New Mexican Rice

New Mexican Rice, a variation on Spanish Rice

 A couple of my readers have expressed an interest in traditional New Mexican foods, and a staple on the menu of most Mexican restaurants is Spanish rice. Along with whole beans or refried beans, it accompanies practically everything. Or, you can get it inside your burrito!

My standard recipe is from one of my older cookbooks and uses green chile and tomato sauce with some water. I was out of tomato sauce, but had plenty of cans of diced tomatoes. So, I came up with this version.

Diced green chiles and tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
1/2 cup diced onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground red chile (please use pure red chile or chipotle chile, not the Chile Powder mixes sold in the spice sections, but those will work in a pinch.)
14.5 ounce can diced red tomatoes
4 ounce can diced green chiles, mild or hot

Olive oil to fry and toast the rice

A key step in preparing good Spanish rice is to fry the rice in hot oil until it is lightly browned or toasted. This enhances the flavor. Also, the oil and the toasting help keep the rice from glopping together. So, first heat the oil in a 1 1/2 quart pot over high heat briefly. (You can use canola oil to get the omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your heart. But, I chose olive oil tonight for the flavor.)

Add rice to the hot oil

Stir the rice often, but not continuously until it starts to brown lightly.

Lightly toasted rice

Then, add the garlic and chile powder and stir into the rice.

Chile powder sprinkled on the rice

Then, quickly add the diced tomatoes and green chiles. Rinse the cans with about 1/2 can of water and stir the mixture thoroughly.

Ready to stir

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pot and let it cook for 30 minutes. The chiles and tomatoes will tend to float to the top of the rice. So, it is good to stir one or two times after the rice has cooked about 15-20 minutes. But, keep it quick so you don't let too much moisture escape.

Eat and enjoy!