After many years of cooking rice dishes, I have to admit that both my husband and I are hooked on jasmine rice. I will also admit that I have tried every boxed, pre- mixed, par boiled and rice o roni that was ever made, lol!! I am not sure why I was so intimidated when it came to preparing my Mom’s recipe for Mexican Red Rice. Jasmine rice is not traditional in any Mexican recipes, but it’s what we like. It may be that I knew my version would never be as wonderful as hers. Or so I thought…. I can finally say that I am happy with my rice making skills now. I don’t fuss too much when it come to preparing rice recipes. Every cook has a method that works for them, whether it’s soaking, rinsing, steaming or toasting the rice. This is a collection of some of my favorites I have experimented with. Most all prepared with jasmine rice and a few with brown rice or quinoa. The first recipe was from my most recent cooking class where we prepared a fresh batch of Mexican chorizo and added it to the rice! My new favorite…for now.

from the cooking class….. picture by Celeste

Chorizo Rice
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of long-grain rice
1 small white onion, diced
1 to cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup uncooked Mexican chorizo
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
2 cups of chicken broth
1/4 cup of tomato sauce or 2 fresh Roma tomatoes, blended
1/2 cup of peas and carrots mixed, fresh or frozen. We used a vegetable mix this time
Chopped cilantro, optional
Directions
1. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil to medium heat. Add the rice and saute for a few minutes or until the rice becomes aromatic and slightly opaque. Add the onions and the garlic and cook for just 2 minutes. Move the rice mixture to the outer edges of the pan and add the chorizo to the center of the pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, breaking apart with wooden spoon until crumbly.
2. Add all the dry spices and stir well to combine. Add the tomato sauce and broth, stir well and taste for salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes without disturbing the rice.
3. Add the peas and carrots evenly to the top of the rice. Cover and continue cooking until all of the liquid has evaporated. Total cooking time is about 18 to 20 minutes or so. (If rice doesn’t look like it is cooking evenly, gently stir with a fork and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of broth or water, cover and continue cooking.)
4. Remove from heat once liquid has evaporated and let stand for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, fluff with a fork and fold in the fresh cilantro if using. Yields up to 6 servings.
Steamed Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
1 cup long grain rice or jasmine rice
2 cups water
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 large lime
3 teaspoons Knorr chicken bouillon(optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of pepper
Salt to taste
Tips~If you don’t want to use the bouillon, just add water or chicken broth.
Directions
1. In a medium sauce pan add the water, chicken bouillon and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, add in the rice, pinch of pepper, olive oil, stir gently to combine.Taste for salt. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork, fold in the cilantro and squeeze in lime juice. Serve right away or cover and keep warm. Yields up to 6 servings.
Toasted Cumin and Lime Rice

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup long grain or jasmine rice
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, crushed
1 packet of Knorr brand Sazon with annatto
1 packet of Goya brand chicken bouillon granules (always use homemade stock if available, but this works in a pinch)
2 cups water
1 red fresno pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh green beans, chopped fine
1 medium carrot, diced
Zest and juice of 1 lime

Directions
1. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet. Heat to medium and add the rice. Toast the rice until it become aromatic and begins to brown slightly.
2. Add the onions, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and saute for another 5 minutes. Push the rice to the outer edges of the pan. Add the crushed cumin seeds to the center and toast for a few minutes.
3. Add the Sazon, chicken bouillon, water and fresno pepper. Stir gently and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add the fresh veggies to the rice and spreed out evenly over the top. Cover and continue cooking for another 8 to 10 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Before serving, add the zest and juice of the lime and fluff with a fork. Yields 6 servings.
Mexican Style Red Rice with Quinoa

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1 serrano pepper, sliced in half (lengthwise)
1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste or 1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt to taste
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 tablespoons lemon fresh juice
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
Directions
1. Preheat the olive oil on medium heat for a minute. Add the onions, serrano, bell pepper and garlic. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste or sauce. Season lightly with salt and pepper and let cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add in the broth, cumin, pepper, smoked paprika and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, add in the quinoa, making sure you spread it out evenly. Push it down slightly so it is covered with broth. Reduce heat, cover and continue cooking for 13 to 18 minutes or until most of the broth has evaporated. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Add fresh lemon juice, green onions and fluff with a fork before serving. Yields up to 6 servings.
Cilantro Chile Rice

