Mexican rice

Tomato-tinged toasted rice with vegetables, just like what you'd get on the side of a plate at a restaurant in most of the U.S.

Ingredients

Makes 7 to 8 cups cooked rice.

• 2 cups white rice, preferably long grain
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, or 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp tomato bouillon powder (Caldo de Tomate), like Knorr Caldo de Tomate, or see recipe below
• 1 tsp ancho chile powder or paprika (optional, do not use premixed "chili powder")
• 1/2 to 1 tsp salt

Recipe: Caldo de Tomate

I prefer this mixture to the Knorr product, which has apparently recently (2022-2023) gotten worse in quality.

• 1 tbsp high-quality powdered chicken stock, like Ajinomoto chicken bone soup (味の素 丸鶏がらスープ)
• 1 tbsp tomato powder
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp MSG, or for better flavor, 1 tbsp of a mixture of 97% MSG + 1.5% each disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley flakes, crushed
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

Mix all the above ingredients together and use in place of Knorr Caldo de Tomate in the main recipe. To make the main recipe vegan, substitute 1 tbsp powdered vegetable bouillon or crushed vegetable bouillon cube for the powdered chicken stock.

Directions

If using Instant Pot: Add oil, onion, garlic and rice to pot. Set pot to saute. Saute ingredients, stirring occasionally, until rice is well-toasted and light golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add 2 cups water, vegetables, tomato paste, Caldo de Tomate, chile powder if using, and 1/2 tsp salt; stir. Place lid on pot, set valve to seal, and cook on manual high pressure for 4 minutes with keep-warm disabled. Once done cooking, allow 10 minutes for natural pressure release, then open valve and remove lid. Stir and salt to taste.

If using stovetop: Add oil, onion, garlic and rice to a large pot or dutch oven. Saute on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until rice is well-toasted and light golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups water, vegetables, tomato paste, Caldo de Tomate, chile powder if using, and 1/2 tsp salt; stir. Loosely cover pot with lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook at a very low simmer, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy, about 25-30 minutes. Salt to taste.