Strait from my grandmother’s kitchen, try this delicious recipe for perfect Spanish rice.
When you’re Hispanic, like me, there is rarely a single meal that goes by without Spanish rice. It was a staple growing up. It’s flavorful, filling and savory. Lots of people are intimidated by making rice. Let me tell you, you don’t need a fancy rice cooker. There are two rules for making perfect Spanish rice. Your water to rice ratio needs to be correct and you don’t touch it! Don’t worry, I’ll explain that in just a minute. Today, I’m going to share my family’s recipe for perfect Spanish rice.
There are variations to Spanish rice. I’ve seen people add peas, even corn to it. I do neither. The recipe I make is my grandmothers and then my mothers. The smell of the rice frying immediately takes me back to childhood.
For extra flavorful rice, I suggest using chicken stock in lieu of water. Alternatively, you can also use water and bouillon. Comino (Cumin), is a very strong spice. Too much of it and it will make your dish bitter. Therefore, use it sparingly if you experiment with it in recipes.
The Secret to Perfect Rice
Here is the secret for perfect rice. First, white rice should always be cooked in a 1:2 ratio. One cup of white rice, 2 cups of water. Brown rice is 1:3 ratio. One cup of brown rice, 3 cups of water. Brown and wild rice require much longer cooking times. Too much water leaves rice mushy and waterlogged.
The other secret to perfect rice is to leave it alone while cooking. Therefore, this means no stirring. Stirring breaks up the starch and and makes it clumpy and just a big pile of mush. Once you put your ingredients in, just give it one stir around then cover and leave it!
Spanish Rice
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Long Grain Rice
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1 Small Roma Tomato Chopped
- 1/3 Cup Yellow Onion Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Tomato Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Cilantro Chopped
- 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Chop tomato, onion and cilantro.
- Prepare rice in a medium deep skillet with a lid
- Heat oil on medium heat. Add rice and stir gently.
- Allow rice to brown, stirring only a few times.
- Once browned, slowly add your chicken stock at the side edge of the pan. Be careful, as it will produce hot steam.
- Add cumin, garlic powder, cilantro, tomato, tomato sauce, and onion. Give one stir around the pan.
- Bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and cover with a lid until all the liquid is dissolved, about 15-20 mins.
- Once cooked, fluff with fork. Add salt if needed. Normally the chicken stock is salty enough.
Looking for other delicious recipes? Try Zuppa Toscana a delicious rustic Italian soup.