Mexican Rice Arroz A La Mexicana Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the dry, unwashed rice, tossing or stirring constantly, until toasted and very brown and nutty, about 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl.
• Place a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the schmaltz, garlic, carrots, onions and 5 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet, until fragrant and brick red colored, about 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, top with the peas and chile, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. Check to see if all the liquid has been absorbed; if not, continue to cook and check again after 10 more minutes. Once the liquid has been absorbed, remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a small pan bring the broth to simmering.
• Set a large pan over medium heat-add the oil, then the rice and onion and cook, stirring, until both the rice and onion are light brown-around 10 minutes.
• Mix in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the pureed tomato Add the broth Add the optional ingredients-except cilantro and cheese Scrape the rice down and stir well.
• Reduce heat to a medium low, cover and finish cooking-around 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and toss and either stir in cilantro or offer at the table-I offer at the table because either you love it-like I do-or hate it, and offer the queso fresco or farmers cheese.

Steps:

• Cut the tomatoes in half, and remove the seeds. Add the tomatoes and 2 cups of broth to a blender and puree. Strain into a bowl and reserve the liquid. Add enough extra broth to make 4 cups of liquid.
• In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and saute for 4 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the rice and cook until slightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato broth mixture, stir and bring to boil. Add the salt, bay leaf, and the serrano chile. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from heat. Scatter the peas over the top of the rice, cover, and let the rice stand 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the garlic, onion, and tomatoes in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Add this mixture to the rice and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice tender, about 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
• Arroz Verde
• In step 2, substitute 5 fresh poblano chiles, roasted (page 588) and stemmed, for the tomatoes. Add 1/4 cup chopped fresh epazote or cilantro leaves with the chicken stock.

Steps:

• Grate tomatoes into a bowl using a box grater; discard tomato skins.
• Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and cook onion until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic into onion and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir rice into onion mixture and cook, stirring often, until rice is lightly toasted, about 3 more minutes. Stir grated tomato, chicken broth, and tomato sauce into the rice. Bring mixture to a boil.
• Mix in jalapeno pepper, cilantro, and salt; reduce heat to low. Cover skillet and simmer until rice has absorbed the liquid, about 15 minutes. Do not lift the cover while the rice is cooking.
• Turn off heat and let rice stand covered for 8 minutes. Fluff with a fork before transferring rice to a serving dish.

Steps:

• For this quantity of rice you will need a flameproof pan about 4 inches (10 cm) deep and 9 inches (23 cm) across. Pour hot water to cover over the rice and let soak for about 5 minutes. Strain, rinse in cold water, and strain again. Be sure to shake the strainer well to remove the excess water. Do not do this step ahead of time or the rice will become too damp.
• Heat the oil in the pan and stir in the rice - it should sizzle as it touches the oil. Stir until the grains are evenly coated and continue frying over medium heat until they sound brittle and are just starting to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Tip the pan to one side and drain off the excess oil.
• Meanwhile, put the tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a blender jar and blend until smooth. Stir the puree into the rice and continue frying over fairly high heat, scraping the bottom of the pan to avoid sticking, until the mixture has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Add the broth and the optional ingredients; stir the rice well, adjust the salt, cover the pan, and cook over medium heat until all the broth has been absorbed - air holes will probably form. Carefully dig to the bottom of the rice with a fork to see if any moisture remains; if so, then continue cooking over low heat for a few minutes more. Set aside, still `covered, to give the rice a chance to continue steaming evenly for about 15 minutes.
• When serving, gently stir the rice from the bottom with a fork.