Friday, February 6, 2009

Side Dish Stagnation? Spicy Tomato Rice to the Rescue!

This short and fascinating video recipe for spicy tomato rice will hopefully add a very nice, all-purpose side dish to your repertoire. Believe it or not, Chefs have a much tougher time coming up with starchy side dishes for meals than they do with the main items. Is this an issue for you as well?

This is probably due to the fact that new recipes for main courses seem almost infi
nite. At last count there were 2,769,241 ways to cook a chicken. By the way, while I typed that last sentence, 793 new ways to cook chicken were just invented.

Side dishes are another story. I do about five or six variations on mashed potatoes and that's it. Seems you can only do so many things to make it interesting before you run out of ideas. Kind of like Survivor. So, don't underestimate the importance of adding a new side dish to your arsenal.

This Spanish rice-inspired spicy tomato rice recipe is super easy to make, and is always a crowd-pleaser. When was the last time you had Spanish rice? The last time you went to Spain? That time you went to that Mexican place for that thing with those guys? If you can't recall, then it's time to watch this video and get busy. Enjoy!




Ingredients:
1 tbsp of
butter
2 cups of white, long-grain rice
1/3 cup diced jalapenos
1/3 cup diced green onions
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp chili powder or paprika
1/2 tsp chipotle and/or cayenne
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup of tomato sauce


Do you have a rice cooking phobia? You're not alone! You may want to watch my How to Make Perfect White Rice video recipe.




* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

55 comments:

Unknown said...

OMG!Looooooooooooooooooooooooove it! and I cant believe it is so simple and easy! You are definitely the "Chef King".

Anonymous said...

Perfect. I really love rice and this looks like a winner! So how much chili powder did you put in?

Speaking of side dishes, do you consider mac 'n cheese a side dish? If so, what do you think would be a good main dish to go with It.

Thanks,
Jackie

Anonymous said...

lol, el lumpo...

we usually say "amogollao" in PR anyways. and ends up as a mashed potato kinda thing...

very... unorthodox rice... lol good thing I'm not religious about it :P

Chef John said...

opps I just fixed it. It's chile powder or paprika.

MC goes with ANY meat, any meat.

Anonymous said...

I am the opposite--I can always find starchy sides variations but I am lousy at the entree meats. Least I was til I found Chef John!

Unknown said...

Side dishes aside, I like Mac n' Cheese as a main course - no meat necessary!

The side dish of rice you have here looks wonderful!

Stephanie said...

lol, el lumpo huh?

Spanish rice has always been a nemesis of mine. But I think it's because I can't figure out what to do different when I sub the white rice for brown rice (I can't handle the sugar in white rice).

Any tips? I thought all rice was 2:1
:/

Chef John said...

No, in fact most white rice is 1 1/2 to 1. Most people sue to much water.
This should work with brown, you just need to cook longer, and maybe add another 1/4 cup of water.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this

-Guy that commented you about this video =)

Luatica said...

Nice reflexion on side dishes.

My cook wannabe experience has tought me that usually my guinea pigs prefer it whn the side dish and the main dish contrast each others. Something soft with something more flavoured up.

Im guessing that since most of main dishes are the focus of flavor, the tendency is to go for the same things (white rice, mash and stuff).

Im guessing that rice I would have it with something on the soft side, chickin or eggs, but well that's me. I guess i get overwhelmed flavourwise easily.

But yeah, a nice sice dish is very important.

The rice looks nice, i'll try it when i have a flat where I can actually cook (hopefully n two months)

And you'd think in France people would love to cook, and this is country with the most crappy kitchens in an average apartment I have ever seen.

Anonymous said...

I made this rice last night and it was amazing. I didnt have the chili powder so i just put both cayenne and chipotle spice in.

Thanks for this great recipe, i will be making this again. My mother in law though I made this from a box because she couldnt believe i could make rice this good!!!

Chef John said...

Wow! as good as a box? That's high praise! ;-)

Anonymous said...

Seems a great sidedish although not very spanish really. Here in spain we rarely use jalapeños or chile chipotle(if not preparing latinamerican food). In fact I'm sure that we would use ñoras (a dry tipe of pepper)instead. However, looks tasty and will try to make it one day soon. :)

Chef John said...

no, it's not spanish, its a mexican dish, but that's the name here.

Anonymous said...

hmm... only 2 3/4 cups liquid for 2 cups dry rice? is that a typo?

Chef John said...

no typo. Don't forget about the moisture from the veggies. Also 1 cup rice uses 1 1/2 cup liquid, so this is inline. Also, as you cook more rice, you need less water. Almost all rice recipes call for too much liquid, and that's why people get glue.

Anonymous said...

Just a question? Did you use basmati rice in this recipe.I love that type now that I have used you recipe for the perfect rice.

Chef John said...

no, but you can, it just cooks a bit faster.

uday said...

hey chef! i've been your fan since i discovered your website four months ago, and i already tried some of your recipes, and all of them are great,

this particular recipe is excellent, my husband really loves it and it he said i have to cook it at least once a week, thanks a bunch! =)

Chef John said...

thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hola Chef John. Does time or temperature settings change if cooking long grain rice in a Le Creuset enameled cast iron pot (instead of stainless steel)?
Me encanta tu pagina web.

