Hey there Honey's and New-Bees!

Growing up I would beg my mother to buy these cans of Mexican Rice (yes I said cans). I could eat that stuff day-in and day-out, no problem. At one point, during my starving student days, I actually did live off of it, and I still loved it. But as I “grew up” and started being more health conscious and reading food labels, I stopped eating my beloved canned rice (that sounds so weird to say now) since it was filled with additives I still to this day can’t pronounce.

Since I didn’t know how to cook, I simply accepted the fact that I’d never have Mexican fried rice again, and pushed it to the back on my mind for years, but the cravings were always there…

After 8 years I couldn’t hold back any longer; I decided to give it a go and try to recreate my beloved rice now that I was a little more experienced in the kitchen – so I set about to replicate the dish!

It took me a couple of tries, but I got it eventually and it was even better than the canned stuff. It was delicious, fluffy, and made with real food.

Oh yeah and it is super easy to make!

I’m really looking forward to sharing this recipe with you and I really hope you love this delicious comfort food as much as I do 😄!

Heat a large skillet with  olive oil over medium heat. Once your pan has warmed up, add your onions and fry them with a little salt until they are translucent.

It’s really important that you heat your oil before adding other ingredients, otherwise your food will absorb the oil, rather than cook in it, and you’ll end up with a greasy dish. There are a couple of methods you can use to assure that your oil is warm enough to use.

1) Pre-heat your pan for about 1-2 minutes, drop a couple of drops of water onto the hot pan and if the water sizzles, add your oil, swirl it around the pan and your oil is ready immediately (do not use this method if using a non-stick pan as it will give off toxic fumes).

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2) Add oil to the cold pan and warm together. Once the oil glides easily enough to coat the pan (almost like water) add a small piece of food (like a piece of onion) and if it sizzles then you know the oil is ready.

Once your onions are soft and translucent, add your uncooked rice directly into the pan and “dry fry” it for about 3-5 minutes, making sure to stir consistently (otherwise you’ll burn your rice), then add your garlic powder, cumin, and salt.

If you’re used to just boiling your rice on the stove this step might seem odd, but dry-frying your rice changes the starch in your rice making it less sticky and helps absorb flavor.

Once your rice is translucent, add your tomato sauce and warm stock, and mix well; make sure you do not have any rice sticking (and burning) on the bottom. Bring the liquid to a boil then lower the heat, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Check on the rice periodically and once it’s ready fluff it up with a fork, top with some cilantro and serve on the side of a complementary dish like slow-cooker chicken chilli!

Enjoy!