Tuesday 6 January 2015

Spicy Mexican Green Rice Recipe / Arroz Verde ~ LET'S GO GREEN


Through my Go Green mission I had to venture into the alluring land of Handlebar moustaches, Lava hot Jalapeños, Midnight Mariachis, Tequila Hangovers, Curvy Hot Tempered Latinas, Lip Smacking Conchitas and much much more. BIENVENIDOS A MÉXICO.....


Mexican cuisine has invaded our palate big time. It's like a huge delicious bomb of flavours which has exploded in our kitchens. With most ingredients available in supermarkets in far away places from Mexico it is become easy to try out these lip smacking dishes which make Mexican cuisine so endearing.

Starting my Mexican sojourn with a very simple rice dish, with an overload of green and quite a bit fiery to be honest recipe. However the heat in this recipe can be easily controlled by reducing the quantity of peppers used. When I had tasted this dish for the first time in the home of a Spanish friend, the intensity of flavours in this simple dish had quite overtaken me and I had to try it out in my kitchen. Honestly I love the fiery punch this recipe brings to the rice but I usually keep aside a few scoops of rice for little D before going full swing with the peppers.

Moreover the fresh green colour imparted by the raw natural herbs and spices that are used to cook the Arroz Verde makes it impossible for anyone to refuse a bite. The recipe here is just as my friend had passed on to me and therefore I leave it open for comments as I would love to know if there are any other variations to this dish.

I normally pair this dish up with a zesty Salsa and it is good to go. But you can also have some nice grills with this delicious side. Try and experiment with anything that you would love to add and have it the way you like it. It's punch of taste is so distinct that you won't miss anything and can happily eat it on its own.


MEXICAN GREEN RICE / ARROZ VERDE RECIPE :


SERVES /YIELDS - 8
CUISINE - MEXICAN
TYPE - SIDE/ RICE DISH
TIME - 10 MINUTES PREP + 20 MINUTES COOKING


INGREDIENTS :


2 Cups of Par Boiled Rice. (Use rice of your choice. I was however told that Arroz Verde tasted best with par boiled rice).
1/3 rd Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley. (I added more parsley than cilantro in the ratio of 1/2 Cup : 1/4 th Cup)
1/3 rd Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
2 Coarsely Chopped Pablano Peppers Stems and Seeds Removed. (I retained the seeds to keep the heat quotient of the pepper intact. You can also substitute poblano pepper with green capsicum.)
1 Coarsely chopped Jalapeño stem and seeds removed. (I again retained the seeds. If fresh jalapeño is not available, substitute with the bottled jalapeños.)
2 Chopped Scallions or 2 Green Onions 
4-5 cloves of Garlic
1 Lime for Juice
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
31/2 Cups of Vegetable or Chicken broth or stock or simply 31/2 Cups of water. (I used chicken stock freshly made to enhance the flavours. Using either vegetable or chicken stock freshly made gives the rice added flavours. This measurement is for a particular type of rice. Please follow the instructions on your rice packet for the amount of water or stock to be used).
Salt to taste


COOK WITH ME IN EASY STEPS:

STEP 1 :

Wash the rice in a colander and keep it aside. Place the peppers, scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic and salt ( if using vegetable or chicken stock, reduce the amount of salt used here) in a food processor and process until smooth. Add a little water if needed.

STEP 2:
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the rice and stir to coat all the grains. Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes more.


STEP 3:
Add the ingredients from the blender to the rice and stir two more minutes, to incorporate all the aromatics and spices with the rice, well.



STEP 4:

Add the vegetable/chicken stock or water now and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the water is fully absorbed and the rice is fully cooked which may take approximately 15 minutes.



STEP 5:

Turn the heat off and stir in the lime juice making sure it's evenly dispersed.

Serve hot with a zesty fresh SALSA or use as a side with or grills or mild curries.


INGREDIENTS :

2 Cups of Par Boiled Rice, (Use rice of choice. I was however told that Arroz Verde tasted best with par boiled rice).
1/3 rd Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley. I added more parsley than cilantro in the ratio of 1/2 Cup : 1/4 th Cup
1/3 rd Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
2 Coarsely Chopped Pablano Peppers Stems and Seeds Removed. I retained the seeds to keep the heat quotient of the pepper intact. You can also substitute poblano pepper with green capsicum.
1 Coarsely chopped Jalapeño stem and seeds removed. I again retained the seeds. If fresh jalapeño is not available, substitute with the bottled jalapeños.
2 Chopped Scallions or 2 Green Onions 
4-5 cloves of Garlic
1 Lime for Juice
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
31/2 Cups of Vegetable or Chicken broth or stock or simply 31/2 Cups of water. I used chicken stock freshly made to enhance the flavours. Using either vegetable or chicken stock freshly made gives the rice added flavours.
Salt to taste

COOK WITH ME IN EASY STEPS:

STEP 1 :
Wash the rice in a colander and keep it aside. Place the peppers, scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic and salt ( if using vegetable or chicken stock, reduce the amount of salt used here) in a food processor and process until smooth. Add a little water if needed.

STEP 2:
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the rice and stir to coat all the grains. Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes more.

STEP 3:
Add the ingredients from the blender to the rice and stir two more minutes, to incorporate all the aromatics and spices with the rice, well.

STEP 4:
Add the vegetable/chicken stock or water now and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the water is fully absorbed and the rice is fully cooked which may take approximately 15 minutes.

STEP 5:
Turn the heat off and stir in the lime juice making sure it's evenly dispersed.

Serve hot with a zesty fresh SALSA or use as a side with or grills or mild curries.



CHECK LIST :


1) PAR BOILED OR BROWN RICE, 2) FRESH PARSLEY, 3) FRESH CILANTRO, 4) PABLANO PEPPERS, 5) JALAPEÑO, 6) SCALLIONS/GREEN ONIONS, 7) GARLIC, 8) LIME JUICE, 9) OLIVE OIL, 10) VEGETABLE/CHICKEN BROTH/STOCK OR WATER, 11) SALT



Reference : Melanie author of Recipe Zaar

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