Cooking has become a rather enjoyable part of my summer as I’m sure it has for a lot of us during quarantine. This summer, I’ve had the chance to learn some authentic Hispanic recipes and this Spanish rice is one of my favorites.

This recipe is super simple and easy to make, and I like it enough to eat it plain – although I particularly enjoy it on a corn tortilla with carne asada, cilantro and green salsa.

This recipe serves 2-4 people, depending on whether it is the main dish or a side and can easily be doubled.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice (Himalayan rice is the way to go, but regular rice will suffice – long grain is best)
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 cup regular temperature water
• 2-3 Roma tomatoes
• ¼ onion (chef’s choice; this is entirely up to your own preferences)
• 2 cloves of garlic (but you don’t have to listen to this, use all the garlic you want)
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (it’s traditionally cooked with lard, but olive oil is a healthier choice)
• Optional: 1-2 jalapenos (or pepper of choice), seeded
• Optional: ¼ can of peas, drained
• Optional: pickled jalapeno, amount to taste
• Optional: cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1. In a blender, combine 1 cup of room temperature water, the cube of chicken bouillon, tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and garlic. Blend until smooth (if you don’t have a blender, substitute 8 oz tomato sauce, 1 tsp minced garlic, ½ tsp onion powder)

2. Lightly fry the rice in a large frying pan with the olive oil until it is golden brown
3. Stir frequently to assure all the rice is fried
4. Once the rice is golden, add the blended mixture and bring to boil
5. While boiling, add 2 cups of hot water  and let it simmer until it reduces, stirring frequently (about 10-15 minutes)
6. Add peas into the rice or pickled jalapeno