Recipe: Keri's Modified Mexican Rice

Lately, we've been eating Mexican Burritos from Burrito Boyz. We decided to save some money and make some at home. But, the hardest part to master is the rice portion! Keri has made it several times and it's amazing every time!

Here's our modified version of the Mexican Rice recipe!


Serving size: 4
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 50 min (Approximate)
Ready In: 1 hr 10min

Ingredients

• 1⁄3 cup canola oil (Substitute: Vegetable Oil)
• 2 cups long grain white rice (Suggested: Basmati)
• 12 ounces of tomatoes, very ripe and cored (Substitute: 1/2 can of diced tomatoes)
• 1 medium white onion, diced finely
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups of chicken broth (Substitute: 2 tbsp of dry chicken powder with 2 cups of water boiled)
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt (may omit if using a non-salt reduced can of tomatoes)
• 1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro, minced (optional)
• 1 lime (Substitute: lime juice)
• 3 good squeezes of Sriracha (or preferred taste for spice, can substitute with jalapeños)

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. 
2. Process tomato and onion in processor or blender until puréed and thoroughly smooth. Mixture should be about 2 cups, if its slightly more that is fine! Add tomato paste, first squeeze of Sriracha and chicken broth. Set aside. 
3. Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear for about 1.5 minutes. Shake rice vigorously to remove excess water. This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick. IF YOU OMIT THIS STEP, YOUR RICE WILL NOT BE DRY AND FLUFFY.
4. Heat oil in heavy bottomed oven-safe large straight sided sauté pan or Dutch oven with fitted lid over low-medium heat about 2 minutes.  Drop a few rice grains in and if they sizzle then it is ready. Add rice, raise to high heat. Be careful that the oil doesn't get too hot too fast or the oil will splatter. Fry and stir until rice is light golden and translucent for about 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and 2 squeezes of Sriracha and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1.5 minutes. Stir in puréed mixture (from Step 2) and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.
5. Cover pan and transfer pan to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender for 30-35 minutes. Stir well after 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro to taste, and pass lime wedges separately. 

Notes

• Leftovers are just as delicious the next day so this is a perfect dish to make ahead time for potlucks. 
• This rice also freezes well. For Freezing Ahead: Cool, portion and freeze in a Ziploc bag. To reheat from frozen: Place in a pyrex dish and warm in the microwave, stirring every 2-3 minutes until heated through.
• If making burritos, use Burrito Boyz' handy ingredients list!