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

• 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
• 1/2 to 1 tsp salt

Recipe: Caldo de Tomate

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

• 1 tbsp high-quality powdered chicken stock, like [Ajinomoto chicken bone soup|https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0199B27SS] (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 (can be bought online)
• 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 commercial Caldo de Tomate in the main recipe.

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 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 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.