Combine the flavors of Mexican rice and the cooking style of Asian rice to create a unique Mexican fried rice recipe to serve for dinner on your next Taco Tuesday.
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This Mexican Fried RiceRecipe is a delicious twist on the traditional Mexican rice thatis cooked in a saucy liquid. Traditional Mexican riceis delicious, but we love the texture that cooking it fried rice style gives it.
This Mexican fried rice recipe is also a great way to quickly make a side dish using precooked rice from a batch cooking session or leftover rice. The key to making great fried rice is using cooked, cold rice. When I make any type of fried rice recipe, I like to batch cook rice the day before and refrigerate it overnight so it gets nice and cold. Cooked rice also freezes well if you wanted to make a larger batch and freeze it in the amounts you need for this and other rice recipes.
Here is how to easily cook rice in the oven and here is how to cook white basmati rice in an Instant Pot. You can find more tips for batch cooking recipes as well as lots of delicious recipes in my cookbook, Prep-Ahead Meals from Scratch.
When you add the rice to the pan, be sure to stir it frequently, almost constantly, to blend all of the ingredients and prevent it from sticking. Once the spices and seasonings are well incorporated into the rice, you can let it sit a little longer without stirring. This will give you those little bits of crunchy rice thatareso delicious in fried rice.
Ilove adding a healthy amount of sliced green onions at the end for a pop of flavor and color. You could also add black beans, jalapeño peppers, or cilantro. Use the recipe below on how to make Mexican Fried Rice to create this tasty dish.
Mexican Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked white rice
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 4-ounce can green chiles, drained
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 green onions, sliced (save a few slices to garnishif you wish.)
Directions:
Add two tablespoons of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the onion, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft.
Add the tomatoes, corn, and green chiles, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the liquid has cooked out.
Add the seasonings and garlic, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic begins to brown.
Turn the heat down to medium, add the remaining olive oil and the cooked rice.
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently to blend the rice and seasonings.
Stir in the green onions, and remove the pan from the heat.
Why does Mexican restaurant rice taste better? The method used to make Mexican rice involves lightly frying the uncooked rice in oil which helps it absorb more flavor from the seasoning and cook to a perfect consistency. In addition, a traditional blend of spices and diced vegetables and potatoes create unique flavor.
One of the main differences between these two rice dishes is that Mexican rice is fluffier and tends not to stick together. Whilst Spanish Rice is known for that rich yellow color, Mexican Rice is best known for its reddish orange hue that it gets from being cooked with cumin.
If you're a fan of homemade Mexican food, a good Mexican rice recipe is a must. Often referred to as Spanish rice or “arroz rojo,” this classic dish features long-grain rice simmered in a tomato-infused broth, seasoned with onions, garlic, cumin, and chili powder — lending it that iconic reddish-orange color.
The most popular type of rice used in Mexico is a medium long grain rice. Two types are cultivated in Mexico, Sinaloa (long grain) and Morelos (short grain). Rice is served as a food, in and of itself, in Mexican meals.
The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei.' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.
Did you ever wonder why Mexican rice is a red-orange color? Cumin is the answer. It provides that nutty and spicy taste and is the famous culprit for the red-orange color. Cumin is always an ingredient in this rice.
Mexican rice (sometimes referred to as Spanish rice or red rice in Tex–Mex cuisine), also known as arroz a la mexicana, arroz mexicano, sopa de arroz, or arroz rojo in Spanish, is a Mexican side dish made from white rice, tomato, garlic, onion, and perhaps other ingredients.
The big picture: Mexican rice is one of the healthier ways to eat rice. Cooking rice with vegetables and olive oil adds extra vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to your rice.
It is not fried, but stir-fried with chopped onions, garlic and an array of desired spices. It's a process that can last for 5 minutes, in which the flavors get impregnated in the rice and will set the overall flavor once you pour the hot water in.
If your rice is really wet and mushy, you probably added too much water and/or overcooked it. This recipe is kindly sponsored by Mahatma® Rice. I carry their products in my kitchen at all times!
If you have a can of tomato paste in your pantry, you are in luck—this is the best substitution for tomato sauce. All you need is the tomato paste and water. Mix together 1 part tomato paste and 1 part water until well blended. Then, season your "sauce" to taste.
Here's what goes in Fried Rice Sauce: Chinese cooking wine or Mirin (secret ingredient!) – this is the secret to a really great fried rice that truly stacks up to your favourite Chinese restaurant.
We all know soy sauce and MSG play a role in making delicious fried rice, but did you know a secret ingredient hailing from Japan can elevate your homemade fried rice? And that ingredient, while it might not be in your pantry yet, is mirin.
They very likely use a rice cooker - predictable results every time and a life saver if you need to cook lots of rice. They measure out the correct amount of water for the rice. They may season the rice with some salt. They may add aromatics.
However, in southern Mexico, plain white rice is more common. But since adding the broth, tomato, onion, and garlic is the Mexican way to add flavor to rice, calling the dish "Mexican rice" indicates rice that is made in the Mexican style.
“Instead of water, use either vegetable or chicken stock. Homemade is ideal, but plenty of premade boxed stocks exist for convenience. Add stock to the hot pan with vegetables and toasted rice.” He explains that toasting the rice first adds a layer of nutty flavor and creates more depth.
Alternative Cooking Liquid. For an effortless yet dramatic difference, infuse your rice with flavored cooking water or use more aromatic liquid like broth or juice. ...
Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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