"How to Prepare Arroz con Tomate, Chile y Cebolla: A Delicious Twist on Classic Rice Dishes

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Up until I was fourteen or fifteen years old, I had no idea people ate plain white rice. Our plain white rice was made with tomato, green bell pepper and onion, and our rice only went up from there. The women in my family are elaborate with their rice so growing up plain white rice was not something offered on the menu. There is an arroz frito (fried rice) for every occasion, for a cookout we had arroz with zanahoria and cilantro (rice with carrot and cilantro). When my Mamatita (my dad’s mom) would visit, we would impatiently wait for her arroz con salchicha y papa (rice with sausage and potatoes). If my mom wasn’t too tired she’d make it with vegetables like corn, green beans and peas. But for our every day meals, the “basic” rice would do.

I clearly remember the era when my mom decided that plain white rice was “the” thing to make, I would complain so much, “Why do you mak that rice, it has no flavor.” I remember that sometimes she would make two small batches, one for her and the other for my dad and I. And this is how plain white rice was introduced to my pallet. And I must admit that as an adult that’s my go to but whenever I have a pep in my step and I make rice with “tomate, chile verde y cebolla,” I fall in love all over again with the simplicity of the flavor.

How to make arroz con tomate, chile y cebolla?

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of rice

• 1 Roma tomato

• 1/3 green bell pepper

• 1/4 white onion

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 tbsp preferred oil

• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon

• Salt to taste

• 2 1/2 cups warm water

Kitchen tools:

• Sauce or sauté pan with lid

• Spatula

• Knife

• Cutting board

Instructions:

1. Wash and dice the vegetables into a medium dice

2. Wash and strain the rice

3. Place the sauce pan on medium heat, once it’s hot add the oil

4. Add the vegetables and let them sauté for about 2 minutes

5. Add the rice and let it sautee with the vegetables for about 2 minutes. Stir as necessary to make sure it does not burn.

6. Add the warm water, chicken bouillon and salt to taste. I usually check the salt level by tasting the water mixture, you want it to be slightly salty because the rice will absorb that.

7. Once the rice comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and cover. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes or your desired texture.

8. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit covered for another 5 minutes. Do not stir until you’re ready to serve.

This is a simple and everyday recipe, please adjust to your liking! For more recipes and videos follow @flourishwithg on Instagram and TikTok.