Flavored broth:
2 cups water or chicken broth (480ml)
1 tomato, seeded
1–2 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
Rice:
2 tbsp. vegetable oil (30ml)
½ small white onion, chopped
1 cup white rice (185g)
Your choice of flavorings (add one or all of the following)
Pinch of ground cumin
Pinch of black pepper
½ cup frozen carrots and peas (55g)
½ fresh bell pepper, sliced
In the container of a blender, combine the water or chicken broth, tomato, garlic and salt. Puree until smooth.
Heat the olive oil in a 3 qt. lidded skillet or sauté pan. Add the chopped onion and saute until translucent over medium heat, about 1 minute. Add the rice and toast until opaque, about 1 minute. Carefully pour in the tomato puree (pan should be quite steamy.) Add any flavoring of your choice as listed above. Stir to distribute the seasonings and flavorings.
Once the mixture returns to a slight simmer, cover with the lid of the pan. Simmer over low heat for 25 minutes. Do not remove the lid while the rice is simmering.
Once the cooking time is complete, remove the lid and fluff the rice before serving.
This recipe is scalable for more servings using a ratio of 1 part rice to 2 parts water or chicken broth. For 1 ½ cups rice (277g) use 3 cups water or chicken broth (720ml). For 2 cups rice (370g), use 4 cups water or chicken broth(1lt). The remaining ingredients can be increased as well, although what is critical to the success of the rice is the liquid to rice ratio.
Vegetable oil can be corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil or olive oil.