Mexican rice

Mexican Rice is a scrumptious dish which is similar to the Tomato rice, prepared with combining of white rice; sautéed onions and flavoured with garlic, cilantro; added to some good amount of juicy red tomato puree. Very simple and quick to prepare! You could also add some chunks of vegetables to make it more nutritious, healthy and appetizing. Historians state that the Mexican rice has its roots in the rural Mexico and it were the Spanish explorers who introduced rice to the native people of Mexico who then created this amazing recipe. Traditionally preparing the Mexican rice is simple and is a brief sautéing of garlic, onions, chilli, tomato and ground annotto seeds or paste (that gives the colour) to rice and cooked until done.

 This is a classic Mexican rice recipe that is popularly known as Arroz (rice) a la Mexicana. It is a colourful rice preparation sautéed in a skillet until golden brown and then simmers it in chicken broth or stock which makes it more flavourful some. Vegetables such as peas, carrots or corn may be added as per your choice and taste. Rice is the staple to most Mexican recipes and traditionally combines the flavours of garlic, onion, tomato, chicken broth to make it more appetizing and enticing.

It tastes fantastic with the subtle sweet and pungent flavours from the onions and garlic, elevating the fragrance of the rice by lightly frying it in ghee and sweet and tangy flavours from tomato, warmth from cumin powder combined with the fresh bite of cilantro is fantastic to the palate. This meal makes a perfect one pot meal. Mexican cuisine This cuisine is primarily a fusion of Mesoamerican cooking with European, especially the Spanish that added after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 16^th century.

Corn, beans and chilli peppers remain the basic staple native food. Mexican cuisine is as complex as any of the great cuisines in the world. Corn remains the basic starch to Mexico despite the introduction of wheat and rice. The other basic ingredient available in most parts of Mexico is the chilli pepper which is used mainly for their flavours and not just their heat. Mexico uses the widest variety of chilli peppers.

Foods such as tacos, enchiladas and tortillas have become common in fast food joints in India and most of the flavours are quite Indianised as most Mexican foods has all the ingredients that Indian cuisine have such as chilli pepper, garlic, tomato, corn and cheese.Rice variants The fluffy or long grain rice is best for making this authentic Mexican rice. It combines and absorbs the flavours of other ingredients. Mexican rice looks simply gorgeous with a variety of colours to appease more than just your taste buds but your eyes too.

Rice is a staple food in India, especially south India where an array of delicious and scrumptious savoury and sweet dishes are prepared. It is a very versatile food and blends well with any type of flavours and acclimatize it to craft an exceptional dish. Some of the most admired and trendy dishes prepared from rice are different variants from a simple steamed plain rice to some very exotic, mouth-watering recipes like Biryani, Pulao, Fried rice, and classic and traditional sweet dishes like payasam (kheer), puddings etc.

How to make Mexican rice: Ingredients:

Rice                                        -           1 cup

Bell peppers (red, green)    -           1 no each

Cumin powder                      -           1 tsp

Garlic, chopped                    -           1 no

Oil                                           -           3 tbsp

Onion, chopped                   -           2 nos

Tomato puree                       -           1 ½ cup

Salt                                         -           to taste

Water                                      -           2 cups

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan and when it gets hot, add garlic, onions and sauté well till the raw flavours are gone. Add rice (use long grain rice) and sauté until rice begins to lightly brown. Add salt, bell pepper (red & green), tomato puree and sauté well. Add required quantity of water, roasted cumin powder and mix well. Bring this to a boil. Once it starts boiling, turn down the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes. The Mexican rice is ready to be serve. A very simple, colourful and fast to cook rice preparation!  Do try and enjoy its simple and traditional flavours. Click on the link for the detailed recipe at: