Mexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde)

Recipe by Cook's Hideout

Here I am for another edition of Blogging marathon (BM# 19). This time I signed up for all 4 weeks since the themes were very interesting, thanks to our brilliant organizer Valli for that. It has been really busy past few weeks -- too much work at office and home. With my husband travelling continuously for the past 2-3 weeks, once I get home, I can't even find time to turn on the computer. But things are looking up and hopefully this madness will end pretty soon. The theme I chose for the first week is "Cooking with Greens" and...

Ingredients

• 1 cup Rice (Long grain (I used Jasmine ))
• 2 big handfuls Arugula ((about 2 cups) Baby)
• 1 big handful Spinach ((about 1 cup) Baby)
• 1 handful cilantro ((about 1 cup))
• 1 onion (- medium, finely chopped)
• 1 pepper (Green - medium, coarsely chopped)
• 1 jalapeno (- chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (- minced)
• ½ tsp red pepper (flakes)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• to taste Salt

Method

1. Heat 2tsp oil in a medium saucepan; add the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. In the meantime wash and drain the rice and keep aside.
3. Grind the greens along with green pepper and jalapeno into a smooth paste.
4. Once the onions are cooked through, add the rice and cook on medium-high flame, stirring frequently until rice is toasty and slightly browned.
5. Next add the ground green paste and ¾cup of water. Cook until most of the water evaporates, about 5-6 minutes.
6. Next add 1¾ cups of water, lime juice and salt; bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low; cover and cook until all the water is absorbed and the grains are cooked through, about 12-15 minutes. (I use 1:2 rice:water measurement when cooking Jasmine rice -- adjust the water accordingly if using any other kind of rice).
7. Turn off the heat and set aside for at least 10 minutes before digging in.

View the recipe instructions at Cook's Hideout