Traditional Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups Carolina® Jasmine Rice or Carolina® White Rice
- 4 cups chicken broth, divided
- 1 onion, cut into chunks
- 2 medium tomatoes (optional)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and divided
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup carrot, diced (optional)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
With its visually attractive red hue and loaded with tangy tomato flavor and spices, this Traditional Mexican Rice is everything but bland! Try it today as a dish base or for a tasty side.
Step 1
In a blender, puree 1 cup chicken broth, onion, tomatoes (optional), tomato paste, and 2 garlic cloves until smooth; set aside.Step 2
Heat oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir in rice, carrot (optional) and remaining smashed garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes or until lightly golden and toasted.Step 3
Stir in pureed tomato mixture, remaining broth, cumin, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in peas and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender and absorbs most of the liquid. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice and fluff with a fork before serving.Recipe Variations
For a spicy kick, add diced jalapeños or Serrano peppers to rice.
This recipe will be equally delicious if prepared with Carolina® White Rice.
Authentic Mexican Rice Recipe
Mexican Rice, often called Spanish Rice, is a very simple and common side dish or base for other dishes made with Carolina® Jasmine Rice, tomatoes, a tomato paste or sauce, garlic, onions, peas, and carrots. It is traditionally made by sautéing the rice in a skillet with oil or fat until it is golden brown, and then simmered in water or a veggie or chicken broth, along with chopped tomatoes. Fairly simple to prepare and with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, it is a wonderful and flavorful side dish or base that pairs well with almost any food.
Despite commonly being referred to as “Spanish Rice”, this recipe is actually not that popular in Spain or Spanish cuisine as their traditional rice dishes are cooked with other ingredients and seasoned with different spices – that are not often similar to the ones used to prep an authentic Mexican Rice. It is believed that the reason why this recipe is often called Spanish rice is because Mexico is a Spanish-speaking country. But, whatever you want to call it, we call it delicious!
Traditional, Delicious, and Simple
This tasty recipe is so easy to make, yet packed with many amazing flavors. Gather the ingredients, follow our recipe instructions and you’re bound to enjoy a mouth-watering meal.
Pro tip: When done, squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice in it and serve it up with a Beef Stir Fry and some refried beans for another tasty side!
