g white long-grain rice
  • 550ml chicken or vegetable stock, or water
  • 60g peas, fresh or frozen (optional)
  • Small handful of coriander, chopped
  • Salt, season to taste

Preparation method:

Once you have prepared the vegetables, heat up the oil in a pan, sautéing your onion until soft then add the garlic along with the jalapeño. Cook for a few minutes on a medium heat then add the tomato purée give it a good stir and then add the tomatoes and give it another good stir to mix.

Now stir in your rice, cook for another couple of minutes making sure all the rice is coated then finally add the stock and the peas. Bring to a slight boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for about 15-20 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.

Now turn off the heat and if using electric move to one side, leave the lid on and let the rice sit for a about 10 minutes to fully evaporate any lingering liquids resulting in a more fluffy rice.

Remove to a nice serving dish and sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander and serve.

Enjoy!