Arroz Verde

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Rice toasted in oil with onion and garlic, then cooked in broth blended with spinach and cilantro, which is where the colour comes from. A side dish rather than a meal. Half an hour, serves three.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Colombian

Keyword: green rice

Servings:

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Angela Giraldo

Ingredients

½ pound rice about 1¼ cups
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth water works too
½ cup spinach leaves only, packed
½ cup parsley or cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
1 garlic clove
1 onion
Oil

Instructions

In the blender, put the broth with the spinach leaves, the parsley or cilantro, salt and pepper, and blend until it is completely smooth and evenly green. Set it aside.
In a pot, heat the oil with the finely chopped onion and garlic, soften them, then add the rice. Stir often so it does not catch: the grains should turn from chalky to slightly translucent.
After a few minutes, pour in the blended liquid. You can use it as it is or strain it, which gives a paler colour and a cleaner texture.
Bring it to the boil and, when the liquid at the surface has gone, cover the pot and turn the heat down low.
Leave it for another 15 to 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
Turn off the heat and let it stand a few minutes before fluffing it with a fork.

Notes

The colour fades with heat. Green rice comes out of the pot bright and dulls as it sits, which is why it is worth serving straight away rather than keeping it warm for half an hour.

Blending the greens into cold broth rather than adding them to the hot pot is what keeps the colour at all. Spinach and cilantro dropped into boiling liquid go grey in under a minute.

Two cups of liquid to half a pound of rice is a normal ratio. If the pot dries before the grain is done, add a quarter cup of hot water and cover it again, but do not stir it.

Nutrition