4:46 AM

Anatomy of a Burrito (Part 2): Mexican Rice

Posted by Heather |


So last time, in the Anatomy of a Burrito Series, we talked about making refried beans. As promised, this time we're gonna tell you how to make your long-grain, BROWN Basmati rice taste totally amazing! I'm serious - you're not even gonna miss that white stuff after you taste this!

I'll be the first to admit, I have not always been a fan of brown rice. I liked it once in a while, but around our house we eat a lot of Mexican food (since I'm from Texas) and a lot of Indian food (since my husband is from India). So by default, we eat a lot of (white) rice! When this whole TF Challenge started I wasn't too sure about giving up our wonderful white rice - which I cook to perfection in my rice cooker. But it wouldn't be a challenge if it wasn't at least a little bit hard!

So I experimented with my Mexican rice recipes (no more Rice-A-Roni at our house!), and found one that I love - I didn't even miss the white rice!

Here's how it's done:

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp. oil (olive oil, or "healthy" oil of your choice)
  • 1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 cups water (if not soaking the rice, you can use chicken stock - or use less water for soaking and add additional chicken stock when cooking)

Directions:

The night before: soak brown rice in water & 1-2 tbsp yogurt, whey, etc. (in a covered glass container)

Cook rice in soaking liquid and additional chicken stock (if desired).

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add chopped onions. Add onions and cook until tender, and add spices & tomato sauce. While rice is cooking, sprinkle rice with salt and cumin. Stir into onions the cooked rice. Reduce heat to low, cover and steam for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.


Tips: Use a rice cooker - it is pretty hard to burn your rice in a rice cooker & the best part is they switch off automatically & will just keep your rice warm until you're ready for it! But beware, if you're just making the switch from white to brown rice like me - you'll need to allow extra cooking time - brown rice takes a lot longer to cook!!! You can also use leftover rice for this recipe - a great way to liven up last night's leftovers!

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