Mexican Rice Restaurant Style

Wheres_the_Beef?'s Note:

This recipe makes a dry, fluffy, orange/yellow, restaurant style, Mexican rice. It's important to rinse the rice prior to cooking in order to achieve the dry, fluffy, restaurant style Mexican Rice.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 3.0 cups

• 2 cups long grain white rice, rinsed
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons mild green chilies, canned
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350-F. - Bake 30 minutes total, stirring after 15 minutes.
2. Place rice in strainer and rinse under running water until it runs clear. About 2-minutes. This is important to create a dry, non-sticky restaurant style rice.
3. Drain rice, making sure to shake out as much water as possible.
4. Heat canola oil to medium high in a dutch oven (3qt to 6qt) on the stove top. Drop a few rice grains in the oil. When they sizzle, add all remaining rice. Stir constantly and fry rice until it is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
5. Add onions and stir into rice. Cook while stirring about 2 more minutes. Add garlic and stir for another minute.
6. Stir in chicken broth, tomato paste, green chilies and diced tomatoes. Stir well and bring to a boil.
7. When rice reaches a boil, place lid on dutch oven and place in 350-F preheated oven. Bake 15-minutes then open oven and stir well. Replace dutch oven lid and bake another 15 to 20-minutes until done.
8. Remove from oven and stir in chopped cilantro. Cover and allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving to allow cilantro flavor to be absorbed by the rice.

Reviews

[drkpriestess]

This is the closest restaurant style rice I have found! My favorite so far!

[Chef #356015]

WOW!! This has the same consistency and taste as the restaurants do. I've been looking for it for years. It's wonderful, but I added an extra teaspoon of salt to help bring out the flavor. Thank you!

[Toni in Colorado]

I have been trying different recipes to come up with one my husband thinks compares to restaurants. I think this deserves 5 stars, but my husband gives it 4 stars. He thinks it still needs something else added, maybe garlic. Thanks for the recipe.

Update: We had the leftovers of this recipe by making fried rice, adding 2 scrambled eggs, one heaping teaspoon minced garlic and sprinkling of soy sauce. I also added some zucchini and chopped cabbage that I fried in butter before adding the rice. We did enjoy this as we often have fried rice for breakfast or supper. Again, thanks for the recipe.