Mexican rice

[Celery Man 20931]

This was my first comfort food as a child. Specifically, Ninfa's rice, with the peas. I made a copycat halal chicken dish with some yellow rice that turned out great last night and i realized it's fucking stupid that I don't make mexican rice and never really have. What are y'alls recipes? I guess I might start here given that it's possibly Ninfa's related, but I'm sure y'all have some good ones.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/221930/mamacitas-mexican-rice/

[Brisketexan 105066]

7 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

This was my first comfort food as a child. Specifically, Ninfa's rice, with the peas. I made a copycat halal chicken dish with some yellow rice that turned out great last night and i realized it's fucking stupid that I don't make mexican rice and never really have. What are y'alls recipes? I guess I might start here given that it's possibly Ninfa's related, but I'm sure y'all have some good ones.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/221930/mamacitas-mexican-rice/

My family generally just made that with the first 5 or 6 ingredients, kept it simple.  I like the idea of adding some comino and saffron, though.  May try that.

I love the smell of toasting rice and onion.

[Pescado_Rojo 19413]

I just follow the recipe on the bottle and add some onion and a little bell pepper. Sometimes a can of rotel if I have one. 

[UncleBuck 6452]

rice and a few chunks of onion and bell pepper browned in oil. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, tick of cumino, half a can of tomato sauce, can of chicken broth and the rest water to cover. cook and stuff

[jeevsie 3733]

<whisper> don't forget the knorr

[deadshank 24652]

Rice, chicken broth, peas & carrots, unjun, chicken scrap & fat, salt, water & time.

[C-Man 27187]

50 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

I just follow the recipe on the bottle and add some onion and a little bell pepper. Sometimes a can of rotel if I have one. 

This works very well.

[LW Goatman 1118]

Mely Martinez has some great recipes, including the rice. 

 

https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/mexican-rice-recipe-authentic/

 

[RollLeft 5040]

toast sufficiently, spice to taste, then leave that shit alone

[Covri 6244]

Only vegetable acceptable is the white onion in my opinion. Peas, carrots, bell peppers is not what I grew up with in Austin and alway cracks me up when I get that shit in DFW Tex mex joints, the frozen pea and carrot chunks in particular like it's fried rice without the egg.

[Herbie Hancock 7344]

Bunch of honkys in this mother.

2:1 water to rice. Liberal amount of Knorr Caldo de tomate stirred into the water and dissolved thoroughly. Mince half a clove of garlic. Brown the rice with just enough canola oil to get the job done and not a drop more while also adding minced garlic. Half an onion sliced into 3rds. One Roma tomato quartered. Two jalapeños sliced longways. Add vegetables in as rice begins to brown. When thoroughly browned, add tomate and water concoction. Bring to a boil, reduce to low roll and then cover for 20 minutes.

[Texzilla58 4731]

Bunch of honkys in this mother.

2:1 water to rice. Liberal amount of Knorr Caldo de tomate stirred into the water and dissolved thoroughly. Mince half a clove of garlic. Brown the rice with just enough canola oil to get the job done and not a drop more while also adding minced garlic. Half an onion sliced into 3rds. One Roma tomato quartered. Two jalapeños sliced longways. Add vegetables in as rice begins to brown. When thoroughly browned, add tomate and water concoction. Bring to a boil, reduce to low roll and then cover for 20 minutes.

This is close to my recipe. It is a pilaf so the slow browning the rice is the critical step and if it turns to Rice Krispies stop dump it and start over. I like a cup of chopped onion to a cup and a half of rice. I also mince about three cloves of garlic. A couple teaspoons of ancho Chile, a teaspoon of cumin, black pepper. I usually use a can of tomato sauce and then two cups chicken broth and a cup of water. I’m a nope on bell peppers peas and carrots, though I might put in some whole kernel corn. Bring to a boil cover and turn heat low for about 25 minutes. I’ll toss at the end and might throw in some chopped cilantro and green onions. I salt at the end since the broth might be salty enough.

[elfenix 34223]

7 hours ago, Covri said:

Only vegetable acceptable is the white onion in my opinion. Peas, carrots, bell peppers is not what I grew up with in Austin and alway cracks me up when I get that shit in DFW Tex mex joints, the frozen pea and carrot chunks in particular like it's fried rice without the egg.

[shadow_operative2.0 15948]

We're still waiting for ol' boy @VABuckeye. 

On 3/20/2022 at 8:11 PM, VABuckeye said:

I’ll post my recipe in the next day or so.  I got sick of terrible Mexican rice even in restaurants.  Mine fucks. 

