Arroz Rojo (Colombian Red Rice)

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Tomatoes blended with broth and poured over rice that has been toasted in oil with onion. The colour comes from the tomato rather than from any colouring. Half an hour.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Colombian

Keyword: Mexican red rice, red rice

Servings:

Calories: 428kcal

Author: Angela Giraldo

Ingredients

1 ½ cups rice
3 ripe tomatoes
1 onion a quarter goes in the blender, the rest is chopped
2 cups chicken broth or water blended with the tomatoes
Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika to taste, for colour on top

Instructions

In a blender, put the 3 ripe tomatoes with the chicken broth or water, a quarter of the onion, salt and pepper. Blend and set aside. You should have about 3 cups of liquid.
Heat the oil in a pot and add the rest of the onion, finely chopped. Sauté for a few minutes until it is soft.
Add the rice and stir it constantly through the oil until every grain is coated and turns from chalky white to slightly translucent.
After a few minutes, pour in the blended mixture and bring it to a boil.
When the liquid has fallen to the level of the rice and craters appear on the surface, turn the heat low and cover the pot.
Let it cook for about 20 minutes more.
Take it off the heat and let it rest a few minutes before serving.

Notes

The tomatoes are part of the liquid, not an extra. That is the point people miss and it is why this rice used to come out heavy. Three ripe tomatoes blended give about a cup of purée, so they and the broth together have to add up to the three cups that a cup and a half of rice needs. Measure what comes out of the blender if you are unsure. Different tomatoes give different amounts, and it is easier to top up with a splash of broth than to rescue a wet pot. Toasting the rice in oil first is what keeps the grains separate. The Spanish for it is nacarar, to pearl, because the grain turns from chalky to translucent as it happens. Cover the pot when the liquid falls to the level of the rice, with craters on the surface, and not when the pot is dry: by then the bottom has begun to stick. The paprika goes on at the end, over the served rice, for colour rather than flavour.

Nutrition