Recipe: Arroz Verde

Arroz verde con plátanos fritos

I remember when my siblings and I were little, my mom used to do Spanish Rice every once in a while from a mix. We loved it at the time, then when I got older, I started to think it was just kind of tasteless. You know that red rice you get at “Mexican” restaurants in the US? It’s kind of mushy and has almost no flavor. I just always think, “Why did you bother putting this on my plate?”

This rice is the real deal. Its fluffy, slightly al dente texture is great, and the flavor is delicious, but understated enough to quickly become a comfort food. It’s also very versatile as far as serving goes. As a side dish, it can accompany just about anything, and you can also serve it as a course all its own or even make a complete meal out of it (as we just did!).

Popular ways to serve Mexican rice is with sliced bananas (fried or raw), a fried egg on top, or with a spoonful of beans. There are many possibilities.

Here is the recipe for our house favorite, green rice. At the end of the recipe you’ll find how to make red or white rice as well. Mexican rice is basically a pilaf with the rice grains being fried before steaming them. What varies with each color is what you mix into the cooking liquid.

I will be honest and let you know that you probably won’t get perfect rice the first few times you make this dish. It’s tricky to get the texture just right, but if you follow these steps, you should be good to go. Just don’t be dissuaded if your rice ends up a little over or underdone. Try, try again. It is well worth it. Once you get the hang of making Mexican rice, it will be a meal that you can prepare very quickly. It’s also cheap, delicious, and nutritious (especially if you opt for brown rice).

Arroz Verde

2 poblano chiles

2 Tablespoons chopped onion

1 clove garlic, peeled

¼ c loosely packed fresh epazote (You can skip the epazote, or use cilantro. Either way will change the flavor significantly.)

1 teaspoon salt

2 c stock or water (Veggie or chicken stock adds a nice flavor to the rice, especially if it is homemade, but you can get delicious rice just with water.)

2 Tablespoons veggie oil

1 c medium grain rice (White or brown is fine. See below for cooking difference for brown rice. Note that brown rice will give a very different texture and a nuttier flavor.)

½ c mixed vegetables (Diced carrot, corn, diced potato, and/or peas are most common. Carrots or potatoes should be cut to the size of a grain of corn.)

With a grill, broiler, griddle, or flame of a gas range, roast the poblanos until blackened evenly all over. Wrap them in a clean towel or place them in a paper bag to sweat for 15 minutes. This “sweating” will make them easier to peel. Remove the stems, seeds, and blackened skin from the chiles and place them in a blender.

These chiles are properly roasted!

To the blender add the onion, garlic, epazote, salt, and stock or water. Blend until everything is well liquefied and well combined.

In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, warm the oil. When hot, add the rice. Fry for about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly until the rice grains go from translucent to opaque and give off a nutty aroma (Brown rice will pop a little like popcorn!).

This rice is fried and ready for the liquid.

Add the liquid mixture all at once. It will spit and bubble furiously for about 5 seconds then calm down. Be careful. Add the mixed vegetables. Stir everything together.

Bring the rice to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer the rice for about 20 minutes (If you are using brown rice, it will take about 50 minutes for the rice to cook completely.). Remove the lid, fluff the rice, scraping the bottom, and then put the lid back on and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

For Arroz Rojo

3 roma tomatoes

¼ inch thick slice of white onion

1 clove garlic with the peel still on

1 teaspoon salt

Roast the tomatoes, onion and garlic clove on a grill, in a broiler, or a griddle on the stove. The tomatoes should be evenly blackened and the onion and garlic cooked until slightly blackened and soft. Peel the skin off the tomatoes and the garlic clove. Place in a blender with two cups of water or stock and follow the above instructions for Arroz Verde.

For Arroz Blanco

¼ inch thick slice of white onion

1 clove of garlic

1 teaspoon salt

3 whole, Serrano chiles

1 sprig epazote

Blend the onion, garlic, and salt with two cups of stock (stock in place of water is more important with white rice for flavor). Follow instructions for Arroz Verde. At the moment when you add the mixed veggies, add the sprig of epazote and the whole chiles.