Mexican Rice

This was very similar tasting to mexican restaurants. It's better tasting than the store bought "mexican" rices though takes a lot more time.

I don't see it anywhere, so I just wanted to mention to everyone; this is Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen's recipe. I haven't made it yet so won't review it until I do, but I think credit should be given where credit is due.

Very good. That squeeze of lime at the finish made all the difference. Tasted very fresh.
One note, I only had to cook the rice in the oven for 20 mins.

I'm Mexican-American and have been making this rice dish for over 40 years. But boy, this recipe totally changed the way I will make Mexican/Spanish rice from now on -- it is full-proof -- and produces exceptionally fluffy and savory rice! Washing the rice is key, even if it looks as though the rice may not need it. Also, after toasting the rice in hot oil on top of the stove -- and then placing it a dutch oven and baking it for the last 30 minutes, causes the water to be evenly absorbed throughout each grain. This is incredibly delicious and worth each cooking step and technique.

This is definitely your typical mexican rice dish that can be found at most restaurants, taco stands etc. I followed the recipe exactly except I used yellow instead of white onion and 4 serrano chilis instead jalapenos since that's what I had on hand. The ripeness of the tomatoes is essential and I still added a generous tablespoon of tomato paste. This isn't the most flavorful rice but that's what the cilantro and lime are for in my opinion. Its also the type of rice I like to accompany frijoles or machaca in which case I don't want it to be too overwhelming.

I have been looking for a great mexican rice recipe and finally found it. This one is great. My family absolutely loved it and we have lived in various southwest states so we are very critical. I made a couple of changes because I had to use what I had on hand but will be sure to have all the ingredients next time.
1. I used olive oil instead of canola because I use olive oil for everything and will not buy a bottle of canola for one recipe but it certainly didn't hurt the recipe.
2. I used canned green chilis because I didn't have fresh jalapenos on hand but will get some for next time. It was still delicious but fresh jalapenos would be better. I didn't think the pickled jalapenos I had on hand would have been good.
3. I had to use boullion cubes because I was out of chicken broth - homemade & canned. It worked fine but will use the real stuff next time.
Even with these three subtitutions it was still yummy but I will go with the exact recipe next time except for the oil. I followed the instructions to the letter and had great success. I live in Florida now and this is better than any of the mexican rice in restaurants here.
I love the fact that it is finished in the oven because it frees up the stove top for other things.
I served it with Chili Colorado, refried beans and flour tortillas with guacamole, sour cream, lime wedges and fresh cilantro as add on's. The family ate until they couldn't move any more:)

Ohhhhhh, yes! Si, si! Such a success of a recipe, not "glue-y" at all. That said, I did try another reviewer's suggestion and did it all stove-top---and it was lovely. I will try it the "real" way next time, to see if it's even better. One other variation: I tossed in a teaspoon of ground cumin, and omitted the jalapenos, as I was serving this with a bean-cheese enchilada casserole that was full of hot peppers...

If I could give this rice more stars, I would. My boyfriend is Mexican and said that it tasted just like his grandmas rice. Lots of flavor. Thanks for sharing!

This just did not do it for me. I am still looking for a way to make the rice that tastes like you get in Mexican restaurants and this wasn't it. It's close but something is still missing and I think it might be cumin but I'm not sure. I followed the recipe exactly and the rice came out light and fluffy and looked just like your picture but the taste was still a bit bland. Gotta keep searching.

This rice really did turn out just like it was from my favorite Mexican restaurant! This was the second Mexican rice recipe I tried after being disappointed by the first one and I am so glad I gave it another shot! It was nice and fluffy and had a good flavor without being overwhelming. I didn't stir in the fresh jalapenos at the end because I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy food. I usually cook rice in a rice cooker but did this recipe in the oven as directed and it came out perfect. As a bonus, I just had one dirty pot and didn't have to clean the rice cooker! I forgot to stir halfway through but it seemed to be fine. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe; I will definitely be making it again!

OK....based on all of y'alls reviews will give this a shot. Am making shredded beef enchilidas and am used to doing Charleston red rice as a side which I really like. A little in depth, but sounds so too yummy.

I made this to go with my chicken enchiladas one evening and it came out fantastic. I personally loved it. DH only gave it 4 stars, but from him that is super high praise! I followed the recipe for everything except the tomato paste (I didn't have any at the time) and the jalapenos (didnt have whole ones, just a jar of slices). I will make this again next time I do a mexican dish.
UPDATE 12/15/10: I have made this for friends using vegetable broth and making it vegan friendly. They loved it! My friend's hubby who loves rice gave this 5 stars. This is the only recipe I use for mexican rice now.

FABULOUS! I've had this recipe on my to try list since Andi recommended it. Thank goodness I finally got around to trying it! I used a 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes and one large onion. After pureeing them together, it produced exactly 2 Cups! I did use the tomato paste, too. I cannot say enough about how wonderful the outcome of this rice is. I thought I would still prefer a Mexican rice with larger chunks of tomatoes throughout, but this version has won me over. The rice was almost velvety in texture. The taste is amazing! This recipe is going into my best-of-the-best file! Made for Cookbook Tag in the Cooking Tag Games forums.

SSooo yummy! My favorite mex rice recipe :)

forgot to give it the stars it deserves in my original post!

I have tried many, many Mexican Rice recipes. This is the best by FAR! Great texture and balance of flavor. I used canned tomatoes and didn't use the tomato paste.

This recipe was amazing. I followed recipe exact using my favorite enameled cast iron dutch oven. It turned out so moist and with great flavor. Family loved it. I can't wait to share it with others. Thanks for this recipe.

Excellent recipe. I forgot to rinse the rice and this still turned out fantastic (I use parboiled long grain). Substituted water for broth, to cut back on sodium. I wondered if 2 jalapenos would be too much (I like heat, but the family doesn't) but it was no problem - they give a nice tang without the heat.

Only used about 1.5 tablespoons of oil and it was plenty.



Delicious, easy, healthy. Thank you!

Simply amazing, I highly recommend using 2 medium Jalapenos instead of 3. I love spice, but rice is usually reserved for something with no so much kick. 3 jalapenos is something put in salsa or a marinade, I used 2 just because I am used to working with them and it came out perfect. I usually love more spicy in my foods as well so if you like a little less consider using 1 or even half. But the flavors were all there, like I said simply amazing.