The Best Mexican-Style Orange Rice | Easy & Delicious 30 Minute Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is Mexican restaurant rice orange? ›

Did you ever wonder why Mexican rice is a red-orange color? Cumin is the answer. It provides that nutty and spicy taste and is the famous culprit for the red-orange color. Cumin is always an ingredient in this rice.

Why does Mexican restaurant rice taste better? The method used to make Mexican rice involves lightly frying the uncooked rice in oil which helps it absorb more flavor from the seasoning and cook to a perfect consistency. In addition, a traditional blend of spices and diced vegetables and potatoes create unique flavor.

This incredible citrus rice is flooded with orange juice, flecked with celery and carrots, and boosted with a packet of French onion dip mix. It's beautiful, delicious, and if you're in a rice or grain rut, it's just the thing to get you out of it.

One of the main differences between these two rice dishes is that Mexican rice is fluffier and tends not to stick together. Whilst Spanish Rice is known for that rich yellow color, Mexican Rice is best known for its reddish orange hue that it gets from being cooked with cumin.

Mexican Spices List. Achiote – This seed imparts a brilliant orange color and mildly earthy flavor. It is used in sauces and marinades, and as a natural food coloring.

The traditional rice served in Mexican restaurants is typically made with long-grain white rice cooked with onions, garlic, tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes, and sometimes flavored with broth or spices like cumin and chili powder.

Put a little fat in before cooking - 1 tablespoon of butter or oil per 1 cup of rice. Add some flavor. Put a bay leaf in with the rice while it's cooking or use some bouillon. Everyone on here is saying chicken, but I like to use a little Vegetable Better than Bouillon.

It does a couple of things. First and foremost, it adds a toasty, nutty flavor. It also causes the rice to release slightly less starch while cooking, which does affect the final outcome at least minimally.

Mushy or soggy rice is simply overcooked rice that has absorbed too much water. Water over-absorption causes the rice grains to split open, ruining the texture and creating a starchy, gummy result.

"There are differing opinions [on this topic], but I recommend rinsing all rice before cooking," says Slem. This applies to all rice varieties and sizes, including short-grain, medium-grain, and long-grain rice.

Where did orange rice originate? ›

This orange-hued aromatic rice is known in northern Mexico (and by Mexican American families, affectionately) as arroz or arroz rojo. For Mexican Americans, arroz is perhaps the most beloved side dish.

Spanish rice is a healthy low-fat dish. The vegetables contribute no fat, and 1 cup of long grain white rice has just 0.4 g of total fat and no cholesterol. You'll also gain about 1.4 g of dietary fiber and 231 calories.

But since adding the broth, tomato, onion, and garlic is the Mexican way to add flavor to rice, calling the dish "Mexican rice" indicates rice that is made in the Mexican style. However, in Mexico, it isn't referred to as Spanish or Mexican rice at all but simply arroz (rice) or arroz rojo (red rice).

The big picture: Mexican rice is one of the healthier ways to eat rice. Cooking rice with vegetables and olive oil adds extra vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to your rice.

Mexican rice's vibrant color comes from tomato puree, either homemade or store-bought. It should not be confused with tomato paste, another common condiment used to flavor and color food.

Red Mexican rice made in a terracotta Pot the traditional way. The color comes from the ingredientes like tomatoes and from the spices so you could rather say the color comes from the flavor.

Either turmeric or saffron can be used to make rice yellow. Turmeric offers a brighter and more flavorful result. Some people also like using annato but that makes the rice more orange or even red instead of yellow.

However, in southern Mexico, ​plain white rice is more common. But since adding the broth, tomato, onion, and garlic is the Mexican way to add flavor to rice, calling the dish "Mexican rice" indicates rice that is made in the Mexican style.