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close up showing the detail of Mexican rice cooked in a super flavorful tomato sauce.
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Authentic Mexican Rice

Making restaurant quality, authentic Mexican Rice is so much easier than you think. And SO much better. You will be judging future Mexican restaurants on their rice after making this, no joke. It has a secret ingredient that is key. It's the perfect side to entrees like Chicken Tacos, Carne Asada, Chicken Fajitas, or even for an easy meal alongside some delicious Tejano Pinto Beans. Your Mexican night at home is about to get so much better with this recipe, I'll show you just how to make it!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6
Calories: 220kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

  • 1/4 onion roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic smashed
  • 1/4 red bell pepper roughly chopped, optional
  • 2 large roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons roasted chicken better than bouillon
  • 2 teaspoons tomato bouillon powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt. Use half the amount if you have table salt.
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 cup water plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 and 1/2 cups long grain white rice
  • 3-4 sprigs cilantro left whole

Instructions

  • Make the tomato sauce: In a blender, add in 1/4 of an onion, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 of a red bell pepper (optional), 2 large roma tomatoes (roughly chopped), 2 teaspoons of roasted chicken better than bouillon, 2 teaspoons tomato bouillon powder, 3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, and 1/2 cup of water.
  • Blend. Start the blender on low, then gradually turn it up to high and process for 30-60 seconds until everything is completely liquified and there are no chunks.
  • Add water. Pour the blended mixture into a large liquid measuring cup. This step is important: Add more water until you have 2 and 2/3 cups liquid. How much water you add will depend on the size and water content of your veggies! (If you have more than 2 and 2/3 cup liquid that came from the blender, discard as much as you need in order to land at 2 and 2/3 cup. The proper liquid-to-rice ratio is super important in this recipe.) Set aside.
  • Toast the rice: Set a 3-quart saucepan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Once it is hot and shimmery, add 1 and 1/2 cups dry rice.
  • Stir the rice to make sure all the grains are coated well in oil. Keep stirring regularly for 4-5 minutes until the grains start to look golden, more translucent, and it smells like popcorn (my kids ask if I'm making popcorn EVERY time I fry rice 🤣)
  • Cook rice: Once the rice is toasty and brown, remove the pan from the heat for a minute or so to cool it off a bit. Keep stirring. This will help the liquid not spatter so much when you pour it in (it can hurt, be careful!)
  • Add the tomato sauce mixture. Carefully pour in 2 and 2/3 cup of the tomato sauce mixture. It is going to sizzle and spit a little bit!! Stir the rice and tomato sauce together and return the pan back to the burner over medium high heat.
  • Add 3-4 sprigs of cilantro, stems and all. They've got great flavor! (Cilantro is optional, obviously, for all the cilantro-is-dirt folks out there.)
  • Bring to a boil. Bring the rice to a boil over medium high heat. Once is boils, stir the rice well one more time and turn the heat down to LOW.
  • Cover. Top the pot with a well-fitted lid. Remember to turn the heat down to low.
  • Cook on low with the lid on for 25 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat. Take off the lid and remove the cilantro (or stir it in, if you extra-love cilantro).
  • Fluff rice: Fluffing is a bit of an art, so listen up: The sauce will be sitting on top of the rice. We need to distribute all that flavor. Use a fork and start around the edges. Slowly fluff the rice and pull the sauce toward the middle, going all the way around the pan. Carefully move the top, wetter rice in with the drier pieces below. Do not go in with a spoon and completely stir the rice, it will make it mushy! Put the lid back on and set a timer for 10 minutes to let all that sauce flavor absorb.
  • Remove the lid and fluff the rice again, top to bottom. Take a bite of the BEST. MEXICAN. RICE. EVER. Eat this with Traditional Tejano Pinto Beans if you truly love yourself.
  • Storage: Store the rice covered in the fridge for 3-5 days. Sprinkle with water and cover before microwaving, see post for more details.
  • Freezing instructions: Add cooled rice to a ziplock freezer bag and seal well. It will last this way in the freezer for up to 6 months.
    The best part about using frozen rice is you don't have to wait for it to thaw completely before sticking it in the microwave! Open the seal about an inch or two, then microwave the rice for 1-2 minutes at 50% power, just enough to be able to break the rice apart and get it into a bowl. At that point, sprinkle with water (about 2 teaspoons per cup of rice), cover, and cook. Covering is important to help the rice steam. The amount of time it takes to get hot depends on how much rice you are reheating, so just play around until you get it!

Notes

PANTRY INGREDIENTS MEXICAN RICE RECIPE***
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 and 1/2 cups long grain white rice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic granules
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
  • 1 and 2/3 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
  • 2 teaspoons tomato bouillon powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (only if you have it; it doesn't make it fishy, only adds a savory flavor that makes up for the missing veggies)
Set a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and once it is hot and shimmers, add 1 and 1/2 cups of rice. Stir the rice to make sure all the grains are coated well in oil. Keep stirring regularly for 3 minutes until the grains start to look golden and translucent.
Add 1 teaspoon garlic granules, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. Stir and fry for one more minute til the spices are fragrant.
Add 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce and 1 and 2/3 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon, 2 teaspoons of tomato bouillon powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce if you have it. (If you don't have tomato bouillon OR fish sauce, add an extra 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon).
Bring the mixture to a low simmer over medium high heat. Stir it well, then cover with a lid, turn the heat to low, and set a timer for 25 minutes. Fluff the rice, then let sit covered for another 10 minutes.
*** This recipe is pretty forgiving. You can use what you DO have on hand. No tomatoes but you do have garlic and onion? Use the tomato sauce with real onion and garlic in the tomato sauce, and omit the onion and garlic powders. Have 2 tomatoes but no onion or garlic? Use the fresh tomatoes instead of the canned in the tomato sauce, and still add the onion and garlic powders in that last minute of frying. Any ingredient of the recipe that you have fresh will help the taste!

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 454IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg