# Authentic Mexican Rice Recipe



## chef lee (Apr 2, 2013)

Good Morning!

I am looking for an authentic (and I mean 100%) Mexican rice recipe. I have tried so many lately and they fall short from what my ex-brother-in-law would make.

I would appreciate any and all recipes and ideas.

Thanks and have a great day!


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

I am a firm believer in not posting cookbook recipes unless it has been posted on the 'net.

This rice recipe is the real deal.

Simple and humble and has made the Barrios family tv famous.

What?

Chicken flavored cubes?

Yes!

Do not change a thing.

Scroll up from this recipe and read about their family and there are additional recipes!

http://books.google.com/books?id=RP...&sa=X&ei=QTi3UZrFJ4bY9ASQroAI&ved=0CHcQ6AEwCA

mimi

These recipes are teasers!

Spring for the book and you will find the original puffy taco recipe!

Alas...the chimichurri recipe is not to be found in this cookbook.

You must travel to San Antonio and feast on the skirt steak with beans and cheese enchilada as sides.

Come on a Sunday (when I am home visiting) at about 6pm and you can sit at my table.

The chimichurri will be brought to the table with the meal (and you can pick up a pint jar to take home... located next to the basket of "milk candy" on the cash register counter)

m.


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)




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## soul vole (Mar 27, 2013)

Can you be more specific? Mexicans prepare rice many different ways -- basic white rice, fried rice, arroz rojo (with tomato and/or dried chile), arroz verde (with cilantro and/or fresh chile), yellow rice with turmeric, ...


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## antilope (May 31, 2013)

[h1]deleted.[/h1]


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## antilope (May 31, 2013)

.....


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## chef lee (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks so much for your help!

Can't wait to try the recipe. Loved reading about how it all began.

~Carolyn


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Just curious.....what IS authentic Mexican Rice?


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## soul vole (Mar 27, 2013)

"Authentic" means of undisputed origin. Thus any rice made in Mexico is by definition authentic Mexican rice, and thus "authentic Mexican rice" is essentially meaningless, apart from the participation of rice and as long as it's made in Mexico. I personally avoid the word "authentic" when it comes to cuisine as it tends to lead to disagreements that never go anywhere. "Traditional" is a somewhat more meaningful term.


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## chef lee (Apr 2, 2013)

Good question...lol.

I have had Mexican rice that contains a lot of tomato sauce and thought that was the way it was done. My sister's ex made some "authentic" rice; it didn't contain all the tomato sauce and the rice didn't have the texture of regular white rice. I was not able to get the recipe for the rice because it was a Morones family recipe handed down through 5 generations and I was not a Morones.

Honestly, I am not sure what is considered "authentic" where this is concerned. What makes one recipe more or less "authentic"  than another. I am just not sure how to word it when requesting a recipe.

~Carolyn


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## chef lee (Apr 2, 2013)

You are so right...traditional does seem to fit better.

Thanks for letting me know the difference....it was interesting to read.

~Carolyn


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

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Iceman


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Works like a charm. _ YUM-O!!! _ Trust me on this one. 

_(You can use your brands of choice though. That part is not all that much important, as long as we're talking good quality brand stuff.)_


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## justsayyo (Jun 24, 2013)

Ok that instant rice and Old El Paso is just wrong, wrong, wrong!

Brown the long grain white rice in cooking oil. Not a lot just enough to brown it. At this point you can add chopped yellow onion and saute with the rice. Add the ratio of chicken broth or stock to the rice. Season with garlic powder, a little onion powder, cumin taste the water to adjust the salt if needed. I add canned Herdez salsa casera instead of tomato sauce but you certainly can add the tomato sauce just don't add  too much. The Herdez gives it enough color and added flavor.  Lower the heat and cover to steam 20 minutes. Check after 10-15 min. Should be nice and fluffy. Just remember that you have to taste the broth water as you go. That is what your rice will taste like. My mother in law loved my rice so much that she refused to eat anyone else's.


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## soul vole (Mar 27, 2013)

Carolyn,

I hope it didn't sound like I was giving you a hard time over the term "authentic". Just pointing out that in my experience it's kind of a loaded word in online discussions.

Here's a Diana Kennedy recipe for Arroz a la Mexicana, a common way of preparing rice in Mexico. Maybe this is along the lines of what you're looking for. Paraphrased of course.

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice

1 cup finely chopped unskinned tomatoes

2 T. finely chopped white onion

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

1/3 cup vegetable oil, chicken fat, or lard

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup carrots cut into rounds (optional)

1/2 cup peas or zucchini (optional)

1/2 cup giblets (optional)

salt to taste

Soak rice in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain in cold water twice.

Blend tomatoes, onion, garlic until smooth.

Fry rice in fat until lightly golden. Remove excess oil and add tomato puree, scraping and frying until absorbed, about 8 minutes. Stir in broth, vegetables, and giblets and cook over fairly high heat uncovered until broth has been absorbed and holes appear. Cover and continue cooking for about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and let rice absorb remaining moisture, about 15 minutes. Test for seasoning and doneness and cook a few minutes longer if needed. Fluff before serving.


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## ifortuna (Jun 29, 2013)

From our Mexican family to you.  I use basmati rice.  Dry roast the rice in the pan used to cook it in.  Oil is not necessary, I discourage it. By dry roasting, the rice will turn opaque and some kernals will brown. I add about a 1/2 tablespoon  to a tablespoon of mild chili powder, a pinch of oregano, a pinch of cumin and briefly dry roast the spices for a minute or so.  I add the necessary water or broth and stir.  Most authentic Mexican rice uses no tomatoes or tomato products. Most people think that is where it gets the red color, it comes from the chili powder.  Mexican rice is typically not supposed to be a meal, however, sometimes I saute some bell peppers, onion and a pound of bacon to stir into the cooked rice for a meal.  Do this after the rice is cooked and crumble in the bacon or chorizo.  If you feel you must have tomatoes this would be the time to add them after the rice is cooked.

Tomato products are too acidic to cook rice in. The rice does not cook properly. Also, oil inhibits the rice grains from absorbing water properly.  In order to end up with a fluffy rice, the above technique should be followed.  I don't use tomatoes in my homemade enchilada sauce either.  If anyone would like that recipe, let me know.  

Just a note, allrecipes.com site has all manner of botched and ridiculously concocted non-authentic recipes and I have found only a couple of recipes that come close to authentic.  There are many other recipe sites that actually offer seriously authentic, good, creative and correct recipes.  However, I have yet to find a site that offers truly authentic Mexican recipes.

1 1/2 cups of basmati or long grain white rice (dry roasted)

3 cups of water or broth

1/2 to 1 tablespoon of mild chili powder

a pinch of Greek oregano (Mexican oregano is very strong & some like it very much)

a pinch of cumin

When the rice is nearly finished dry roasting add the spices to roast for a minute.  Add the liquid.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.  Optional: (Add sauteed veggies, bacon, chorizo and/or garlic if desired after the rice is finished cooking.  

Mexican rice is not meant to be served as a meal but as an accompaniment to beans and other Mexican dishes.  I am sure everyone will tweek it according to their taste.  This is to be expected. At least now you have a good basic Mexican rice to start with and your guests and friends will be impressed.


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## soul vole (Mar 27, 2013)

IFortuna said:


> Most authentic Mexican rice uses no tomatoes or tomato products. Most people think that is where it gets the red color, it comes from the chili powder.


Many Mexican red rices get their color from tomatoes. The recipe I posted above is from Diana Kennedy's _The Art of Mexican Cooking_. She has been studying and documenting Mexican cuisine since 1957 and is well known as a stickler for tradition. In his _Los Clásicos de la Cocina Mexicana_ Ricardo Muñoz Zurita (best known as the author of the highly-sought-after _Diccionario Enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana_) starts off with a basic arroz blanco and an arroz rojo, the latter of which gets its red color from tomato, not chile. It contains serranos but no dried chile. (ETA: He also incidentally fries the rice first.)

I remember when I first arrived in Mexico about five years ago I mentioned to a Mexican friend that I'd just made arroz rojo and he asked me, "What kind? Did you use tomato or dried chile?"

As I said, there are many, many ways that rice is prepared in Mexico.


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## ifortuna (Jun 29, 2013)

Yes, and now you have our way and the way many Mexican households make it.


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## antilope (May 31, 2013)

deleted.


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## firehousecook (Mar 29, 2016)

Hey Chef Lee (Carolyn),  I too have made many Mexican/Spanish rice dishes.  I learned that it is best made the day you need to use it, and there are as many recipes for Mexican Rice as you can count.  Let me know if you have found one that you like.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

I take the leftover MX/Spanish rice the next day and add a beaten egg to help bind it then fry it as a patty until crispy(fairly thin) then I top it with the leftover shredded taco meat and serve salsa/sour cream on the side. Make a crispy rice "tortilla" basically.


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## sexychef7179 (Jan 31, 2017)

Mexican Rice...... Which Region?


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## firehousecook (Mar 29, 2016)

Mary B.   What a great idea.  I'll have to try that.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I like to make it with some sofrito (the goya brand stuff in a jar is fine) and some chopped stuffed manzanilla olives with capers (al caparrado)


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

phatch said:


> I like to make it with some sofrito (the goya brand stuff in a jar is fine) and some chopped stuffed manzanilla olives with capers (al caparrado)


That sounds very nice for a change up!

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mimi


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## adriyaya (Jan 13, 2011)

I use 1 cup long grain rice. First thing is you have to put a kettle to boil so the water you are going to add to the rice is already hot. Add a bit of oil to a pot and let it heat up. Add the rice and stir until all the rice is coated in oil. Chop an onion, tomato and garlic to taste. You can also used canned diced tomatoes. Add to the rice and stir, until rice is lightly toasted. Add the hot water to the rice mix and simmer until done. To season the rice you can use just salt, or the Knorr brand chicken boullion or tomato. More commonly used though is the chicken. Sprinkle in a bit at a time and taste as it tends to be salty. After you have the seasoning to you liking do not stir any more. Hope that helps


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