Arroz Verde
Submitted by artemis13
Mexican green rice made with parsley, cilantro, poblano peppers, and chicken broth. Fragrant, herbaceous, and the ideal side for any Latin meal.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minArroz Verde is Mexico’s answer to the question: how do you make plain rice unforgettable?
Long-grain rice gets soaked, drained, and fried until each grain is coated in oil. Strips of charred poblano pepper and onion join in, then a vibrant puree of parsley, cilantro, garlic, and epazote blended with chicken broth pours over everything.
The rice absorbs that emerald-green liquid, turning intensely herbaceous and fragrant. Once the broth is gone and air holes appear on the surface, cover it with a towel and lid, let it rest, and watch those grains puff up into fluffy, flavor-packed bites.
Chef Tips
- Soaking the rice in hot water for 10 minutes removes excess starch for fluffier results
- Char the poblanos well. That smoky flavor is what makes this rice sing
- Don’t lift the lid during the final resting period. The steam is doing important work
- Turn the rice from the bottom before serving. All the best flavor settles there
Ingredients
Directions
Put the rice into a bowl and pour very hot water over to cover; stir and set aside for 10 minutes. Drain in a strainer and rinse in cold water; drain again and set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy pan, stir the rice into it, and fry over fairly high heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and chile strips and continue frying for 4 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Meanwhile, put 1 cup of the broth into a blender jar; add the garlic, parsley, and epazote and blend until smooth. Add this to the frying rice and continue frying and reducing the purée over quite high heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the rice is dry. Stir in the rest of the broth, add salt to taste, and cook over fairly high heat, uncovered, until the liquid has been absorbed and there are air holes in the rice.
Cover with a towel and lid and continue cooking over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, still covered, in a warm place for the rice to swell up. Before serving, turn the rice over with a fork from the bottom where a lot of the flavor and oil will have settled.
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