INGREDIENTS

  • Long grain or Basmati rice – 1 cup
  • Olive or Canola oil – 1 tablespoon
  • Garlic cloves  (finely chopped)- 6 medium-sized
  • Green bell peppers (diced) –1
  • Onions (finely chopped) – 1 medium size
  • Black beans (drained and rinsed) – 1 cup
  • Fresh  tomatoes (diced) – 1 cup
  • Kosher sea salt – 2 teaspoon
  • Paprika or chili powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Ground cumin – 2 teaspoons
  • Dried oregano – 1 teaspoon
  • Vegetable broth – 2 cups
  • Fresh cilantro (finely chopped) – 2 tablespoon

DIRECTIONS

  1. Soak the long grain rice in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and then rinse the rice with water. Put it in a rice strainer so that the excess water drains off the rice.
  2. In a saucepan, add oil and let it get heated on medium flame. Now, add the onions and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4minutes or until the onion turns a light brown color. Add the paprika or chili powder, cumin powder, and the oregano and mix it well with the onions. Stir it for about 1 to 1 ½ minutes. The rice needs to be stirred continuously so that it gets coated with the oil. Add the bell pepper and the black beans to the pan and mix them well so that it mixes well with the rice. Allow this mixture to cook for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat and do not forget to stir it.
  3. Now add the diced tomatoes. You can also make a puree of the tomatoes in a food processor and add the puree to the rice. Let the tomatoes cook with the rice for 2 minutes. After this, you can add the vegetable stock or water to the rice along with the sea salt. 

  1. Let the water boil and once it does, you can reduce the flame from medium to low. Cover the saucepan with a lid and cook the rice on simmer for about 20 minutes or until the long grain rice is cooked. Remove the rice from the heat and then garnish it with fresh cilantro before serving. 

NOTES

  • There can be additions made to the Mexican rice and beans recipe to enhance its taste. Once the rice is cooked, you can add a cup of shredded cheese and allow it to melt. The rice will have a cheesy flavor.
  • If you are a non-vegetarian, you can add chunks of cooked chicken or red meat to the rice before serving or even add cooked corn kernels (vegetarian) to enhance the taste of the rice.