Authentic Mexican Rice
Rice is something that has always been in my life as I am a first generation Mexican-American. I grew up in the kitchen watching my mom cook and for years, I was scared to cook rice; and when I was younger, sometimes my mom would shoo me away from the stove because I, "can't do it right!"
I confidently write to you today to say that I finally got it right. This is how I make Mexican rice:
Here's what you'll need;
1 cup american long grain rice
1-2 tbs cooking oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground paprika (optional)
1 tbs tomato paste
2 cups water
Here's how to do it;
• Heat the oil on medium to low heat, and drop in your chopped onion and garlic.
• Add in the seasoning, cumin, salt, pepper and paprika.
• Add in the rice. Allow the rice to cook until slightly white. This allows the rice to open up and to absorb the flavours.
• Add in the tomato paste and once everything is coated add in the water. Remember that for every cup of rice you will need twice as much water. So for one cup of rice you will need two cups of water.
• Stir the rice to make sure the tomato paste has dissolved and the water has turned a nice orange color. Place a lid and let it simmer on medium to low heat.
• Just let the rice do its thing and check up on it after a while, I like to give it just one stir to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
Once it's ready, turn off the heat and let the rice settle down.
I know what you're thinking, "why is he adding Italian seasoning to a Mexican dish?" I have to admit that I actually use Italian seasoning for most of my Mexican cooking, the reason why is because it's just similar to a Mexican herb blend. The main ingredient is oregano, and it has a few extras but they don't hurt.
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