A simple but effective vegetarian side dish that will add pizzaz to any Mexican feast. Mexican brown rice is the same as Mexican rice, but made with the wholegrain rather than white. It produces a lovely fluffy rice that's not only tasty, but healthy too. It takes a while to cook, but hands on time is minimal. This leaves you free to get on with other elements of the meal.
1green jalapeño chilliseeds removed if you don't want any heat
280glong grain brown rice(I used basmati)
¾tspground cumin
¾tspsea saltor to taste
⅛tspfreshly ground black pepper
400gtinned chopped tomatoes
100gsweetcornfrozen, fresh or tinned
750glight veg stockor water
2tbspcoriander leaves (cilantro)chopped
Instructions
Wash and drain the rice through a sieve.
Heat the oil in a large lidded saucepan or a casserole dish suitable for cooking on the hob.
Fry the onions for a couple of minutes over a medium heat.
Add the pepper and fry for a further two minutes.
Add the jalapeño and garlic and fry for a further minute. Then add the sweetcorn and fry for another minute.
Add the rice and stir-fry for two minutes.
Add the cumin, salt, pepper, tomatoes, sweetcorn and stock or water. Clamp the lid on, bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and cook at a bare simmer for twenty five minutes.
Turn the heat off, leave the lid on and allow to steam for a further five minutes.
Fluff up with a fork and serve with the coriander scattered over the top.
Notes
Serves six as a side and four as a main.Crumble Mexican or feta cheese over the top if liked. Or fried crumbled tempeh is good for a vegan alternative.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used.