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Easy Mexican Rice — Arroz Rojo

January 15, 2016 By Patrick 11 Comments

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This simple version of Mexican Rice doesn’t want you to stress over the cooking time.  Or worry about the flavor.  Or fret over the fluffiness.

It just wants a backburner where it can disappear for 20 minutes and do its own thing.

So we’ll let it.

Want to jumpstart your kitchen with real deal Mexican recipes?

You'll be amazed how much flavor you get in this delicious Mexican Rice using such a simple ingredient list. It's my default rice dish and couldn't be easier to make. mexicanplease.com

Arroz Rojo Mexican Rice Recipe

Yes, there are more complex variations of Mexican Rice that we’ll explore soon, but those variations all stem from this simple recipe.  More often than not, I revert to this stress-free version because it is remarkably good despite a minuscule ingredient list:

You'll be amazed how much flavor you get in this delicious Mexican Rice using such a simple ingredient list. It's my default rice dish and couldn't be easier to make. mexicanplease.com

1 plum tomato (use 2 if they are small).  ½ small white onion.  1 clove garlic, peeled.  2 cups chicken stock.  1 cup long grain rice.  ½ teaspoon salt.  1 Tablespoon vegetable oil.

A good quality stock is the hidden driver of this recipe.  Traditional versions use chicken stock, but you can use vegetable stock and get a similar result.

Start by roasting the tomato in the oven for 15 minutes or so at 400F.  This will lower the acidity and make it sweeter.

Mexican Rice Arroz Rojo mexicanplease.com

While the tomato is roasting, heat a dollop of oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat and add 1 cup of rice.

Stir frequently until the rice is opaque and turning light brown.  This pilaf style of cooking prevents clumping and also helps the rice absorb flavor.


Mexican Rice Pilaf Style mexicanplease.com

Put the roasted tomato in the blender along with the ½ onion and garlic clove.  If it won’t blend right away you can add a couple tablespoons of the stock to get it started.

Arroz Rojo Blended Ingredients mexicanplease.com
Add the puree from the blender to the rice and cook  until some of the moisture from the puree is absorbed into the rice, 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Mexican Rice Tomato Onion Puree mexicanplease.com

Add the stock to the rice along with ½ teaspoon of salt.

Note: Arroz Rojo is hyper-sensitive to salt amount.  Start by using ½ teaspoon at this point and consider adding more after cooking.  Getting the right amount of salt for your tastebuds takes some tasting.

Arroz Rojo Mexican Rice mexicanplease.com

Stir well, bring to a light boil, and then let it simmer on medium-low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice.

You'll be amazed how much flavor you get in this delicious Mexican Rice using such a simple ingredient list. It's my default rice dish and couldn't be easier to make. mexicanplease.com

Turn off heat and cover, letting it rest in its own steam for 5-10 minutes.

Salt to taste.

It will come out looking like this:

You'll be amazed how much flavor you get in this delicious Mexican Rice using such a simple ingredient list. It's my default rice dish and couldn't be easier to make. mexicanplease.com

You’ll be surprised how much flavor this unassuming spoonful of rice has, almost like it’s saying “See, I told you so.”

Turn this into your default version of Mexican Rice and you’ll always have the option of serving it with your favorite dishes.  Just give it a burner and some space and it’ll be there for you each and every time.

Mexican Rice Pilaf Style mexicanplease.com

Arroz Rojo -- Simple Mexican Rice

This hands-off Mexican Rice wants to be your default rice for all your favorite Mexican dishes.
4.28 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Servings: 6
Calories: 137kcal
Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

Ingredients

  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 1 tomato
  • 1/2 small white onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon oil

Instructions

  • Roast the tomato in the oven at 400F for 10-15 minutes
  • Add a dollop of oil to a saucepan on medium-high heat
  • Add the rice and stir frequently until opaque and golden brown
  • Add the roasted tomato to a blender along with the 1/2 onion and garlic clove
  • Pulse blend. Add a couple tablespoons of stock if it won't blend at first
  • Add the tomato puree to the rice and saute for a few minutes
  • Add the stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Stir well
  • Bring to a light boil, then simmer on medium-low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed
  • Turn off heat, cover, and let sit in its own steam for 5-10 minutes
  • Salt to taste

Notes

Try to use the highest quality stock you can get your hands on.  (Note: the stock article is not part of the Cooking Course and will contain ads.)
This dish is hypersensitive to salt amount so it takes some tasting to get it right for your tastebuds.
Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

I serve this easy Mexican Rice with Ancho Chicken Enchiladas and also our Red Sauce Enchiladas.

