Maria's Mexican Rice

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.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 164 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ tablespoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
• ⅓ cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup rice
• ½ large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon (such as Knorr®)
• 1 whole serrano chile pepper (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

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.