Arroz Rojo (Mexican Tomato Rice)

Add 1 and ½ cup of rice in a bowl. Rinse it a few times and let them soak for 30 minutes.

Heat the pressure and add 2 tablespoon of oil.

Put in a small bay leaf, ¼ tablespoon of cumin seed, 1 cinnamon piece and let them roast for a few seconds.( Optional)

Add in the minced garlic and green chilies to the hot oil and cook until the raw flavor of garlic goes away.

After that, add in the chopped onions and a pinch of salt to the pressure cooker.

Cook till the onions become translucent in color.

Add in all the spices turmeric, cumin powder, pepper powder and chili powder and coat the onions with the spices.

Then put all the chopped tomatoes into the cooker along with the salt, which will help the tomatoes to cook faster.

Cook the tomatoes for 2-3 minutes or till the tomatoes turn all cooked and mushy.

Add in the soaked and drained rice into the tomato sauce and let it marinate for a minute or so. Add chopped coriander stalks and ½ tablespoon of ghee for extra flavor.

Put an adequate amount of water to the rice and let it cook for a whistle.

Serve it in a bowl and enjoy it warm after garnishing it with the coriander leaves.

Note: The amount of water to add in the sauce depends on the type of rice that you are using.

Arroz rojo is also known as Mexican red rice, that is similar to the Indian tomato rice. This rice is a little bit spicier but you can always reduce the spiciness as per your taste.

As the name itself describes this dish “Tomato rice”. This dish is made using tomatoes alone and no other vegetable except for the onions and garlic. But if you feel like adding potatoes, peas, carrots feel free to add those as well. If you don’t eat onions and garlic, you can remove it as well. So, you can get creative with this dish. It is not a traditional dish so each and every household may have a different recipe than the other, which makes it even more special.

You can enjoy this dish on itself as well as with any kinds of curry that you prefer. You can enjoy this with fresh mint sauce as well. It really does enhance the flavor of this entire dish.

Hope you all like this recipe and if you do, don’t forget to like and comment below.