READY IN 40 mins

Maria's Mexican Rice

Read Reviews (20)

"My mom is from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and this is how she has been making rice all her life. One day I finally stopped and measured the amounts she used while cooking. In my view this is the perfect Mexican rice. It's not too greasy or dry, nice color, and great flavor. The Serrano pepper will add flavor but no heat to this recipe since it is used whole and not chopped. If you would like spicy Mexican rice, de-seed and chop the Serrano before adding it to the mix." — viv85e

Directions

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir rice and onion in the hot oil until browned, about 5 minutes; season with salt, cumin, and pepper. Pour water over the rice mixture. Stir tomato sauce and chicken bouillon into the water. Increase heat to medium-high, place a cover on the saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add serrano chile pepper and continue cooking at a boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes more.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 10 mins
COOK 30 mins
READY IN 40 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 20, 2013

Whoa, did I ever eat this right up! This is not your everyday, ordinary, boring Mexican rice! For once I enjoyed something with real flavor rather than the nondescript stuff I’ve pretty much learned to expect. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I used a good squirt of concentrated tomato paste from the tube because I didn’t want to open up a can of tomato sauce for the couple of tablespoons I needed for the half recipe I made. I also used chicken stock instead of water and chicken bouillon but I don’t think that can account for how flavorful this was. I didn’t use the Serrano pepper in deference to Hubs’ sensitive innards but it truly wasn’t missed. Maybe it’s because the rice is browned before simmering. Whatever the case, viv85e has come up with a Mexican recipe that’s well worth repeating.

—naples34102

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Apr 27, 2013

No one liked it in our family. :(

—Anita

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21 Ratings

Nov 28, 2012

This is the best Mexican rice dish that I've ever made. I didn't have chicken bouillon so I used 1 cup chicken broth in place of 1 cup of the water. Using the serrano pepper whole really did make for nice flavor without being too hot.

—belfers

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Jan 01, 2013

This was really good -- as good or maybe even better than many of the authentic Mexican restaurants we have here in TX. As another reviewer mentioned, though, mine also turned out a bit more watery than I'm used to, and I also like my rice a bit on the dry side (just a personal preference). Letting the rice sit for 5 minutes after it's done helped, though. The best part is that it's easy to make this vegetarian-friendly by omitting the bouillon and substituting one cup of the water for a cup of veggie broth or one of the many varieties of vegetarian "chicken" broth.

—Claire

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Dec 13, 2012

I love Mexican food, and as a native Texan I can attest that this is the real deal. I used brown rice since that's all I had on hand, so I had to simmer it longer. I also added fresh jalapeno slices instead of the whole serrano which gave it great flavor AND the kick I wanted. In addition, I think I went a little heavy handed on the tomato sauce (not recommended for next time) and omitted the salt (highly recommended). Everyone knows you have to "fry" Mexican rice before boiling it, so I had high hopes for this dish and it delivered. It makes a LOT of rice, which is fine because although I originally served it with homemade pork tamales from a sweet neighborhood abuelita, I have used some of the leftovers to stuff bell peppers (mixed with leftover "Best Black Beans" by Cameron on this site) much to the delight of my fiance. And there is still some rice left! Follow the instructions, but don't be afraid to add peppers to the pot not just to discard but to mix into the rice depending on your personal taste. Thanks for sharing... this is going into my regular rotation!

—Jilly

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May 06, 2013

I've been looking for a good Mexican/Spanish rice recipe and this is it - finally! Easy to make and delicious. Will definitely make again...and again and again.

—GRRLFRIEND

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May 06, 2013

This was delicious! Followed the recipe exactly. This rice had lots of flavor compared to even restaurant rice! For the tomato sauce I used some left over spag sauce I had but that was my only change. Look no further for a mexican rice recipe, This is a keeper!

—jadedgurl

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Apr 25, 2013

I used long grain brown rice (not instant) and it took forever to cook!!! As in, probably close to 90 minutes, maybe even longer. The rest of the meal was long gone and dishes cleared before this was ready to eat, and even then it was al-dente. I'm sure some of it was my fault because I kept removing the lid to check it every 5-10 minutes after the initial 35 minutes had passed and it was still super crunchy. I also had to add a lot more liquid (used some vegetable stock i had on hand) or it would have completely dried out since it cooked so long. Despite all of that, I liked the flavor a lot, and it was really easy so I will make it again. I'll just have to use a different type of rice or start dinner at the crack of dawn. :-). Thank you for sharing the recipe--it really was tasty, and not the recipe's fault I used a long cooking rice.

—CherryMagpie

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Nutrition

Calories
164 kcal
8%

Carbohydrates
26.8 g
9%

Cholesterol
< 1 mg
< 1%

Fat
4.9 g
8%

Fiber
0.9 g
3%

Protein
2.7 g
5%

Sodium
845 mg
34%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Maria's Mexican Rice

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 164
Calories from Fat: 44

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4.9g 8 %
Saturated Fat 0.7g 4 %
Cholesterol < 1mg < 1 %
Sodium 845mg 34 %
Potassium 107mg 3 %
Total Carbohydrates 26.8g 9 %
Dietary Fiber 0.9g 3 %
Protein 2.7g 5 %
Sugars 1.3g
Vitamin A 1 %
Vitamin C 4 %
Calcium 2 %
Iron 16 %
Thiamin 19 %
Niacin 15 %
Vitamin B6 5 %
Magnesium 5 %
Folate 42 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.