This is a light WFPB Mexican rice dish with bright citrus flavors.
I use preserved limes to enhance the citrus notes. This is very tart from the tomatillos and lime but mellowed a little by the chilis and cilantro. If you don’t like cilantro, use Mexican Oregano instead.
You can find the recipe for preserved lemons and limes here. Preserved limes take time to make so use fresh lime instead until your preserved limes are ready.
Most Mexican restaurants use meat-based broth to enrich the flavor of their rice. I use a vegetable broth, generally Pacific brand, but I generally make my own from vegetable scraps. If you do not have any broth, substitute with water.
Cilantro Tomatillo Rice
Most Spanish or Mexican rice dishes have chicken or beef stock in them so I avoid them. Still I craved a rice dish to go with my artichoke tacos so I created this dish. It is a bright and light version of Mexican rice! My husband LOVED it!. He liked the rice better than the tacos and beans I made! I had to record it for next time.
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Covered saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Uncooked basmati rice I use Trader Joe's organic Basmati
- 1 Cup Veggie broth I use Pacifica
- 1 Cup Water For rice
- 5 Stems Cilantro
- 1 Serrano Pepper
- 1 Fresno Chili
- 1 Tomatillo
- 2 Slices Preserved Lime
- 1 Tsp Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse rice and place in sauce pan or rice cooker. Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup water and the broth. Stir gently. Cook per instructions. (I generally simmer 5 minutes, bring to a boil, put the lid on and turn off the heat).
- Wash and chop the cilantro (stems and leaves) into a fine chop.
- Remove stems and seeds from the peppers. Keep separated. Dice into a 1/4" dice.
- Rinse and finely chop the preserved lime slices.
- Wash the tomatillo well to remove stickiness. Core the tomatillo and dice into a 1/4" dice.
- Sauté the tomatillo and the serrano pepper for 3-4 minutes. Use lime juice if needed to prevent burning.
- When rice is fully cooked, fluff with a fork and add in the sautéed peppers and tomatillos, cilantro, diced red pepper, garlic and lime juice. Stir to mix the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
This is a Snap Pea Sheep recipe.
You can use the peppers of your choice. I did not sauté the red pepper because I wanted to keep that vibrant color. Sautéing the green pepper mellowed the heat a little. The tomatillo could have been left raw and the flavor would have been a little more acidic.
If Anaheim or poblano peppers are used, they would have to be roasted and skinned. If using them, sauté the tomatillo separately as the peppers are already cooked.
Anaheim and red habanero would be a good combination. Red and green jalapeño's would also be a good choice. If heat is an issue, consider using red and green bell peppers.
Another variation of this rice would be to substitute 1 cup of water with 1 cup of tomato juice when cooking the rice. Enhance with 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika.
