Red Rice, Beef and Beans Burrito

My mom used to call me "rice bucket" when I was a kid. In Chinese, that means a person who like to eat a lot of rice. I could have lots of plain rice with just a little amount of other food. Rice was not a side dish to me, it was my main dish. But, this was no longer true.  Having too much rice in the past made me opt for other type of staple food whenever possible. Until one day, I found out that there were so many other ways to cook different types of rice in other parts of the world. The result is usually extremely flavorful rice with distinguished texture depending on the type of rice you use.  Having rice is not boring anymore. And once again, I become a "rice bucket". 

One of my favorite types of rice is Mexican red rice. I love the tomato flavor with a bit of spiciness from the jalapeno. To make a complete meal and also to please N, I usually make the bean and beef burrito. But at anytime, I can just have the red rice by itself.  

The following recipe is coming from Cook's Illustrated.  I have tried a few red rice recipes.  The amount of tomato and onion is just right in this recipe, not too overwhelmed. As usual, the measurement showing is half of the recipe as this was how much I made. I have also modified the cooking method. This is a straightly stove-top method, in contrast with the oven method in the original recipe. But perfect cooking rice turned out every time! 

Red Rice (Mexican Rice)

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated Magazine, September 2004

Serve 3 to 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

1 1/2        ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered

1/2           medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 1/2        medium jalapeno, minced

1              cup long grain rice

1/6           cup canola oil

2              gloves of garlic, minced

1              cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1/2           Tbsp tomato paste

3/4           tsp salt

1/4           cup minced cilantro leaves

1              lime, cut into wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Process tomatoes and onion in food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds.  Transfer mixture into measuring cup.  There should be around one cup of mixture.  Pour one cup of chicken broth into mixture. Put it aside.
2. Rinse rice through strainer under cold running water for 1 to 2 mins, drains and put it aside.
3. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium-high eat, about 1. When you put 3 to 4 grains of rice in the pan and the grains sizzle, the oil is ready. Add rice and saute, stirring frequently, until rice is translucent and light brown, about 5 to 6 mins.  
4. Reduce heat to medium. add garlic and jalapeno, saute for a min.  
5. Add the tomato mixture, tomato paste and salt.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover the  rice and let it simmer for about 10 mins, until water is mostly absorbed by the rice.
6. Uncover and let it cook under low heat for another 8 mins.
7. Remove from heat, cover and let it stand for 5 mins.
8. Fluff up the rice with a fork, stir in minced cilantro and serve.

The following is a really quick and easy way to make beef with beans to accompany the rice in the burrito.  I am not sure if this is authentic or not, but it certainly taste good.

 

Beef, Bean and Rice Burritos

Adapted from Bon Appetit, found on epicurious.com

Ingredients

1/2      lb lean ground beef

1/2      onion, chopped

2         large cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2   Tbsp ground cummin

3/4      14 oz can black beans or pinto beans, rinsed, drained

1/2      14 oz can beef or chicken broth

1/2      can diced green chilies

2          green onions, chopped

Red rice, see above recipe

Directions:

1. Heat heavy 10" skillet over medium heat.  Add beef and cook until brown, breaking up clumps with wooden spoon, about 4 mins.
2. Add chopped onion and garlic, cook until onion is transparent, stirring frequently, about 3 to 4 mins.
3. Stir in cumin and cook for 1 min.  Add beans, broth and green chilies. Cook until beans are softened, about 10 mins.  Press and crush beans with back of spoon, continue to cook until beans are creamy and thickened, about 5 more mins.  Mix in green onion.
4. Assemble burrito by wrapping in a tortilla with any combination of beans, red rice, cheese, salsa, gucamole and sour cream.

Simple Chili with Kidney Beans

When I first learnt how to make chili on Bebob's request, I always thought that I had accomplished a great deal since this was the first real Mexican food that I made.  But I was wrong, according to Wiki and History and Legends of Chili, Chili Corn Carne, chili is not Mexican food at all.  Although the real origin cannot be known for certain, there is no doubt that it evolved and got popular in Southwestern American, in particular Texas where chili is the official state food.

No matters where it came from, a bowl of rich and lush chili is always a soothing meal. This recipe of simple chili is adapted from the The Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated. It is so simple and easy to make by using stable available in supermarket and yet the flavor it produces is deep and complex.

Recipe: Simple Beef Chili with Kidney Beans

Adapted from The Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:

2    tbsp vegetable or corn oil

2    mediums onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)

1    red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" cubes

6    medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tbsp)

1/4 cup chili powder

1    tbsp ground cumin

2    tsp ground coriander

1    tsp red pepper flakes

1    tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like to increase the heat)

1    lb lean ground beef*

1    lb ground chicken breast*

2    cans (16oz. each) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1    can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice*

1    can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, pureed in blender*

      Salt

* See kitchen notes

Directions:

1. Cook veggies with spices - Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 3 to 4 mins.  Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne. Saute until veggies are softened and started to brown, about 10 mins.
2. Cook meat with veggies - Turn heat to medium high and add chicken to the veggies.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 3 to 4 mins.  Add beef and cook until it is no longer pink, another 3 to 4 mins.  Breaking up large clumps of chicken or beef with wooden spoon during cooking.
3. Add beans, tomatoes, tomatoes pureer and 1/2 tsp salt; bring to boil and then reduce heat to low for simmering, covered and stirred occasionally, for 1 hour.
4. Remove cover and let it continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for another hour or so, until the meat is tender and the chili is slightly thickened. Taste it and adjust seasoning with salt. Serve with lime wedges and other condiments, such as diced avocado, chopped red onion, sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese. 

Kitchen notes:

• Original recipe is made with all beef.  To make it a bit leaner, I substituted half of the beef with chicken.  I have tried the recipe with all extra lean ground beef but the result was unsatisfactorily. With half of the chicken, the rich beefy taste is still there.
• Original recipe is made with 1 can diced tomatoes with all the juice and 1 can tomatoes puree. I do not usually keep tomatoes puree in my pantry, so I made my own with whole tomatoes. Sometimes I use crushed tomatoes.  No matter what you use, just watch out for the amount of liquid.  If it seems to be too runny, just reduce the amount of juice from the diced tomatoes added to the pot.