Alisa’s Mexican Rice, Yummmmm. I’ve been looking for a good Mexican rice recipe and finally found one! I added my own flare to the dish and it came out great! Perfect side for the Chicken Fiesta or Alisa’s Mexican Gumbooooooh, which is basically a delicious tortilla soup with a twist.
You can make this with riced cauliflower for an even healthier version as well. See “healthier option” notes in directions.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup Basmatic white rice (healthier option: head of cauliflower florets chopped)
- 1-2 tbsp butter (not needed in cauliflower version)
- 1 3/4 Broth/Stock of choice (not needed in cauliflower version)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4-1/2 large Sweet onion, chopped
- 2-4 cloves Garlic, finely minced
- 1/4-1/2 cup (2-4oz) Tomato paste
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp adobo
- Sea Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- Optional: Julio’s seasoning or similar spice mix
- Optional: chunks of tomato to add depth; 1/2 fresh chopped tomato or 2-4 Tbsp canned fire roasted tomatoes or canned rotel diced tomatoes
DIRECTIONS
- In a medium pot, melt appx 1-2 tbsp butter and add rice. Stir and cook for 1 min. (Healthier option: Boil chopped cauliflower in water until fork tender yet still a little firm – over boiling makes it mushy like mashed potatoes. Then drain and use potato masher to break it up like rice. And skip to step 5.)
- Add broth and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Stir, then place a lid wrapped in a small clean kitchen towel to cover the pot. Also, reduce heat to low and simmer for appx 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep the pot covered for appx 5 min.
- When rice is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium. Add the onions and stir frequently until translucent and starting to brown.
- Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, be careful not to burn. (Lower heat a bit if needed)
- Stir in tomato paste and seasonings and mix well. (It’s going to seem like you need liquid, but don’t worry it all comes together in the end.)
- Add the cooked rice (or diced cauliflower) and lime juice and mix well.
- Enjoy!
Optional additions:
- Diced tomatoes (be sure they are added at a time they get cooked down). *Rotel type pre-diced tomatoes and chili’s is an option, but always adds a very specific flavor. So decide if you want that flavor to take over or not before adding it.
Chef Recommended with this dish:
