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. 

Homemade Ghee

Ghee is one of the staple ingredient in almost all Indian household and is used to prepare various cuisines throughout India and other Asian countries. Ghee is a versatile ingredient that can be consumed in various dishes in multiple ways. I use Ghee to spread over roti/chapati, toast bread, make curries, add dollop over dal-rice, idlis as well as parathas, fry certain snacks and saute vegetables. Ghee has high smoking point which makes it perfect for frying. Since we love to include Ghee in our daily diet, I have started making Ghee at home. Trust me, the homemade Ghee tastes way better than any other store bought brand and it is incredibly easy to prepare. 

So what is Ghee anyway?

Ghee is also known as clarified butter. Basically, Ghee is melted butter that has been simmered to separate out milk solids and heated further to bring out the most delicious nutty flavor. This liquid gold is then strained to a jar and can be stored on a shelf for as long as six months or refrigerated for upto a year!!

What are the benefits of adding Ghee to diet?

Originated in ancient India, Ghee has many medicinal properties and has been used in Aayurveda for thousands of years. There are many health benefits of Ghee, particularly the ghee made from grass fed cows' butter. Ghee is known for its anti inflammatory properties which is used to externally treat burns and swellings.

According to various sources, Ghee has abundance of nutrients including vitamins A, D, E and K  and healthy fats including Omega 3s. Ghee is an excellent source of antioxidants - more specifically vitamin E. These vitamins and fats are essential for healthy brain function and healthy immune system. There are plenty more health benefits of consuming Ghee on daily basis that can be found online. However, the most important thing to remember here is to consume this super food in moderation to get the most out of it. 

So, let's get started with the recipe. 

Here is a short video on how to make Ghee followed by detailed recipe.

Important Notes/ Tips 

I have used electric cooker to make Ghee, however you can achieve the same result using a thick bottom pot on stove top but the cooking time will vary. The key is to keep a check on the status of ghee to ensure you can get to the same end result.

I have used unsalted butter but you can also use salted butter, just know that the Ghee will also have slightly salty flavor. Also, salted butter will take just a little less time to cook as compared to unsalted butter.

Be sure to start with room temperature butter to yield the best end product and to reduce cook time! Just bring the butter blocks outside of fridge about an hour before. 

Ingredients 

4 slabs of unsalted Butter - 8 oz each 

Cook time - 20 minutes

Yields - 32 Oz 

Instructions

Start off by turning on the saute mode of your electric cooker at medium/normal temperature. 

Add all the four butter slabs into the pot as the pot starts to heat up.

In about 5 minutes, all the butter will melt into liquid form. Make sure to stir the liquid butter occasionally to prevent it from burning at the bottom.

In about the next 1 minute, it will start simmering and bubbling. The foam will start forming on the top of the melted butter. Let the butter cook for another 3-4 minutes and the foam will start clearing up. 

At about 10 minutes, butter will start spluttering big bubbles, and foam will have cleared up. 

Continue cooking the butter for next 5 minutes as the simmered butter will start taking a golden color and will turn aromatic. Any additional foam will turn into clear bubbles and the liquid will become translucent. There will also be milk solids separating from the liquid.

At this point, turn off the electric cooker to avoid overcooking the ghee. The pot will gradually cool down in about 5 minutes and the Ghee will continue to cook during this time. Slowly the bubbles on top will turn into frothy layer and the liquid will turn into clear golden brown Ghee. All the milk solids will sit at the bottom. 

All the cooking is done at this point. Now, let the Ghee cool down for about an hour. After that, strain and transfer the Ghee to a jar or a storage container. 

Let it sit overnight and Ghee will become viscous and light yellow! Enjoy.