Cilantro Chile Rice….
Prep Time- 20 minutes
Cook Time- 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup long grain rice
1 ¾ cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 large poblano pepper, coarsely chopped
1 serrano pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp of cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
Juice of ½ lime
2 tablespoons of grapeesed or olive oil
Directions:
1. In the blender, combine the chicken broth, cilantro, poblano pepper, serrano pepper and lime juice blend until smooth and set aside.
2. In a pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add rice and cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. Rice will become aromatic, add onions and cook for a couple of minutes, add minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
3. Add the cumin, salt and black pepper, stir to combine. Quickly, pulse the blender to remix your liquids the pour into the rice, stir well. Bring to a boil, taste for salt, cover and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes or until all the liquid evaporates.
4. Try not to disturb the rice while it is cooking. Remove from heat and let it stand for 10 minutes. When ready, fluff the rice with fork and if you still have some, add some freshly chopped cilantro and fold into rice.
Arroz Huerfano~Orphan Rice, my Tia Minerva’s Recipe.
Prep Time- 20 minutes
Cook Time- 25 minutes
1 orange or yellow sweet pepper, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 small white onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 serrano pepper
1/3 cup finely crushed pecans
2 cups chicken broth(or 2 cups water, plus 2 tsps. Knorr chicken bouillon)
salt and fresh cracked pepper
Olive oil1. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil to medium heat, add the rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the rice becomes aromatic and toasted.
2. Add the onions and chile serrano, cook for a few minutes, stirring. Add the carrots,sweet peppers and garlic, stir well to combine. Add the pecans and the chicken broth or bouillon and water, if using.
3. When it comes to a boil, taste for salt, add about 1 tsp. of both salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the broth is absorbed. Do not disturb the rice, while it is cooking. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, fluff with fork.Note: This is my Tia Mine’s recipe and it called for red sweet peppers, but we could not find some that day. You could fold in some freshly chopped cilantro and green onions.
Arroz Cremoso Poblano (Creamy/Cheesy Poblano Rice)

Arroz Cremoso Poblano … Cheesy Rice
Prep Time- 20 minutes
Cook Time- 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup of long-grain rice
1 small white onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and diced
1 cup Mexican crema (sour cream)
1 cup shredded Monterey jack
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Canola or olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
Directions:
1. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil to medium heat. Add the rice and cook the rice for a few minutes, stirring often. After about 3 to 5 minutes, add the onion and garlic and cook for another minute.2. Add the chicken broth and all the dry spices, stir well to combine. Cover pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer (taste for salt). Cook rice, without disturbing it, for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.3. Fluff the rice with a fork, then transfer to a baking dish that has been sprayed with oil. Stir in the Poblano peppers, crema and cheese, cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for about 20 minutes.
And the last one….My Mom’s Mexican Red Rice. This is my best attempt at recreating my Mom’s recipe with my little twist of some added spices.
There are a few variations to her recipe. It was always prepared with a white long grain rice. She never measured any ingredients, which still amazes me. I have to measure out my rice and broth pretty closely. Most times she would add frozen peas, carrots one or the other or sometimes both. When she was low on fresh tomatoes, in a pinch she would use a splash of canned tomato sauce for the red color. It was not so much to flavor the rice, but just for color. While I was visiting my Tia in Monterrey, she prepared her version of red rice by adding a cube of caldo de pollo con tomate. It’s a combination of chicken and tomato bouillon and gives the rice a lighter red color. It has a distinct flavor, that I have to admit I have grown to love. In the version pictures, I used fresh carrots diced fine and added them when I added the onions.
Mexican Red Rice
Yields 10 Servings
Ingredients:
2 cups of long-grain rice
4 cups of chicken broth
½ cup of tomato sauce or 3 fresh Roma tomatoes, blended
1/2 medium white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 serrano pepper, left whole
1 teaspoon of cumin, totally optional. I love it!
Salt to taste.
½ teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup of peas and carrots mixed, defrosted
Chopped cilantro, optional
Olive oil or grapeseed oil
Tips~ if you prefer, you can blend the onion and garlic with the chicken broth before adding it to the recipe. My Mom would add the onion in big pieces just to flavor the rice and we could pick them out. She rarely added fresh garlic, only garlic powder.
Directions:
1. In a large pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil to medium heat, add the rice and saute for a few minutes until the rice becomes aromatic and slightly opaque. Add the onions and the garlic and cook for just 1 minute. Add all the dry spices and stir well to combine. Add the tomato sauce and broth, stir well and taste for salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes without disturbing the rice.
2. Add the peas and carrots evenly to the top of the rice. Cover and continue cooking until all of the liquid has evaporated. Total cooking time is about 20 minutes or so. (If rice doesn’t look like it is cooking evenly, gently stir with a fork and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of broth or water, cover and continue cooking.)
3. Remove from heat once liquid has evaporated and let stand for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, fluff with a fork and fold in the fresh cilantro if using. Yields up to 10 servings. Too much rice, just use half of all the ingredients listed for 1/2 as much.
Tips~ The spices are my own touch to this recipe. Originally, there was no fresh garlic added and the only spices were a pinch of garlic powder, salt and pepper. You could add what you like, that’s the beauty of cooking. Make it your own signature dish.
Yes!! I buy the 20lb bag of great value Jasmine rice now for $15 and save money buying in bulk. Just thought I’d throw that out there. Jasmine rice is delicious & better for you if I’m not mistaken. It’s all I buy now too. Plus I keep it in the XL lock & lock container (from QVC). 20lbs fits perfectly. The container comes w a scoop & has wheels on the back. Check it out if looking to store bulk rice or beans or anything else really. We love ours.
As for the recipes, they’re simply the best! I come here full and feel like I’m starving just looking at the pics lol. Everything you make esta bien sabroso!!
I love Jasmine rice! Don’t have a lot of room to store bulk ingredients, so I buy just what I need for a few weeks.
LOVED ALL YOUR MEXICAN RICE VARIATIONS!! i DON’T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN, BUT WILL TRY THEM ALL AS I GO ON COOKING RICE WHICH WE HAVE ALMOST EVERYDAY!
Thank you Angelina!