Although my family makes all different kinds of rice, we primarily make arroz rojo. Arroz Rojo translates to red rice, despite the color of the rice being orange. To make this rice my family uses jasmine rice or plain white rice. The first step to making this rice is to decide how much rice you want to make. When I cook I usually use a cup of rice for two to three people. Once you’ve decided how much rice you want to make you have to wash your rice. I usually wash it 3 times. Some people wash it until the water runs clear, but that’s very time-consuming. After you’re done washing your rice you let the rice dry for a few minutes. While the rice is drying I set a pan on the stove with a little bit of oil. Once I’ve added the oil I turn the stove onto low heat and let the oil get hot. To figure out when the oil gets hot, I take a grain of rice and drop it in the pan. If it sizzles you can add the rest of your rice. Once I’ve added the rest of my rice to the pan I let it fry until it turns into a golden brown color. Mean while the rice is frying I make the liquid that turns the rice “red”. In a blender, I add 2 tomatoes, 1/2 an onion, 2 garlic cloves, and 2 cups of water. Once blended I make sure the rice is ready so I can add the liquid. Once the rice is ready I add the liquid to the pan and add a bit of consume de pollo or caldo de pollo. These two ingredients already contain salt but I usually taste it to see if it needs more salt or not. After adding the caldo or consume de pollo you can add your vegetables here. Depending on my mood I will decide if I want them or not. The vegetables I usually add are cut-up green beans, carrots, corn, and peas. After all the ingredients are added I cover the top of the pan and let the rice consume the liquid. I make sure to check the rice in intervals to make sure the rice is consuming the liquid and you stir the rice when you check on it. You do this until the rice is done and has absorbed all the liquid. After all that the rice is done and ready to be served.
The ingredients in this dish don’t hold any meaning to me except tomatoes. When I was younger my father and I had a garden. In this garden, we grew all kinds of fruits and vegetables. My favorite thing to plant was tomatoes. I loved the smell of the tomato leaves. Anytime I buy tomatoes or cook them I remember the times my father taught me how to plant all kinds of vegetables and how to harvest them. Although I gave the recipe for the rice we don’t eat the rice alone. We eat it with mole, tortillas, and different kinds of meat cooked in different ways. Since the rice could be eaten with many different kinds of food, I believe it’s good food. Arroz Rojo is usually made when most of my family gathers up to celebrate a special occasion or to hang out. This is very important to me because when I eat this rice it means that I’m happy. After all, I’m able to spend time with my family. Whether it’s my family here in the US I’m spending time with, or the rest of my family back in Mexico.
I really enjoyed reading this recipe because it was clear and very detailed. I can all relate to this type of way of making rice because I also come from a Hispanic household.