Arroz Rojo
Toasted long-grain rice simmered in fresh tomato sauce — the everyday red rice from Canela Cafe in Boca del Río, Veracruz, where toasting the grains is what keeps them fluffy, never mushy.
The 10-minute rest off the heat is non-negotiable — it is what finishes the cooking.
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce — makes about 200g, you will use 120g
- 220gfresh ripe tomatoes (Roma or vine, whole)
- 45gwhite onion, roughly chopped
- 1 clovegarlic, peeled
- 1 tspsalt
- to tastefresh chile, sliced (optional, for warmth)
For the rice
- 200gTilda Easy Cook Long Grain rice, washed and drained
- 30gsunflower oil (about 2 tbsp)
- 1 clovegarlic, peeled and left whole
- 120gfresh tomato sauce (from above)
- 220ghot vegetable stock
- 1bay leaf
- 1 tspsalt (adjust to your stock’s saltiness)
- handfulfresh flat-leaf coriander or parsley, chopped
Method
- Wash the rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Drain well and let it air-dry for a few minutes while you prep everything else.
- Make the sauce: simmer the tomatoes with a pinch of salt (and a slice of fresh chile if you like a little warmth) until the skins split and the flesh softens, about 8 minutes. Drain off the water, then blend the tomatoes with the onion, garlic, and salt until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium. Add the whole peeled garlic clove to the hot oil and fry until it turns slightly brown, infusing the oil with its flavour. Remove the garlic clove with a slotted spoon and discard.
- Toast the rice: tip the drained rice into the garlic-infused oil. Toast it, stirring often, until the grains turn pale golden and start to smell nutty — about 3 to 4 minutes. This is the step that decides the texture of the final dish.
- Pour in 120g of the tomato sauce. Stir to coat every grain, then let it sizzle and reduce for a minute.
- Add the hot vegetable stock, the bay leaf, and the salt. Stir once and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover with a tight lid, drop the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid — no peeking.
- Rest, then fluff: take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for another 10 minutes. This rest is non-negotiable. Remove the bay leaf, fluff the rice with a fork, scatter chopped parsley over the top, and serve.