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Melanie

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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Hi! I need help with my spanish rice. What seasoning is best to use and how is it best to make it. Do you use tomato? A great recipie would be very appreciated! thanks

Phylis C.

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #2 of 15 (3407 views)

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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My Grandmother taught me and maybe its more of a Tex/Mex version but it is really good. We have never had any complaints and the bowl was always empty when supper was over.
Ingredients:
fresh garlic chopped
bell pepper (go lightly, this can become
overpowering)
onion chopped
ground comino (cumin) "optional"
tomato sauce for each can of tomato sauce use one can of water (enough to take the place of the amount of water required to cook the rice. )
Lightly brown your rice in "bacon drippings" add your onion and garlic saute lightly until onions are clear. Then add tomato sauce, this is where you can add your ground comino. Cover and cook just as you would plain rice.
It is important to use the bacon drippings as this adds to the flavor of the Spanish Rice.

Dorothy

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #3 of 15 (3405 views)

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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Easy ARROZ:

1 small bag of rice
6 tomatoes
1/8 of an onion
2 cloves of garlic
4 Tbl oil

Cut the tomatoes and onion in pieces.
Put the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a blender with a little water and a little salt. Grind well.
Rinse the raw rice with water and fry it in the oil until it's solid white or just about to turn tan, but stop short of that. Keep moving it around in the pan so it doesn't burn.
Put the blender ingrediants through a sieve into the rice.
Add water so that if you put the tip of your finger on the bottom of the pan it would reach your knuckle.
Let that heat until simmering.
Cover.
Open it every once in a while and stir. Go ahead... in this case it's ok to look.
When it looks good it's done.

Dorothy

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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Whoops ... Correction to Easy Arroz...

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This should have said "finger on top of the rice" not "on bottom of the pan"... I corrected it below

Daniel Vela

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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I can roughly tell you how I make it. I don't measure my ingredients so you may have to experiment.
You will need half a white onion, one clove of garlic,comino, and a half of a 6oz. can of tomato sauce, not paste.
First I sautee about a handful of diced onions and one minced clove of garlic in a skillet. Use just enough oil to cover the bottom. Do this at medium heat until the onions are clear looking not carmelized.

Now put in the rice, the amount according to how many you are feeding. I usually use between a quarter or half a cup, it feeds a family of four well. You can use more if you want.
Sautee the rice until it is off white, almost golden but not quiet. Usually in about five minutes or so.
Now pour in water to cover the rice grains about 1/16 or 1/4 inch from the bottom of the pan. Don't worry if you use too much water, you can boil away the excess.
Bring the water to a low boil.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of comino and half the 6oz. can of tomato paste, don't use it all.
Add salt and pepper, usually about a 1/4 teaspoon of each.
If you wish you can add a small can of Rotel tomatoes and green chiles, a nice variation.

Stir the idgredients and sample taste the water and adjust your spices is needed.
Now bring the rice to a low simmer, do not use too much heat or you will scorch the rice.
Cover the rice with a lid but not completely. Leave the edge of the lid off enough to allow some steam to escape.
!!!At this point, the key is not to stir the rice at all!!! If you are a beginner to this, I suggest using a see through glass lid for your pan.
The rice will cook about fiffteen to twenty minutes before done.
When the water is simmered away to just a thin film on the bottom then the rice is done.
Sample a few grains off the top, if it is still a little tough then add just a little more water and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.
Remove from heat as soon as rice is done and let it sit with the lid still on for about five minutes.
The result is a very delicious and moist rice.
My mother and grandmother made rice this way and they always had requests to make it at family get-togethers and parties.
It takes practice to perfect so don't feel bad if you don't get it right off the bat.
P.S. Add cubed chicken during sautee step for Arroz con Pollo.

Denis

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #6 of 15 (3402 views)

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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I like your recipe, Daniel. I've gotten compliments with the one linked below. If you use canned chiles the rice "tastes" green but is still white. So use the genuine article.

Chacha

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #7 of 15 (3400 views)

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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The best seasoning is comino. As for a recipe hmmm I never use a recipe but heres what I do minus the exact measurements:

Take approx l cup of rice and toast it in approx l tablespoon of oil. I like mine nice and brown. Take off heat (because if you dont it will sputter as you add the water etc.) In a cereal bowl I add tomato sauce (maybe 1/2 to l small can) comino, garlic salt, onion salt, pepper, slices of celery and onion (this can be optional), then fill with water OR chicken stock (I usually use chicken stock if I have some handy and not the canned type the homemade type). Taste the "soup" this is how you will determine if you need to add more comino, etc. If its to your taste add it to the toasted rice. I usually add approximately two cereal bowls of this. Place back on medium/high heat and cover, once it starts boiling turn heat down to simmer. Sometimes I leave it a little soupy sometimes I let all the water evaporate...again its up to you. Best way to learn to make the perfect spanish rice is practice :) Good luck.

Flash

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #8 of 15 (3399 views)

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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jennifer rose

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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Arroz Mexicana

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Well, for starters "Spanish rice" reminds me of that school-lunch product in the 50s -- essentially spaghetti sauce mixed with white rice!

There are probably as many recipes for "Arroz Mexicana" as there are visitors to this forum. And cooking methods will depend upon the time you've got, how much you want to gild the lilly, what products you've got on hand, altitude, and the kind of rice you're using. Try the recipes here, make your own adaptations, and experiment.

When I'm trying for a perfect product, I use a method which I've adapted from Diana Kennedy's books. Cover the rice with boiling water, and let it set for about 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly and dry. While it's drying, make a sofrito using tomatoes, onions, garlic which have been pureed. That means using olive oil, which is another deviation from the standard method. Add the rice to the sofrito, over a medium flame, stirring, until the rice is opaque. Then add boiling chicken broth to cover the rice so that the liquid covers the rice by one thumb knuckle's depth. Of course, you're going to have to eyeball that, because you don't want to dip a thumb into boiling broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and immediately lower the fire to a simmer. The rice should be done in about 15 minutes. Shut off the flame, and lay a heavy paper towel down over the rice, put the lid back on, and let the rice "rest" for about 10 minutes.

Of course, if you're in a hurry, simply add a can of Herdez salsa casera to white rice as you cook it in the rice steamer!

garyb

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #10 of 15 (3402 views)

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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Hi! I need help with my spanish rice. What seasoning is best to use and how is it best to make it. Do you use tomato? A great recipie would be very appreciated! thanks

I would agree with the recipe about toasting the rice, the importance of good chicken stock, and would like to add some thoughts about tomato sauce. It seems many Mexican cooks make homemade tomato sauce using the roasting method. Take a large tomato, half a whie onion, garlic cloves to taste and either jalapeno or serrano peppers. Dry roast these in a medium hot skillet until charred and blackened but not totally burnt. Let cool, peal the skins and blend everything in a blender until smooth. Strain through a wire strainer into the toasted rice and let cook for 5 minutes before adding the stock. Achiote is also a nice spice to add. Carrots and peas add nice color as well. good luck

garyb

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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ÅË½ðÁ«

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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buch

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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dana

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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I need help with my Spanish rice-Achiote

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Also, does it come in paste or liquid form and which to your recommend using, and how?

dana

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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I need help with my Spanish rice

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Regarding the addition of Achiote, that's the ingredient that's been missing in my recipies. How much of this would you add for, say, one cup of uncooked rice? And would you add cumin as well, or one or the other? Thanks!