Original Mexican Rice

Submitted by icetea

"Because the spiciness of jalapenos varies from chile to chile, you can try to control the heat by removing the ribs and seeds (the source of most of the heat) from those chiles that are cooked into the rice. It is important to use an ovensafe pot about 12 inches in diameter so that the rice cooks evenly and in the time indicated. The pot's depth is less important than its diameter; I've successfully used both a straight-sided saute pan and a Dutch oven. Whichever type of pot you use, it should have a tight-fitting, ovensafe lid. Vegetable broth can be substituted for the chicken broth. this is a recipe from americas test kitchen."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered (about 12 ounces)
• 1 medium onion, preferably white,peeled,trimmed of root end,and quartered
• 3 medium jalapeno chiles
• 2 cups long-grain white rice
• 1⁄3 cup canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Process the tomatoes and onion in a food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds, scraping down the bowl if necessary.
3. Transfer the mixture to a liquid measuring cup; you should have 2 cups (if necessary, spoon off excess so that the volume equals 2 cups).
4. Remove the ribs and seeds from 2 jalapeños and discard; mince the flesh and set aside.
5. Mince the remaining jalapeño, including the ribs and seeds; set aside.
6. Place the rice in a large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear, about 1 minutes.
7. Shake the rice vigorously in the strainer to remove all excess water.
8. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed straight-sided 12-inch ovenproof sauté pan or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Drop 3 or 4 grains of rice into the oil; if the grains sizzle, the oil is ready.
10. Add the rice and fry, stirring frequently, until the rice is light golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.
11. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and seeded minced jalapeños, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.
12. Stir in the pureed tomato mixture, chicken broth, tomato paste, and salt.
13. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
14. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven.
15. Bake until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes.
16. Stir in the cilantro and reserved minced jalapeño with seeds to taste.
17. Serve immediately, passing the lime wedges separately.

Reviews

[Queen Dragon Mom]

We had this with fajitas and just loved it. I have a lot of rice recipes but we liked this one the best. I halved the recipe but won't do that again because we didn't have enough! Thanks for posting this, it's great.