This is my go-to recipe for red sauce enchiladas. Fast, incredible flavor, and stress free to make. Sound too good to be true? mexicanplease.com

Just swap out the blender puree to get a version of our Mexican Green Rice.

Roasted poblano peppers are the key to this authentic Mexican rice. I've also been adding a handful of spinach to it lately. So good! mexicanplease.com

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Filed Under: Appetizers/Sides, Mexican Cooking 101, Most Recent, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Arthur

    July 31, 2019 at 10:45 am

    Very nice, finaly made the attempt and worked out great! Thanks :))

    Reply
    • Patrick

      July 31, 2019 at 3:49 pm

      Hey good to know, thanks Arthur!

      Reply
  2. glen warren spencer

    April 22, 2019 at 4:58 pm

    Hello Patrick ,the instructions on my rice bag say 1 cup rice,1 1/2 cup water, so 1/2/ cup rice would b 3/4/ cup water? or would i just follow U r recipe & half it? T U

    Reply
    • Patrick

      April 22, 2019 at 6:57 pm

      Hey Glen! I would probably just use 1 cup water (or stock!) even though the rice bag says otherwise. I always use a 2:1 liquid to rice ratio and it seems to do the job. Cheers.

      Reply
  3. Zanne

    January 2, 2019 at 12:46 pm

    I’ve been making similar rice, but I lay a whole serrano on top of the rice – just adds a little “something”. Discard it before serving.

    Reply
  4. Jan

    December 28, 2018 at 7:54 am

    I have been following your website for years. I love your recipes. You cook like my grandmother. I am now following a special eating plan. I eat no animal products, oil, salt, sugar, alcohol. caffeine, or flour. I have been converting your recipes to this new plan and believe it or not, they work and still taste like my grandmother’s.

    Here is my adaption of your Mexican Rice Recipe:

    Heat up a cast iron plan until it is so hot that a bead of water will immediate evaporate. Add one cup of brown rice and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly-ground cumin seeds and stir constantly until the rice turns a golden brown. Turn down the heat to low. Add the blender mixture of roasted tomato, onion, and garlic (the same as in your recipe), stir constantly until the liquid has evaporated and the rice-blender mixture now looks like a paste. Place the paste mixture in a rice cooker with 1 3/4 cups of vegetable broth. The 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground cumin seeds I also added when I followed your more traditional recipe to have it taste more like my grandmother’s. Thank you so much for your hard work.

    Reply
    • Patrick

      December 31, 2018 at 6:18 pm

      Hey thanks much for your notes on this rice Jan, so helpful for other peeps to read it! And it sounds delicious!

      You’re right, the core flavor of most Mexican dishes is usually made from natural, healthy ingredients that can be adapted to any palate. Mexican sauces and salsas have such great flavor and I’m thrilled to hear they are getting along well with your diet. Cheers.

      Reply
  5. Veronica

    November 28, 2018 at 2:19 pm

    I made this rice on Monday and it came out amazing although I would like to make two cups of rice will that change the amount of water or chicken broth I use?

    Reply
    • Patrick

      November 30, 2018 at 5:38 pm

      Thanks Veronica! Yeah a good ratio to keep in mind is 2:1 liquid to rice. So if you are starting with 2 cups of rice then you’ll need 4 cups of liquid to cook it.

      Reply
  6. Jackie

    April 10, 2018 at 8:42 pm

    5 stars
    Fantastic, simple and so unassumingly good. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I swapped out the tomato (because I forgot I needed one) for 3-4 sun-dried tomatoes. I reconstituted them in hot water. This rice is out of this world flavorful!

    Reply
    • Patrick

      April 11, 2018 at 6:12 pm

      Thanks Jackie! I’m always amazed how much flavor this rice has with so few ingredients.

      Reply

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Hey, I'm Patrick! I spent 2 years living in Cozumel and got obsessed with Mexican food. I built this site to share all the recipes and techniques I've learned along the way. Read More…

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