Mexican Rice

It seemed like just a few years ago I was terrified of making many kinds of rice. I guess I got that from my mom. We didn't make a lot of variations of rice dishes and I think my mom was always intimidated by it. Sometimes you can surprise yourself as to where your lack of confidence in a particular thing can come from. I mean, I haven't tried and failed to be so hard on myself.

But many years ago, I was at work and this little family-owned food truck would come by and they sold this rice bowl of beef and Mexican rice and lots of cilantro. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. All was well with the world until...they stopped showing up. One day, I stood at the door, on time for their arrival, and nothing. I stood there for 40 minutes until I realize that my little food affair was over.

I got home with the immediate intention of learning to make this rice and now after many tweaks to fit my preferences, I give you...drumroll, please!!! MEXICAN RICE!

Mexican Rice

Mexican rice is at the center of all Mexican foods. At least here in Texas. It is delicious tucked inside a burrito, on the side of enchiladas, at the base of a burrito bowl, or with grilled fajitas.

This rice has a tomato base and a small kick of jalapenos. It is so easy to come together and pairs well with so many foods. So let's dive right in to some of those ingredients:

INGREDIENTS and substitutions:

• tomatoes - for this recipe we will use plum tomatoes. Also known as Roma tomatoes. They are less acidic than most others you will find at the store, making them perfect for this recipe. You want to look for really red and ripe tomatoes, and deseed them before blending. You can also substitute tomato sauce or you can use canned, whole San Marzano tomatoes and blend those. San Marzano tomatoes are deliciously sweet. Canned tomatoes or sauce is really great because it gives you a consistent recipe each time you make it. Fresh tomatoes can vary so much from sweetness to ripeness and affect the finished product. But I do try to avoid processed foods where I can and real tomatoes still yield awesome results.
  
• jalapenos - while some recipes don't use jalapenos, I think it is a must. You can use less or more to suit your preferences on heat but these peppers lend a lot of great flavors as well.
  
• garlic - I can never stress enough the importance of fresh garlic. Nothing comes close. Don't leave this one out. It is pertinent to the flavor. I promise!
  
• rice - I use a simple long-grain white rice but you can use brown rice if you want something for nutrient-rich or basmati if you want something that fluffs up nicely. But if you are like me then long-grain white rice is my go-to. It is very important to this recipe that you wash the rice thoroughly before cooking so remove any surface starch. This will give you nice loose rice that is not sticky or clumpy.
  
• chicken stock - You can easily substitute water for a vegan or lower calorie option or you can replace it with vegetable stock.
  

A quick tip: make sure you are using a nonstick pot. This is not the place for stainless steel. You can use a coated dutch oven but I get the best and most consistent results with an ordinary non-stick pot.

Try this recipe and tell me what you think...