Please... for the luvva God... Can someone provide me with a recipe for tex-mex-restaurant style rice? I've tried a LOT of recipes online and tried every box/package of rice I can find. Some of it has been okay. Most of it has been crap. NONE of it has tasted like tex-mex-restaurant rice. Anyone? PLEASE?!?!
I won't be much help here, but what restaurant? A lot of sites have recipes that mimic particular restaurant or proprietary recipes. Whether or not they nail it, I have no idea. Maybe you've already tried that route. Usually what makes those restaurant rices taste so good is butter.
I use Rick Bayless' recipe most of the time. Start with 1 1/2 cups of medium grained rice, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander to remove some of the excess starch. Toast the rice in a saucepan with some olive oil and half of an onion, finely diced, for about five minutes over medium heat. While your rice is toasting, blend one (drained) 15 oz can of whole tomatoes with a couple cloves of garlic, and once the rice starts to brown add the tomatoes to your pan, stirring until a good amount of the liquid has evaporated. If you like your rice a little spicier, at this point you can also add a couple of jalapenos, split length-wise. Add 1 3/4 cups of chicken stock (preferably hot) and a generous pinch of salt to your pan. Bring your rice to a boil, give it a quick stir, then turn the heat down to low and cover your rice. After it's absorbed all of the cooking liquid (it should take 15-20 minutes), take it off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork. If you added jalapenos, you'll probably want to pull them out before you serve. You can add some frozen peas to the mix when the rice is close to done, if that's your thing. I know some people like to throw in carrot too, in which case you'll want to add it when you hit the pan with your tomatoes.
Take some Picante hot sauce, and mix it with cooked white rice. After you mix them up pretty good, put some onions and cilantro on top! Easy to make, and tastes great!
I've tried recipes similar to this. While I've tried recipes similar to this, I've found that it doesn't taste like tex-mex-restaurant style rice. (thanks anyway, though).
Tastes like the rice at most of the mexican restaurants that I go to, but keep in mind that I don't live in Texas (and usually only visit for a couple of weeks out the year)... Either way, it's tasty. The rice absorbs lots of flavor since it's cooked like a pilaf. You can add to the mexican flavors with cilantro and/or cumin
I'm in this same boat. There is a Mexican restaurant that makes great rice with this dish called Ranchero Especial. I wish I could mimic it. We're going to eat there later today. YUM!
I made this recipe with pretty good success. 2 ripe tomatoes (about 12 ounces), cored and quartered 1 medium onion , preferably white, peeled, trimmed of root end,and quartered 3 medium jalapeño chiles 2 cups long grain white rice 1/3 cup canola oil 4 cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons) 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves 1 lime , cut into wedges for serving Instructions 1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Process tomatoes and onion in food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl if necessary. Transfer mixture to liquid measuring cup; you should have 2 cups (if necessary, spoon off excess so that volume equals 2 cups). Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalapeños and discard; mince flesh and set aside. Mince remaining jalapeño, including ribs and seeds; set aside. 2. 2. Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Shake rice vigorously in strainer to remove all excess water. 3. 3. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed ovensafe 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 grains rice in oil; if grains sizzle, oil is ready. Add rice and fry, stirring frequently, until rice is light golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and seeded minced jalapeños; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste, and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cover pan and transfer to oven; bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes. 4. 4. Stir in cilantro and reserved minced jalapeño with seeds to taste. Serve immediately, passing lime wedges separately.
u need some thing called consomate...its something all my aunts and my mom use when they make their rice...u can find it at fiesta..it has like some rooster on the cover...
Most tex mex restaurant rice is fried in a considerable amount of oil. You might be shocked at how much oil it will soak up. The reason your recipes aren't working is because they are all a lot healthier than what you find in a restaurant. As for seasonings, they differ from place to place, but if you want that flavor and texture, try a ratio of about half a cup of vegatable oil, one cup of rice, and no more than two cups of water or chicken stock. Brown the rice in the oil along with some diced onion. part of a can of rotel tomatoes would probably get you a flavor similar to most restaurants.
Pretty sure you're looking for the "look" of mexican rice. That will require saffron. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2/3 cup diced onion 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice 1 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 1/2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce 2 teaspoons salt 1 clove garlic, minced 1/8 teaspoon powdered saffron 3 cups water DIRECTIONS In a large saucepan, heat vegetable oil over a medium-low heat. Place the onions in the pan, and saute until golden. Add rice to pan, and stir to coat grains with oil. Mix in green bell pepper, cumin, chili powder, tomato sauce, salt, garlic, saffron, and water. Cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.
