Authentic Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe From The Sweetest Old Lady…..
I am a loyal Mexican food lover, but there are just some things I will not eat! I’m not really a very picky person, but I love authentic eats, not fast treats! This recipe that I am going to share with you is about a decade old. Who doesn’t love when it’s time to make some really good enchiladas, tacos, and chalupas? Well, I was really OVER making store bought “BOXED” Spanish rice!! It wasn’t authentic, it was fake, and I just didn’t enjoy it.
My mom used to tell me to be everyone’s friend even the custodians that cleaned my classroom! I prefer to call the “maintenance engineers”, they deserve that dignity in thier job! This little old woman cleaned my classroom day in and day out! One day I asked her, “Do you know how to make authentic Spanish rice?” Well, from that day forward her and I are still fast friends, and I still use her recipe for my family!
Ok, let’s get started….
Simple Spanish Rice Makes Fond Memories……
With this recipe I actually prefer to use vegetable oil to saute my rice down, but I think I was actually out! Olive oil will work just fine, but it will get to a high smoking point so be careful! In this recipe I am sure you could use brown rice, but I am not sure of how the taste will turn out. I have actually made a complete change over to Pink Himalayan Salt, for health benefits! Memories are what is cherished most when you learn deeply rooted recipes such as these. My mom and I used to go grocery shopping together, when I was going through a very tough time in my life!
This allowed my mom and I to talk at times when we couldn’t, but it also allowed me to hear more about my legacy cooking! I used to make her a slamming guacamole recipe here, that every time we went grocery shopping, she wanted me to make that recipe!
Some of the other added ingredients that I prefer to use, are yellow onions for the sweetness. Always know that I can’t go without a little heat from fresh jalapenos!
As you can see I added a little olive oil into the pan, and gave these veggies a good saute! I love being able to give my family something fresh, and it’s not always oriented from a box. As you saute these veggies, make sure they get soft. Once they start to get a little cooked, then rice is added into the pan to saute. Spanish rice should have a true nutty flavor, and smoothness!
Sauteing Spanish Rice…….
At this point I make sure to continue stirring this mixture, so that it doesn’t burn. I don’t appreciate burned, Spanish rice, and neither would my sweet friend! Taking this recipe form her family, and bringing it to mines was HUGE!!! How beautiful is it to link cultures together, and be your best self? Have you ever possessed a recipe that meant the world to you? Or you knew that it would bring you joy?
This is a really great seasoning blend that comes highly recommended by that sweet old lady! This comes with a chicken and tomato blend that can’t be beat. The tomato in the cube just gives your Spanish rice that pink color, in which I loveee! You can literally find this at your local grocery store!
During this stage of cooking, I make sure to season my rice with Himalayan salt, a little Zatarains, and garlic powder! This allows the seasoning to melt into the rice, and get really yummy!
Spanish Rice In Its Glory…..
I promise my kids go maddd over this recipe, and can literally smell this when it is cooking and know!!! They get super excited coming down the stairs knowing that I made this homemade. The other dish that gets them every time is the Chinese Fried Rice, and they kill all of that in one night! Once you pour the water over the rice, and let simmer down like cooking rice on the stove! This dish alone takes about 15-20 minutes to set up, and cook!
I need to make sure that I write this recipe down somewhere, so that my son’s have an opportunity to have this memory live in their kitchens when they marry! I moved schools and haven’t seen this friend in quite some time! She is still working though, and still being very sweet. She added a really good memory to my life, and I am a great student too!
Recipe
This recipe serves for a family of 6, but you could easily knock down the amount of rice for your family.
3-4 cups of white rice.
1 half yellow onion peeled and cut roughly.
2 jalapenos chopped (Fresh) OPTIONAL HEAT
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP Himalayan Salt
2 Knorr’s Cubes (I PREFER TWO NO MATTER PORTION)
3-4 TBSP Vegetable Oil (Preferred)
Cover rice with water, at least 3-4 cups of water. (This hard to judge based on portions)
I don’t even use a measuring cup when I do this, just eyeballing it!
Cook for about 20 minutes, until water disappears, please keep covered a lot!
I only check on the rice maybe once, and stir once so that it isn’t sticking to pan!
Once it is almost to the end of cooking, turn off the Med/Heat, and let stay covered to continue to get softer!
ENJOY!!!
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