Skip to main content

Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice

If you've ever attempted your favorite Mexican restaurant's rice at home and failed, raise your hand. Well you can put it down now, because this one is my all-time family favorite and I think it will become yours too. To be honest, I like it so much better than the rice usually served when I dine out.

Whenever I go to Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurants, I always find myself dumping salsa and queso over my rice to make it more delicious. I've always thought it had potential, though, and over the years I've tested countless different recipes in my quest to master it at home.




The funny thing is that I'm actually not a rice lover at all, which probably explains why I like Mexican rice — because you're supposed to add a bunch of stuff to make it better! The best kind of Mexican rice, to me at least, is infused with a complex tomatoey flavor and each grain has just the right amount of bite; no mush, please! (Cheese dip optional but not required.)

A few years ago I finally found a recipe that came close to what I was looking for. It came from one of those generic crowd-sourced websites so you know it's gonna be a long shot, but despite my doubts it actually proved to be a keeper. Well, a keeper that needed some work. (Once a recipe developer, always a recipe developer.) But now that I had a solid base to play with, I could tweak and adapt it to my personal tastes, and eventually I came up with a streamlined version I think is pretty close to perfect.





The key to this recipe is to sauté the rice in sizzling oil until toasted and golden brown. This helps the grains keep some of their texture after they are cooked. Next, the rice simmers in a puree of tomatoes, onions, and chicken stock to really absorb all of those delicious additional flavors. A handful of cilantro, a few big squeezes of lime, and a light fluff with a fork guarantees the best rice ever, every single time.

Now I can't say if this recipe is anything close to authentic (probably not), but I do know that it's damn good. I suggest playing around with it to make it your own. I love the loaded tomato flavor, but you can reduce the amount of tomatoes and sub in more stock if you want a slightly mellower taste. If you like lots of heat go big on the fresh chiles, but whatever you do don't skip the cilantro — I think it's a must.

Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:
  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/3 cup neutral cooking oil, such as canola or safflower (or rendered lard)
  • 2 cups long grain white rice
  • 1-2 chile peppers, such as jalapeño or serrano, seeded and minced
  • 4-5 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • Juice from 2 limes, plus additional wedges for serving 


Instructions:

Place the tomatoes and onion in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer 2 cups of the tomato mixture to a medium saucepan. Stir in the chicken stock, salt, and cumin and bring liquid to a boil over medium heat.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. When the oil is sizzling, add the rice and sauté, stirring frequently until lightly toasted and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the jalapeño and cook until they have softened, about 2 minutes, lowering the heat if necessary. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Pour the boiling tomato mixture over the rice and stir to combine. Turn heat to low and cook, covered, until liquid has evaporated and rice is done, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir the rice. Return the cover and allow to rest undisturbed for an additional 10 minutes. Add cilantro and lime juice; fluff gently with a fork. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Serve with additional lime wedges. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ruth's Chris New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp

I came across this recipe by way of my Facebook news feed a couple weeks back.  I decided to attempt to make this shrimp and it didn’t hurt that I had several of the ingredients handy. I haven’t actually tasted the original, but based on the reviews I read online, this is spot on. It was quick and super easy to recreate. If you are sick of eating the same proteins, give this a try. Your tastebuds will thank you! Ruth's Chris New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp Ingredients: 20 large (16/20) shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 ounce canola oil 1 tablespoon plus 5 teaspoons green onions, chopped 2 ounces dry white wine 1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic 4 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce 1 teaspoon Tabasco 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon paprika 8 ounces (2 sticks) salted butter Instructions: Place a large cast iron skillet on a burner and heat over high heat. Add oil and cook shrimp until they are just done. It's best to prepare shrimp in batches

13 Cookie Recipes You Need in Your Collection

These 20 best cookie recipes have earned top ratings from home cooks far and wide. These are the must-bakes that belong in your recipe box! These cookies are gorgeous, delicious, and guaranteed show stoppers at any cookie swap or holiday party. Whip up a batch or two of these  cookies for teachers, hostess gifts, coworkers, or for your family to enjoy on a cozy night in. 1. Best Snickerdoodle Cookie The рорulаr сіnnаmоn-ѕugаr ѕоft аnd сhеwу ѕugаr cookie rесіре. A rесіре that hаѕ bееn in thе fаmіlу for оvеr 30 years! Recipe >> Best Snickerdoodle Cookie @ lilluna.com 2.  Bear Paw Cookies These easy, delicious chocolate cookies should earn lots of paw applause! Recipe >> Bear Paw Cookies @ kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com 3. Perfect Sugar Cookies Thіѕ recipe іѕ еаѕу enough thаt mу 5-year-old dіd іt basically unѕuреrvіѕеd (mіnuѕ thе оvеn раrt). Pluѕ thеу taste grеаt! Remind mе a lіttlе of ѕhоrtbrеаd cookies. Sоft, buttеrу, melt іn уоur m

Slow Cooker "Melt in Your Mouth" Pot Roast

This recipe has proven to produce thee best pot roast I've ever made.  Every component is pure perfection.  The meat is juicy and fall-apart tender.  The vegetables are cooked just right and are full of flavor.  The seasonings are simply spot on and the broth yields a fabulous gravy-like sauce that is divine when poured over everything prior to serving. We usually have leftovers of this, so we often make hash the following day.  The leftover roast is, also, fabulous utilized in a hot roast beef sandwich for lunch. Yields 4 - 6 servings. Slow Cooker "Melt in Your Mouth" Pot Roast Ingredients: 1 chuck roast (mine was 3 pounds) Olive oil 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks 1 onion, peeled and cut into large chunks 2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks (optional) 1 cup beef broth 1 tablespoons corn starch SEASONING MIX : 2 tablespoons steak seasoning (mine is store-bought