[tx 3 putt 76870]

9 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

I just follow the recipe on the bottle and add some onion and a little bell pepper. Sometimes a can of rotel if I have one. 

 

heb fresh pico does wonders also this ...

 

4 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:

Bunch of honkys in this mother.

2:1 water to rice. Liberal amount of Knorr Caldo de tomate stirred into the water and dissolved thoroughly. Mince half a clove of garlic. Brown the rice with just enough canola oil to get the job done and not a drop more while also adding minced garlic. Half an onion sliced into 3rds. One Roma tomato quartered. Two jalapeños sliced longways. Add vegetables in as rice begins to brown. When thoroughly browned, add tomate and water concoction. Bring to a boil, reduce to low roll and then cover for 20 minutes.

 

sub chicken broth for water

[Herbie Hancock 7344]

4 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

heb fresh pico does wonders also this ...

 

 

sub chicken broth for water

I don’t care for the Sazon, but I am intrigued by the chicken broth. Will give it a go tomorrow 

[deadshank 24652]

13 hours ago, Covri said:

Only vegetable acceptable is the white onion in my opinion. Peas, carrots, bell peppers is not what I grew up with in Austin and alway cracks me up when I get that shit in DFW Tex mex joints, the frozen pea and carrot chunks in particular like it's fried rice without the egg.

Yep.  Austin is the center of the universe.  The rest of the universe sucks.  
 

[utee94 15805]

1 hour ago, Herbie Hancock said:

I don’t care for the Sazon, but I am intrigued by the chicken broth. Will give it a go tomorrow 

You're already using the Knorr caldo de tomate so you probably don't need the chicken broth.

[UncleBuck 6452]

3 minutes ago, utee94 said:

You're already using the Knorr caldo de tomate so you probably don't need the chicken broth.

We normally do half a can of tomato sauce, but my wife did the knorr tomate stuff last time. Not bad, not bad. Also keep some knorr chicken stuff for seasoning to taste after you get your seasonings and liquid in (if you think you're missing something). Can always tweak but you have a very short amount of time to do so. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by UncleBuck

[utee94 15805]

1 minute ago, UncleBuck said:

We normally do half a can of tomato sauce, but my wife did the knorr tomate stuff last time. Not bad, not bad. Also keep some knorr chicken stuff for seasoning to taste after you get your seasonings and liquid in (if you think you're missing something). Can always tweak but you have a very short amount of time to do so. 

Yup, exactly how I do it.  

My grandma who taught me how to make it, always said "taste the liquid-- it's what the rice will end up tasting like."  So you taste the liquid and make adjustments as necessary, during the cook.

Edited August 18, 2022 by utee94

[Herbie Hancock 7344]

7 minutes ago, utee94 said:

You're already using the Knorr caldo de tomate so you probably don't need the chicken broth.

Yeah I figured I would either cut the broth with water or scale back the tomate because if not then it’s going to be a salt bomb. 

[Etexhorn13 3045]

14 hours ago, Covri said:

Only vegetable acceptable is the white onion in my opinion. Peas, carrots, bell peppers is not what I grew up with in Austin and alway cracks me up when I get that shit in DFW Tex mex joints, the frozen pea and carrot chunks in particular like it's fried rice without the egg.

Austin has by far the worst tex mex of any of the large cities in Texas but keep doing you I guess. 

[UncleBuck 6452]

3 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Yup, exactly how I do it.  

My grandma who taught me how to make it, always said "taste the liquid-- it's what the rice will end up tasting like."  So you taste the liquid and make adjustments as necessary, during the cook.

Yup, but don't touch the rice until it's done, or you're dead. 

[CooterBrown 18003]

I use basmati rice. I like the texture a lot better than plain long grain rice. I don't have a particular spice mix since I change it every single time and it's always great.

One variation I make Mexican Chicken and Rice.

Brown some thighs and legs in a braising pan until maybe 80% cooked through. Remove.

In that glorious chicken grease, saute diced onions, carrots, jalapenos, tomatoes, garlic. I like a lot of color in those onions so get them brown. Remove.

Saute the rice. Add dry spices to bloom for a few minutes. 

Add  broth to deglaze the pan. Due to the moisture in the chicken and vegetables, you will need less liquid than if you were making plain Mexican Rice. Maybe cut back by 25%.  Add the veggies back in and stir. Add the chicken on top and get it to a strong simmer then cover. You can finish on the a very low flame or, to assure the bottom doesn't burn, put in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes. 

