Rice is one of the most popular side dishes in the Mexican Cuisine, either it is red, white, green or black. Consequently, mastering the art of cooking rice is one of those “rites of passage” for any Mexican girl looking to get ready for marriage. Or, at least, that’s how it used to be.
2Knorr Chicken tomato bouillon cubesor 2 Tablespoons of the granular version.
½teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoononion powder
Optional:
1Serrano pepper or ⅓ of a green bell pepper
Instructions
Place rice in a colander and rinse until the water comes out clear. If you don’t rinse it, the rice grains will stick together. Once rinsed, place in a bowl and cover with water. Let it rest for 15 minutes. After this time, drain excess water from rice. This step will render fluffy rice.
Now, in a nonstick frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the drained rice and fry, stirring from time to time. Besides adding extra flavor, frying the rice also help the grains from sticking together. This step will take about 7 minutes. The rice will get a very light golden color.
While the rice is frying, dissolve the 2 Knorr Chicken tomato bouillon, garlic, and onion powder in 2 cups of hot water, to form a uniform mix.
Add the above water mixture to the rice, and stir. Add in one Serrano pepper or a piece of the green pepper, if using. Turn the heat up to high for about one minute or until the rice water starts boiling. Then, reduce heat to low.
Place the lid or cover with aluminum foil, and cook for about 15 minutes. Do not stir the rice while it’s cooking during this step. In case, and just in case, your rice looks dry after 10 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of hot water around the edges of the frying pan. Once cooked, remove from heat and let it rest another 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Serve rice with a side of the Knorr Guacamole, check the recipe on the picture. You will like it, really creamy, thanks to the addition of Hellmann’s Mayonaise. Remember that you can find these products at your local Walmart store.
For the more traditional way to cook Mexican rice, check the recipe section.
Almost always, I use a clay pot to cook my rice, but not everyone has one in their kitchen. The next best thing (and better for novices) is a nonstick frying pan.