About the Basics: Arroz Rojo

Arroz Rojo

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Someone once  told me that the simplest things in life are the hardest to execute. I believe he was right! In Mexican cuisine, you can find so many different recipes and techniques to one dish which lead to a fun and controversial discussion among families as to  who has the best recipe or who has the best “sazón.” 

Here is the recipe for Arroz Rojo, one of the most basic side dishes served in Mexico, Even though it seems easy to make, it requires a certain technique and wisdom. 

A couple of tips when cooking rice: 

1. In a pot, warm up water and wash the rice;repeat a couple of times and let it dry over a paper towel.
2. The water ratio we use to cook the rice is per 1 cup of rice= 1 ½ cup of water

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Arroz Rojo Serves 4

Recipe

1 cup of white rice - rinsed and dry. 

2 tbsp of avocado oil 

2 roma tomatoes 

½ of white onion

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp of chicken bouillon 

1 ½ cups of water

In a blender, combine tomatoes, onion, and garlic, chicken bouillon and water into a puree. Heat the avocado oil in a pot,  add the rice, and stir constantly until the rice gets golden brown.  Add the sauce and bring to a boil; then reduce to a simmer and add salt to taste before covering.. 

Cook until the sauce has been absorbed completely into the rice - about 15 min or so. Check to be sure that the whole sauce has evaporated and the rice is not sticky. Enjoy!