How to make Mexican red rice

I have four sisters. They are four, five, ten and seventeen years younger than me. My mother calls us her ABC girls because we're named alphabetically according to age. When Barb, Cat and I were still young yet old enough to appreciate it, my parents began taking us and my two aunties to Disneyland, a 2-hour drive north. Mom would get up hours before it was time for us to leave to make fresh flour tortillas, Mexican red rice and refried beans. She'd make burritos of each and roll them individually in aluminum foil to keep them piping hot so we could have breakfast on the drive up north and a snack on the drive home. 

Mexican red rice wrapped in freshly made flour tortillas remains one of my favorite comfort foods, rife with happy childhood memories. I have a version of rice with peas and chopped tomatoes in my archives, but this is the version I make the most often. It's easy and makes the fluffiest rice.

How to make the tastiest Mexican Red Rice (Sopa de Arroz) in pictures

Mexican Red Rice is called arroz rojo (red rice) or sopa de arroz (which literally translates to rice soup). Sopa de arroz doesn't mean that it's actually a rice soup but refers to the rice being cooked in a broth, most often chicken broth. Most Mexican kitchens use water and granulated bouillon like Knorr Chicken Bouillon (on the rare occasion that I have a homemade Mexican-style broth, I'll use it; otherwise, I prefer the taste from the bouillon to regular store bought broth).

Ready? Let's get cooking!

Start by dicing half a medium onion so it's ready to go when you're at the stove.

Next, heat a skillet (I love using this cazuela – a traditional glazed clay pot) over medium heat. Add about 2 tablespoons of oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the rice. 

Stir constantly to ensure that the rice toasts evenly and that each grain of rice is covered in oil. This will help keep the rice from clumping together as it cooks, keeping the grains separate which makes the rice fluffier. After a few minutes, the rice will begin to change from translucent to opaque, which is exactly what you're looking for. 

Continue stirring until mostly golden. It's best to keep the rice moving the entire time to keep it from burning.

Once the rice is nice and golden, make a well in the center and add the onions.

Stir until the onions soften and become translucent. 

Start pouring in the tomato sauce. You want to do this in stages. If you've ever made risotto, it's the same principal. You want the rice to absorb the sauce before you add more. I buy Hunts tomato sauce in the 8-ounce cans and use the entire can for 1 to 2 cups of rice. 

Once all the sauce is incorporated, give it a final good stir.

Then add the bouillon. I, like so many Mexican households, like Knorr's Chicken Bouillon. If it's too salty for you, use your favorite (I know some non-Hispanic cooks prefer to use Better Than Bouillon, that's fine, too, if that's what you prefer). 

Stir well to incorporate the bouillon.

Add the water. Be careful here. When that water hits the hot pan, it will produce a large steam cloud that can burn you if you aren't mindful of it. 

Reduce heat to the lowest setting, then drop in the cilantro sprigs and garlic, cover and simmer for exactly 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid during cooking. At the end of the 15 minutes, turn off the flame (do not lift the cover) and let it stand for 10 minutes to finish steaming. 

At the end of 10 minutes, remove the rice from the stove and take off the lid.

Fish out and discard the cilantro and garlic (or smash the garlic in a tortilla and spoon on some rice for a yummy taco – I call this a cook's reward!).

Using a fork, carefully start fluffing the rice.

Look how fluffy this rice is! 

Mexican Red Rice

(Sopa de Arroz)

Makes 5 to 6 servings

½ medium onion, about ½ cup finely diced

2 tablespoons canola, avocado or safflower oil

1 cup long-grain white rice (jasmine is particularly tasty)

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon Knorr granulated chicken bouillon

1½ cups water

5 sprigs of fresh cilantro

1 or 2 fat cloves garlic, peeled

Finely dice half of a medium onion. Set aside.

Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium. Add oil. Once the oil is hot, add rice. Stir constantly. The rice will change from translucent to opaque. Continue toasting the rice until it becomes mostly golden, stirring it the entire time to keep it from burning.

Make a well in the center of the pan and add onions. Stir until the onions soften, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce in thirds, stirring until absorbed, before adding the next third. Toss in the granulated bouillon and mix well. Pour in the water, stirring to incorporate. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, then drop in the cilantro sprigs and garlic, cover and simmer for exactly 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid during cooking. At the end of the 15 minutes, turn off the flame (do not lift the cover) and let it stand for 10 minutes to finish steaming. At the end of 10 minutes, lift the lid, remove and discard the cilantro and garlic (or smash it in a tortilla and spoon on some rice for a yummy taco), then fluff the rice with a fork.

Until next time, friends … !Buen Provecho!

xo, ani