Anyone who says that my Mexican Rice Recipe is actually Spanish Rice, you are correct. However, this dish is commonly cooked in Mexico and commonly served in Mexican restaurants, and some people might be searching for Mexican Rice Recipe and wondering why they cannot find it. So I decided to post this in a way to help those people out.
This is one of those easy recipes that people always want to learn because it takes a few simple ingredients to turn plain white rice into a tasty side dish for many Latin American meals. Even if you are buying a “taco kit” and phoning in the Mexican meal, you can still benefit from authentic Mexican rice on the side.
This rice is not only excellent on the side, but it can also be part of bowls, like what you get at Chipotle, or added filler for burritos or vegetarian enchiladas. You can also mix in grilled shrimp to make a wonderful seafood and rice dish.
One of the aspects of this that makes it different is that you fry the rice before you boil it. This adds a different, slightly crispier texture to the rice and because you fry it with garlic, onion, and tomato, it absorbs those flavors into the rice kernels and makes the rice pack a bigger flavor punch.
If you have kids who do not love tomatoes, this is also a good way to get them to eat some as it is really cooked into the dish and does not feel like you are eating tomatoes, and the flavor is savory but not specific to the tomatoes. Our kids rarely at tomatoes but were huge fans of this Mexican Fried Rice Recipe.
The Mexican Rice Recipe is a base for many things, and you can put your own spin on it. I promise that when you serve it to guests though, they are going to be impressed with your authentic Mexican cooking skills, even if it is really called Spanish Rice.
This Mexican Rice Recipe can be made with an Instapot as well. In that case, simply use the saute setting and brown the ingredients the same way in the pot of the Instapot. Once they are brown, then add your liquid and seal the Instapot and cook for 4-5 minutes. The rice will be fluffy and nice, and have the same delicious flavors as the more traditional way of cooking it in a pot.
Mexican Rice Recipe
Equipment
- pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup White Rice
- 1 cup Water
- 2 Roma Tomatoes Cubed
- 2 cloves Cloves Minced
- 1/4 cup Onion Minced
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- On medium heat, begin to saute garlic in olive oil
- After 1 – 2 minutes, as they begin to soften, add Onion
- Stir for 1 minute, add rice (uncooked)
- Continue to stir regularly until mixture begins to brown and crisp
- Add cubed tomatoes and using a potato smasher, smash tomatoes into the rice
- Continue to simmer and stir for a minute or two, then add water
- Add salt and bring to simmer, cover and continue to simmer for 10+ minutes, until water is absorbed 90% of the way.
- Turn heat off or on lowest setting until water is fully absorbed. Be careful bottom rice does not burn.