Tex-Mex Red Rice, Whole-Grain Arroz Rojo
Arroz rojo, the tomato-red rice served alongside beans across Tex-Mex and northern Mexican tables, is usually built on white rice fried in oil until the grains turn chalky, then simmered in tomato and broth. This version keeps the two moves that give the dish its character, the dry toast and the toasted tomato paste, and drops the oil and the refined grain. Brown long-grain rice asks for more water and a lot more time, close to three times as long, but it rewards the wait with a nuttier flavor that actually stands up to the cumin and tomato. The no-salt bouillon carries the savory note that salt and a bouillon cube usually would. Make a double batch: it reheats cleanly and freezes well, and cold leftover rice is the start of a fast fried-rice supper.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 cup Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 Yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 1 Carrot, diced small
- 1/2 cup Frozen peas
- 1 tsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1 Bay leave
Method
- Toast the dry brown rice in a wide, dry pan over medium heat, stirring, until it smells nutty and a few grains turn golden, about 4 minutes. This is the step that makes the rice, not the oil that a restaurant would use. Dry toasting sets the outside of each grain so they cook up separate instead of gluey.
- Push the rice aside, add the onion, garlic, and a few tablespoons of water, and sweat until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook it, stirring, until it darkens to brick red, 2 minutes. Toasting the paste this way builds a savory depth that raw tomato cannot.
- Stir in the ground cumin, then the crushed tomatoes, carrot, bay leaf, no-salt bouillon, and 2.75 cups (650 ml) water. Bring to a boil.
- Cover, drop the heat to low, and simmer undisturbed until the rice is tender and the liquid is gone, 40 to 45 minutes. Brown rice takes far longer than the white rice this dish usually uses, so resist lifting the lid, which lets out the steam that cooks the top layer.
- Scatter the frozen peas over the top, replace the lid, and let it stand off the heat for 10 minutes. The residual steam thaws and cooks the peas and lets the grains firm up.
- Fluff with a fork, discard the bay leaf, and serve. The color comes entirely from the tomato, no annatto or food coloring needed.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 200 calories, 5 g protein, 4 g fiber, 45 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
