Mexican rice

As an American girl (from Arizona no less) living in England, I really, really miss decent Mexican food here in the UK. Sure, there are some pretty good places in London but they just don’t compare to the authentic, down-home Mexican dishes you can only get from living in a city whose population is predominately hispanic.

Because there are no good Mexican restaurants in or around Leicester (trust me, I’ve tried them all), I have taken it upon myself to create my favorite dishes at home. One of the first things I made was Mexican rice. There is really nothing that compares to the homemade stuff – once you try it you’ll know.

This recipe originally came from my friend Olga. She was one of my roommates when I studied abroad in Italy and as her family were from Mexico, we left it to her to create Mexican feasts when we were missing food from back home. I have since tweaked it a bit to my tastes, but I think you’ll find it’s still pretty authentic.

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 2 cups water
• 4-5 small/cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 medium white onion, cut in chunks
• 1 cube vegetable stock
• 2-3 cloves garlic, skin removed
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 lime
• pinch of chili

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the rice and stir continually until the rice has turned golden brown, around 7-8 minutes.
2. Add the water, tomatoes, onion, garlic, veggie cube, salt, cumin and chili to a blender and blitz until well blended (it’s ok if there are still small bits left in the mixture).
3. Once the rice is golden, carefully add the mixture to the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover and allow to cook until the water has been absorbed and the rice is soft and fluffy, around 15-20 minutes.
4. Once the rice is cooked, remove from the heat, add the lime juice and fluff with a fork. Adjust seasoning to taste. Enjoy as a side dish to tacos or on its own with some avocado and salsa.