Easy Mexican Rice

When I want to cook restaurant-style Mexican rice at home I usually follow the run of the mill recipe that includes rice, onion, cumin, tomato sauce, broth (either chicken or caldo de tomate), and salt. A simple recipe that yields solid results.
So when I spotted this recipe in the NYTimes I was intrigued.
It’s not that different from the other one, the ingredients and cooking instructions are pretty much the same. However, this one includes a green bell pepper.
In addition, the veggies, aromatics, and broth are pureed in the blender to make a sort of gazpacho. After the rice is toasted, you add the “gazpacho” to the rice, and that’s about it. After 15 minutes the rice has absorbed all the flavors and becomes pretty darn amazing.
 

Compared to the standard recipe, this is definitely less tomatoey but on the other hand it has a strong vegetable flavor of fresh green pepper that I personally find is to die for.
I made it using fresh tomatoes (instead of canned tomatoes or tomato sauce as suggested by the original recipe) because I wanted it to be fresh-tasting. I think it paid off pretty nicely.

The recipe is straightforward, the first step is to brown/toast the rice with some oil. When it starts to golden, you add the pureed vegetables. Cover it with a lid and cook it over gentle heat. After a little bit over 15 minutes and voilà, a pretty amazing Mexican rice is ready.
I suggest you play around with the jalapenõs, you can add more or less depending on how hot you want your rice to be. Also you can swap the jalapenõs for any other kind of peppers, such as chiles, habaneros (if you want your rice to be really hot) or instead use sweet peppers for a less spicy experience.
This Mexican rice goes well with just about every Mexican dish: tacos, burritos, fajitas, you name it. It’s also great as a side dish to any protein of your choice such as chicken, turkey, fish. It's delicious.
I might go as far as saying that this has probably become my favorite Mexican rice recipe.

Easy Mexican Rice                                                                                                                                     Print this recipe!
Adapted from NYTCooking

A couple of notes: You can substitute the jalapenos with chilis or sweet peppers if you want something less spicy. Also, if you find your rice more "wet" than you'd like, simmer it for a couple of more minutes without the lid. It will evaporate the extra liquid.

Ingredients
Serves 4

2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, quartered
1 garlic clove, quartered
1 small jalapenõ, seeded, veins removed and roughly chopped (or ½ teaspoon dried ground jalapenõ)
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable broth (or 1 cup of water with 1 teaspoon of caldo de tomate — tomato bouillon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup long-grain rice
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

Place all the vegetables, salt, and broth in the bowl of a food processor (or blender) and pulse until pureed.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add rice and toast it for a couple of minutes until translucent and begins to smell nutty.
Add blended ingredients, give a good stir, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to the lowest setting possibile. Cook undisturbed for 15 to 17 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.
Let rest for 5 minutes, fluff using a fork, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, and serve.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 185 calories, 7 grams of fat, 36 grams of carbs, 6 grams of protein.