Red Achiote Mexican Rice Recipes

ARROZ ROJO (MEXICAN RED RICE)

Steps:

• Grate tomatoes into a bowl using a box grater; discard tomato skins.
• Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and cook onion until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic into onion and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir rice into onion mixture and cook, stirring often, until rice is lightly toasted, about 3 more minutes. Stir grated tomato, chicken broth, and tomato sauce into the rice. Bring mixture to a boil.
• Mix in jalapeno pepper, cilantro, and salt; reduce heat to low. Cover skillet and simmer until rice has absorbed the liquid, about 15 minutes. Do not lift the cover while the rice is cooking.
• Turn off heat and let rice stand covered for 8 minutes. Fluff with a fork before transferring rice to a serving dish.

MEXICAN YELLOW RICE

Steps:

• Place the rice in a heat-proof bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover. Let rice stand 20 minutes. Drain, then rinse under cool water. Drain again.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the achiote powder and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the minced onion and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
• Stir in the rice, toss to coat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. (The rice will want to stick to the bottom of the pan, so scrape it up using a metal spatula.).
• Pour in the broth, mix well and bring rice to a boil.
• Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer 25-30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
• Just before serving, add the minced jalapeno if using, season to taste with salt. Transfer the rice to a serving dish and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

MEXICAN ACHIOTE RICE (ARROZ AMARILLO)

Steps:

• For the garlicky achiote paste Add the achiote seeds (freshly ground in a spice grinder) or achiote paste, allspice, pepper, oregano, and vinegar to a mortar and pestle (click here for information about mortars and pestles), or small bowl and mix well to create a smooth paste.
• For the garlicky achiote paste Add the achiote seeds (freshly ground in a spice grinder) or achiote paste, allspice, pepper, oregano, and vinegar to a mortar and pestle (click here for information about mortars and pestles), or small bowl and mix well to create a smooth paste.
• Next, dribble on and work in enough water (usually about a tablespoon or 2) to give it all the consistency of a thick but spreadable paste. You will need 2 tablespoons of the achiote paste. (Reserve the remainder in a small jar for future use on chicken, fish, pork, turkey, or rice. It will keep in the refrigerator for a while.)
• For the rice Cook the fresh peas in a pot of boiling water until tender, drain and set aside. Or simply measure out frozen peas.
• In a 2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium heat and add the rice and onion. Cook, stirring regularly and scraping up any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan, until the rice is chalky looking and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the broth and the 2 tablespoons of achiote paste, along with 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt, depending on the saltiness of the broth. Whisk the broth mixture well, then add to the hot rice pan. Add the carrots. Stir once, scrape down any rice kernels clinging to the side of the pan, cover and cook over medium-low for 15 minutes.
• Uncover and bite into a grain of rice: It should be nearly cooked through. If the rice is just about ready, turn off the heat, stir in the peas, re-cover, and let stand for 5-10 minutes longer to complete the cooking. If the rice seems far from done, cook for 5 minutes or so, retest and then add the peas, remove from the heat, and let stand a few minutes. Fluff the rice, scoop it into a warm serving dish, sprinkle with cilantro and serve. It's enticingly exotic! (www.robinsdinnernight.blogspot.com)

MARINATED ACHIOTE CHICKEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Add the Guajillo peppers and water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for five minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it stand for 20 minutes.
• Remove the stems and seeds from the hydrated peppers. (Leave some seeds is you prefer more heat.) Add both the peppers and water they hydrated in, to a blender.
• Add the achiote paste, orange juice and garlic to the blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Add the skinless, bone-in chicken pieces to a large zip-lock bag and pour in the achiote marinade, which shouldn't be hot because of the addition of the orange juice. Move the chicken pieces around to be sure they're all well coated, remove the air from the bag and seal it. Then put this in another large zip-lock bag to ensure it doesn't leak. Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and ideally overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F and once the chicken is done marinating, add it, and all of the marinade to a large enough baking dish to hold the everything snugly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake in the preheated 375°F oven just until it's cooked through, about 45 minutes. Flip the pieces over about halfway through the cooking time and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once it's cooked through, flip the chicken over once more, sprinkle sightly with a bit more salt, and serve.

MEXICAN RICE

Steps:

• Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and serrano; sauté until onion is translucent, about 9 minutes. Mix in rice; stir 2 minutes. Mix in broth and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is just tender and broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes.
• Transfer rice to bowl; cool to barely lukewarm, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours. Add 1/2 cup Cilantro Dressing to rice; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

RED RICE

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the annatto oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the Scotch bonnet and garlic, stir, and cook for 15 seconds. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaves and stir well. Allow the vegetables to cook, stirring frequently, until well-glazed, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the rice, salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock, stir once and bring to a simmer, the immediately turn the heat down to very low. Cover and cook until the rice has absorbed the stock, 12 to 15 minutes. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.
• Toast the annatto seeds in a heavy saucepan until they just start to smoke. Add the olive oil. When the oil begins to simmer, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain the oil and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for several months.
• Preparation time: 5 minutes
• Cooking time: 10 minutes
• Ease of preparation: Easy

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RICE

Steps:

• Rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the rice and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly golden brown all over (about 10 minutes).
• Add tomato sauce, garlic, and diced onion to the pan. Stir. Add tomato bullion, salt, carrots, peas, and water (and serrano peppers, if using. They add a little flavor, but not spice.).
• Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

ACHIOTE RED RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Rinse the rice well. Place in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak 10 minutes. Rinse again. Allow the rice to drain in the strainer.
• Mix the achiote paste in the vegetable broth, pushing with the back of the spoon until the paste is completely dissolved. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium flame. Add the onions and cook and stir a few minutes. Stir in the rinsed rice and diced carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes, until the rice is coated with oil and turns light golden brown.
• Add the achiote broth and the vegetable juice.
• Bring the rice to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to the lowest setting possible. Cook without stirring, 35 to 45 minutes. (To check if the liquid has been absorbed or not, tilt the pan to the side.) Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

MEXICAN RED RICE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, achiote powder, and bay leaf. Cook and stir until the rice is opaque, about 2 minutes,
• Add the tomatoes and broth, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the liquid evaporates to just below the level of the rice, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to the low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and serve with Chocolate Chicken Mole, if desired.