Los Tios Mexican Rice

Los Tios Mexican Rice

Since moving to Virginia from Texas, good Mexican food or Tex-Mex has been hard to come by.  I really miss the rice that the restaurants served.  I have been on a quest for years to find an excellent recipe for “Spanish rice”.    I’ve been looking for a result that is flavorful without being too spicy and that isn’t overwhelmed by tomatoes.  My ideal rice turns out on the drier side and is light and fluffy.  This recipe may be as close as I have come to finding the best.  The recipe is from Los Tios Mexican restaurants in Houston, Texas.  I found it in The Tex-Mex Cookbook by Robb Walsh (Broadway Books, 2004).

I think the most important step in this recipe is sauteing the rice until transparent.  This makes the rice kind of puff, resulting in the desired light and fluffy feel.  When I made this recipe, it was perfect after 20 minutes and if I had left it another 5 or 10 minutes, I would have had a burnt mess.

Los Tios Mexican Rice

2 cups vegetable broth
1 tomato, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup raw white rice
2 serrano chiles
1/2 cup carrots, minced
pinch of ground cumin
pinch of black pepper
salt

In a blender, combine the broth, tomato, and garlic.  Puree and set aside.  Heat the oil in a heavy-lidded skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice; saute until it turns opaque without browing.  Add the broth puree, chilies, carrots, cumin, and pepper.  Salt to taste.  Bring the rice to a boil and reduce the heat.  Cover tightly and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.  Do not remove the lid during cooking.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes after turning off the heat.

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