It's one of the better one dish meals out there. 

 

[Celery Man 20931]

I'm glad I started this thread.

Also Austin is my favorite city in Texas but it's not top 3 for tex mex. Surely we've had a thread for this war? Austin' primary cultural tex-mex export isn't even tex-mex - Chuy's is new mex-mex

[utee94 15805]

3 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

I'm glad I started this thread.

Also Austin is my favorite city in Texas but it's not top 3 for tex mex. Surely we've had a thread for this war? Austin' primary cultural tex-mex export isn't even tex-mex - Chuy's is new mex-mex

Yes the war has been fought all over the internet for decades.  It's childish and stupid, but then, so is surlyhorns.

 

[Celery Man 20931]

so I gather the knorr stuff is a pretty authentic ingredient? It's always interesting with tex-mex, where it really is a cuisine that grew up in 20th century Texas and the real deal ingredients are the 1950s grocery store staples rather than slow roasted cumin seeds that you laboriously crush with a mortar and pestle/etc. 

[deadshank 24652]

25 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Yes the war has been fought all over the internet for decades.  It's childish and stupid, but then, so is surlyhorns.

 

 

[Beau Vine 54207]

2 cup of rice

1 cup of salsa

1 cup water

shitload of cumin and black pepper

1 tsp oil

Throw it in the rice cooker,  hit start.  WALLAH!!!

[Covri 6244]

1 hour ago, utee94 said:

You're already using the Knorr caldo de tomate so you probably don't need the chicken broth.

 

1 hour ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Austin has by far the worst tex mex of any of the large cities in Texas but keep doing you I guess. 

My point was that was what I grew up with and it's what I like the best, not a fan of the added veggies you find in other parts of the state.  And I'm not talking about the overall quality of Tex-Mex by city lol.

[VABuckeye 2472]

Shamed I have been and rightfully so.  Be very careful when adding the boiling mixture to the rice.

 

Mexican Rice

1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cups chicken stock

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (I salt to taste)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 cup canola oil or rendered lard

2 cups long grain white rice

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

6 garlic cloves pressed

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

Juice from 2 limes plus wedges for serving

 

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

 

Heat the oil in a heavy dutch overn over medium to medium high heat.  When the oil is sizzling add the rice and saute, stirring until lightly toasted and golden, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the jalapenos and cook until they have softened, about 2 minutes, lowering the heat if necessary.  Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

 

Gently pour the boiling mixture over the rice and stir to combine.  Turn heat to low and cook, covered, until the liquid has evaporated and rice is done, about 15 minutes.  Add cilantro and lime juice; fluff gently with a fork.  Taste and adjust seasoning if required.  Serve with lime wedges.

[Covri 6244]

This is the recipe we use and it's always a hit when we make it for larger gatherings, it's easy to make a  double or quadruple batch in a dutch oven.

 

Mexican Rice
INGREDIENTS:
·  3 tablespoons vegetable oil
·  1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
·  1 teaspoon garlic salt
·  1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
·  1/4 cup chopped onion
·  1/2 cup tomato sauce
·  2 cups chicken broth
 
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.
2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork
 

[RollLeft 5040]

The browning of the rice takes longer than the cooking after you add water.  

Oil + some chopped onion + 1 cup rice          and brown (i'm at about 20 minutes)

knorr bouillon cube + garlic salt + comino to taste

1 can 8-12 oz of tomato sauce +1/2 cup of chicken stock

2 cups of water...stir conce, cover and don't touch it (cooks for ten minutes covered, rest for 5 minutes uncovered)

 

Edited August 23, 2022 by RollLeft

[Brisketexan 105066]

1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

so I gather the knorr stuff is a pretty authentic ingredient? It's always interesting with tex-mex, where it really is a cuisine that grew up in 20th century Texas and the real deal ingredients are the 1950s grocery store staples rather than slow roasted cumin seeds that you laboriously crush with a mortar and pestle/etc. 

If someone tells you they're Texas messican and cook messican, open up their cabinets pantry and look for this. If they don't have it, they aren't Texas messican.

And what Covri said.  He wasn't talking about what's served in restaurants.  He's talking about the big serving pan of rice your tia brings to all the family occasions.  That's pretty much just rice, knorr, onion, and maybe garlic and/or some tomatoes.  The Knorr con tomate is a common sub, gives it more color and a bit of tomato flavor.

There's all kinds of good variations on mexican rice, but that's the one I grew up on, both with my family and other families we knew.

