Spanish Rice with Salsa - The Easiest Spanish Rice Recipe Ever (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Mexican rice and Spanish rice? ›

Spanish rice has a firmer texture and stronger aroma compared to Mexican rice, it gets its sweet yet savory flavor as well as its golden color from saffron. As it is more absorbent, Spanish rice is also better suited for dishes that need to be slow cooked.

Spanish Rice Recipe Ingredients

Long-grain white rice, such as basmati, works best in this recipe. You can also use brown rice, but you'll need to increase the broth measurement to 2 cups. Simmer the rice for 45 minutes instead of 15.

Why does Mexican restaurant rice taste better? The method used to make Mexican rice involves lightly frying the uncooked rice in oil which helps it absorb more flavor from the seasoning and cook to a perfect consistency. In addition, a traditional blend of spices and diced vegetables and potatoes create unique flavor.

Add lots of pepper. Stir in a couple of tablespoons minced fresh herbs, ideally warmed first in melted butter. Cook a couple of tablespoons minced garlic, leek, scallion, or shallot in olive oil or butter until just soft to add while fluffing. Add lemon juice to taste (great with butter and pepper).

Absolutely! Toasting the rice in olive oil, onion, and garlic will amp up the flavor of the rice in addition to slightly reducing the cooking time and keeping the rice grains from clumping together. The rice should be toasted until it starts to smell nutty and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Mushy or soggy rice is simply overcooked rice that has absorbed too much water. Water over-absorption causes the rice grains to split open, ruining the texture and creating a starchy, gummy result.

Top tips for the perfect fluffy (not sticky) rice:

Rinse your rice in cold water before cooking to remove some of the starch. Sauté the uncooked rice in a little olive oil to lightly toast before adding the liquid. Stir frequently to make sure the rice doesn't burn.

Mexican rice (sometimes referred to as Spanish rice or red rice in Tex–Mex cuisine), also known as arroz a la mexicana, arroz mexicano, sopa de arroz, or arroz rojo in Spanish, is a Mexican side dish made from white rice, tomato, garlic, onion, and perhaps other ingredients.

What kind of rice do Mexican restaurants use? ›

Any kind of long grain rice works well for making Mexican rice. You can use generic “long grain rice”, or basmati, or jasmine, anything like that.

Best substitute for paella rice is risotto rice (arborio rice) which has similar characteristics ie. ability to absorb lots of liquid, except risotto goes creamy if you stir it. The next best is medium grain rice – the same rice I use for rice pudding.

Seasoning the water is the key to making sure your dish doesn't turn out bland—the way the water tastes before the liquid is absorbed into the rice is the way your rice will taste when it's done! If your water tastes bland, your rice will too.

The heat is likely too high, and you might need to stir it more frequently. Keeping your flame low and letting the rice simmer instead of boil will allow for a better end product and will prevent the rice from burning at the bottom. A burnt pot indicates that the burner was likely set too high.

Maybe you took the lid off of the pot too early, letting the steam escape. Maybe you didn't add enough liquid to begin with. Whatever the case, if your rice is looking dried out, or the texture is still hard or crunchy when all the liquid has been absorbed, add up to ½ cup water and return to a simmer with the lid on.

Mexican rice (sometimes referred to as Spanish rice or red rice in Tex–Mex cuisine), also known as arroz a la mexicana, arroz mexicano, sopa de arroz, or arroz rojo in Spanish, is a Mexican side dish made from white rice, tomato, garlic, onion, and perhaps other ingredients.

Saffron is the holy-grail ingredient that makes Spanish rice all that it is. It gives it a semi-sweet flavor that is delicate and complex. Besides the sweet, it also has earthy and floral tones. Let's not forget its vibrant yellow color.

The variations between dialects are mainly slang, accent and local vocabulary. Spanish is almost the same in all Spanish speaking countries. The difference between Spain Spanish and Mexican Spanish or any other Latin American country is similar to the difference between British English and American English.

Spanish rice, also known as Mexican rice, is a common side dish in northern Mexico. This always savory (and sometimes spicy) side dish is also popular outside of Mexico, especially in the Southwestern United States.