Mexican Rice Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What main dish goes with Mexican Rice? ›

It's my go-to side for dishes like beef enchiladas, chicken enchiladas, beef tacos, chicken fajitas, and carne asada.

If you don't add enough water, the rice ends up dry and crunchy.

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.

One of the main differences between these two rice dishes is that Mexican rice is fluffier and tends not to stick together. Whilst Spanish Rice is known for that rich yellow color, Mexican Rice is best known for its reddish orange hue that it gets from being cooked with cumin.

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.

The rice should be a tiny bit on the dry side (but still soft and fluffy). If your rice is really wet and mushy, you probably added too much water and/or overcooked it.

When you cook the rice for a longer time in too much water, it causes the grains to split, which results in a gummy and soggy texture.

Like beef broth, chicken broth is a kitchen staple and makes a good substitute if you are all out of the meaty broth. This savory, salty liquid has a milder flavor than beef broth but is a good one-to-one replacement. Chicken broth also has a similar nutrition profile to beef broth, low in calories and high in sodium.

Vietnamese broken rice (Com tam) is a type of white rice that is commonly served with many symbolic Vietnamese dishes. If you are on your Vietnam travel, you will most likely come across this rice plate with grilled meat, egg meatloaf, salad, and pickles.

What kind of rice is best for Mexican rice? ›

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. If you prefer long grain brown rice, you can also use that, but you'll have to up the cooking time from 15 minutes to about 45 minutes.

Browning the rice adds a flavor dimension of “nu*ttiness” to the final dish. It also causes the grains of rice to burst as they absorb the savory liquid. Each grain of rice becoming light, fluffy, and full of flavor.

The best way to get the rice fluffy and well-cooked is by soaking the rice for at least 15 mins in water before cooking it. The longer you soak it the better as the rice drinks up water and when cooked it gets very fluffy and soft to eat.