Chef John said...

same time temp

PukaDog said...

Good News/Bad News

Bad news first: Your spicy Tomato Rice video isn't currently working.

Good news: I tried your Tuna Casserole recipe. It was a big hit. Many others asking for recipe. More Food Wishes Fans coming your way soon, I'm sure!

Chef John said...

thanks, fixed

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Could you tell me what you mean by tomato sauce in this? do you mean tomato ketchup type sauce or something like a pasta sauce?

Thanks

Chef John said...

pasta sauce

Samuel Prieto said...

chef John, my grandfather used to make a fabada soup/stew. i have looked at many recipes and i want your honest opinion on how to make a good one. Could you please do a vid on how to make fabada?

Anonymous said...

Can you tell me if you wash the rice before you cook it

Chef John said...

i didnt

Gaby said...

this looks really good! i've only made rice once and it didnt turn out good at all..what i like about this recipe is that i almost have all the ingredients except for the chicken broth..on my way to wal-mart then cooking time is on! =]

Anonymous said...

Chef John, why do some people insist on rinsing the rice first?

Anonymous said...

Chef John, Do you think the rice will still turn out good if I add diced tomatoes while the rice is cooking?

Anonymous said...

Nice and easy dish.
What's up with the music? :P after it stopped suddenly I was waiting for the 'RENATO!'

Anonymous said...

Made this tonight. Goes really well with tri-tip or as part of a fajita burrito. I made three cups of rice and used 3 cups broth, 1/2 to 3/4 cup water, a full can of tomato sauce, and added some extra butter. I kept all other ingredients the same. My rice definitely had a redder look to it but it still came out excellent. I was curious when reading the recipe why such little liquid and then realized their is water in the tomato sauce and vegetables. The time measurements for cooking the rice were spot on.

Anonymous said...

I made this tonight, but for some reason was left with under cooked rice..

Anonymous said...

if you want to add chicken in this rice, how would you cook the chicken?

Anonymous said...

CAN YOU MAKE RICE LIKE THIS IN A RICE COOKER?

Chef John said...

Not sure!

Anonymous said...

I will be cooking this for my family tonight! I'll be pairing it with baked chicken I marinated in salsa verde, which we LOVE!

Anonymous said...

Chef john,
I am puerto rican so I grew up with "spanish" rice knowing how to cook it and what not...
my grandmothers always taught me to wash your rice to rise out all the excess starch and to pic out all the little pebbles and black bits.

When you cook rice the water get absorbed into the rice and it is left with all the starch.
It is not like pasta where the starchy cooking liquid gets drained.

Anonymous said...

What kind of chili powder? The blended kind used for chili? Whenever I see a recipe that calls for chili powder without specifying the kind,I shy away from it. I've made too many recipes that came out off-tasting because I used a blend when it should have been just a ground up whatever specific kind of chili (chile?), or vice-versa. Same thing with fresh chiles (chilis?). When something calls simply for "chile," what does that mean? Is there any consistency in the use of these terms in recipes?

Chef John said...

for me it means ground ancho, but any ground chili works for this!

Anonymous said...

What´s the deal on washing the rice first? There were 2 questions in the comments, but no answer, could you please give us your opinion on that? Thank you,
Petra

Chef John said...

I don't wash rice, unless for some specific dish like sushi or something like that.

Carole said...

Hi!

I was looking for a recipe for coconut rice and remember this tasty side dish and its nice mix of spices... Do you think I could replace the stock+tomato sauce with coconut milk?

Delicious Patterns said...

Hi Chef John. I must say, I am a big fan of your videos. I tried making this dish and it was a hit at dinner time. However, there was a good amount of rice that burned and stuck to the bottom of the pot. The rice settled and it burned. Any advice? Or is it my pan's fault? LOL!

thanks Chef John! more power!

Chef John said...

Yes, probably a too thin pot.

Louis C. said...

Would this work in a rice cooker? Love your blog, recipes, and videos.

Thanks, Louis

Chicau said...

Worked wonderfully again tonight! Thank you!

Unknown said...

Chef John, I'm trying to make this recipe for seven hungry guys at my station for tomorrow's dinner. Any advice on scaling the ingredients to make enough? Thanks!

Chef John said...

Just double it! You should have enough! Enjoy!

Unknown said...

Hi, I am a vegetarian who would love to try this recipe. What would you recommend to substitute for the chicken stock? Thanks in advance! (:

Unknown said...

I made this tonight, YUM! I've tried about 6 of your recipes so far, they are ALL great. I'm giving some of the rice to my parents, I just know she's going to want to make it too, so easy!!
I'm thinking I'll try your turkey cocktail meatballs with orange cranberry sauce next.

Unknown said...

I made this tonight, YUM! I'm made about 6 of your recipes, they're all great! I'm giving some of the rice to my parents, just know my mom will want to make it too, so easy!
I"m going to try your turkey cocktail meatballs next!

Terry M. said...

100 bucks says Chef John would never respond to a pointless comment on a 10 year old video.