Vegetarian Mexican Rice - Better than Restaurant!

Mexican rice or Spanish rice is a widely known accompaniment to Mexican dishes like Enchiladas, Fajitas or Tacos. Most Mexican restaurants that I have visited, serve this rice as a side dish of plain red rice. However, today I am going to share this amazing Spanish rice (arroz rojo) recipe with you today that can almost be eaten as an entree or can be used as a filling for Burritos. This appetizing recipe is loaded with flavors and comes together under 30 minutes!

My recipe calls for some of the basic ingredients that are easily found in most household pantries. These ingredients include tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin powder, beans and the star of dish Rice. The best part about this Spanish/Mexican Rice is that it is very flexible with the types of vegetables that can be added to it. So this can be used as last minute recipe whenever you are running out of ideas and need something fulfilling that is easy to prepare yet tasty. We have had this tasty rice for lunch by itself with a side of chips and for dinner as a side in our tacos and my family has enjoyed them both ways.

Nutritional Value

Although there are lots of debate over rice being healthy or unhealthy, I believe that any grains eaten in moderation and cooked with just the right ingredients are always healthy. According to the sources, Rice has been consumed by people all around the globe for thousands of years! It has been part of many cultures and many cuisines due to it's ability to pick up any flavors and seasonings that it is cooked with. White rice is low in fat and has almost no cholesterol. It is a good source of energy and very easy on our stomach, i.e. it is easy to digest as compared to whole grain. Moreover, rice is naturally gluten free, so it is one of the best options for people with gluten intolerance. Rice is mostly paired with or cooked with vegetables or protein to help balance out the nutritional value. 

Important Notes/ Tips

For this recipe, I have used long grain white rice (preferred) but you can choose to use any variety of rice. Traditionally, the long grain white rice is used to prepare Spanish/Mexican rice as it is less starchy and does not stick. However, the cooking time will vary depending on the type of rice. 

To give additional flavor punch to this recipe, you can also add chopped red bell pepper and spring onions to it. 

I have used fresh made salsa for the recipe, but feel free to use store brand salsa.

So here is a quick video for the recipe followed by detailed recipe...

Ingredients

1 Cup Long grain white rice 

3/4 Cup Canned Black beans

1/2 Cup Salsa

1/3 Cup Corn kernels

1/4 Cup Tomato sauce

1 Lemon wedge

3-4 Garlic cloves

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 Tbsp Cumin powder

1 Tsp Oregano

1 Tsp Black pepper powder

1/2 Tsp Paprika

1 Bay leaf 

Salt to Taste

1 1/2 Cup Water (to cook rice) 

Prep time - 15 minutes

Cook time - 7 minutes

Serves - 4 

Instructions

Heat up the Instant pot on saute mode and add olive oil. 

Mince garlic cloves and add to the heated oil. Saute for a minute until raw smell of garlic is gone. 

Now add corn kernels and saute for another minute. 

Next, add rinsed and washed rice to the pot. Saute the rice until it is lightly toasted. Be sure to stir the rice continuously to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add black beans to the pot and mix well with rice. Cook for another minute.

Now add tomato sauce and all the spices to the pot. Mix everything well and saute for 1 more minute. Further add the homemade fresh salsa and mix well with the rice mixture.

Finally add water and stir everything well making sure no rice is sticking to the bottom.

Close the Instant pot lid and change the setting to Pressure Cook mode. Select low pressure and set for 7 minutes. Be sure to keep the vent on sealing while pressure cooking.

When pressure cooking is done, turn off the Instant pot and quick release the pressure. Perform this step carefully as Instant pot is very hot at this time, turn the valve to venting position safely using spoon or spatula. 

Carefully open the lid and squeeze in half a lemon on top of rice. Gently fluff rice using a fork. 

Transfer the rice to a bowl or a plate and garnish with cilantro. Our scrumptious and flavorsome Vegetarian Mexican rice is ready to relish! Eat this rice as a meal with some tortilla chips and guac or use it as filling for burritos or tacos.