[kilroydos 267]

I liken it to the south Louisiana grandmothers who by and large will use a jarred roux.  Sure, you can make it yourself, but they started doing it when that became available and that became the standard process.

[Covri 6244]

36 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

If someone tells you they're Texas messican and cook messican, open up their cabinets pantry and look for this. If they don't have it, they aren't Texas messican.

And what Covri said.  He wasn't talking about what's served in restaurants.  He's talking about the big serving pan of rice your tia brings to all the family occasions.  That's pretty much just rice, knorr, onion, and maybe garlic and/or some tomatoes.  The Knorr con tomate is a common sub, gives it more color and a bit of tomato flavor.

There's all kinds of good variations on mexican rice, but that's the one I grew up on, both with my family and other families we knew.

That aluminum serving pan does make it taste better too.

[Herbie Hancock 7344]

That aluminum serving pan does make it taste better too.

Much like tortillas flipped by hand taste better than ones flipped with tongs.

[salonghorn 204]

South Texas Rice

1/4 cup veg oil

1/2 cup diced onions

2 cloves diced garlic

1 can tomatoes chopped

2 cups liquid. Use the juice from the can of tomatoes and chicken broth to equal 2 cups.

1 cup long grain white rice

chili powder, salt, black pepper, cumin all to taste

1. Brown rice in oil 5-6 minutes over low heat

2. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes

3. Add tomatoes, spices and chicken stock

4. Simmer until rice is done and liquid absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork

 

If you want to put carrots, peas and bell pepper in, as Emeril would say, you are not going to hurt my feelings. But that is not TexMex rice. 

[tx 3 putt 76870]

16 hours ago, utee94 said:

You're already using the Knorr caldo de tomate so you probably don't need the chicken broth.

 

i use all three - caldo de tomate, goya sazon, chicken broth 

 

[tx 3 putt 76870]

16 hours ago, Celery Man said:

I'm glad I started this thread.

Also Austin is my favorite city in Texas but it's not top 3 for tex mex. Surely we've had a thread for this war? Austin' primary cultural tex-mex export isn't even tex-mex - Chuy's is new mex-mex

 

austin isn't even top 10 tex mex in Texas

[tx 3 putt 76870]

15 hours ago, Celery Man said:

so I gather the knorr stuff is a pretty authentic ingredient? It's always interesting with tex-mex, where it really is a cuisine that grew up in 20th century Texas and the real deal ingredients are the 1950s grocery store staples rather than slow roasted cumin seeds that you laboriously crush with a mortar and pestle/etc. 

 

i use the cubes, so it's the same amount every time

 

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by tx 3 putt

[tx 3 putt 76870]

also, low sodium broth and do not add any salt for seasoning. the cube has enough salt for me

[RPM 26317]

We get this about once a week for lunch at work. Pretty freaking tasty. 

[Brisketexan 105066]

8 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

also, low sodium broth and do not add any salt for seasoning. the cube has enough salt for me

Yeah, if you use Knorr for anything, it handles the salt element of the recipe.

[Celery Man 20931]

Miles from perfect, but it is in fact Mexican rice.

not quite the hit I was hoping for but she’ll come around

[MalibuSheriff 1090]

On 8/18/2022 at 9:49 AM, Covri said:

This is the recipe we use and it's always a hit when we make it for larger gatherings, it's easy to make a  double or quadruple batch in a dutch oven.

 

Mexican Rice
INGREDIENTS:
·  3 tablespoons vegetable oil
·  1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
·  1 teaspoon garlic salt
·  1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
·  1/4 cup chopped onion
·  1/2 cup tomato sauce
·  2 cups chicken broth
 
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.
2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork
 

Made this recipe (double portion) last weekend for a group and it was outstanding.  First time I’ve cooked Tex-Mex rice correctly.

[elfenix 34223]

On 8/23/2022 at 5:21 PM, Celery Man said:

Miles from perfect, but it is in fact Mexican rice.

not quite the hit I was hoping for but she’ll come around

might take a while.  i did not like mexican rice until i was in college. 

[tx 3 putt 76870]

Rice was spot on tonigbt. Used white pepper instead of black pepper, great swap 

 

[mycox 582]

The key is to stir the rice in oil 3 to 4 minutes until it starts to change color and smells a bit toasty. Then add your liquids and ingredients.

[tx 3 putt 76870]

14 minutes ago, mycox said:

The key is to stir the rice in oil 3 to 4 minutes until it starts to change color and smells a bit toasty. Then add your liquids and ingredients.

 

spices before you add a can of chicken broth