Receta Cilantro and Serrano Rice
I first made this dish of rice with the flavors of cilantro and serrano pepper to take to a friends Mexican themed barbecue many, many years ago. It is unbelievably good; so good that I kept ‘tasting’ it so much that I had to make a second batch for the party…oops! I don’t quite remember a dish that I’ve had as many requests for; it’s that good. Don’t let the seeming innocuousness of the ingredients fail to impress; it is the combination of those perfect ingredients that makes a dish that I can not stop eating. This Cilantro Serrano Rice is absolutely addictive; bet you can’t taste just one bite either!
I’ve included it this week as my contribution to the Food Network’s #SensationalSides that we’re doing for summer dishes. You might notice that everyone else seems to have a cheese component. I might have noticed that this morning when I got my list too. Seems a combination of having a computer down with the schedule on it and my awful bouts of insomnia this week have collided and my brain managed a misstep. I ‘thought’ it was for a dish that could be packed for a picnic so no cheese in sight…oops! But I still love it for the reason I thought it was perfect for the theme I thought we had; there is nothing to spoil and it’s meant to be served at room temperature so this Cilantro and Serrano Rice dish is ideal for a barbecue or picnic.
I first posted this recipe several years ago and I have included the photo from that effort at the bottom of the page. It was one of the last photos taken by an old point and shoot camera and I do cringe a bit when I see it but I also love that photos can be perfect reminders of lots of practice and hard work. I even took a new photo about 4 years ago and that one was wearing on me a bit too. Maybe because I love this dish so much and want a photo that makes it appealing so you will try it too. Seriously one of my favorite dishes.
When my friend’s Sandy and Ansh joined me for dinner last summer I made this rice for us and expected to do a re-shoot. Except we ate too much of it. So another do-over later and finally I’ve got something I can live with (until a couple of years from now right?). I don’t fashion myself as a food photographer by trade but I know that my photography has improved over the years and some of the dishes on this blog deserve better than I first gave them…this one especially.
One word of caution when making this most excellent dish; be very careful when working with the Serrano peppers in this recipe. Serrano peppers have a higher Scoville Heat unit than milder jalapeno chiles so either wear gloves or do what I did…except for removing the inside membrane and seeds with a paring knife I used my mini Cuisinart to finely chop the pepper. They are so strong they it actually hurts when I breathe in the fumes but used in a small quantity they are absolutely necessary for the end result flavor of this dish. Funny thing…it’s not hot at all; they just combine with all the other ingredients and the flavor is an absolute necessity.
The first time I used them without gloves, I must have rubbed my eye several hours later and it still burned. I’ve heard that it’s wise to use extra caution with gloves as well if you think you will be holding an infant as the Capsaicin on your fingers can burn their gentle skin. One trick I’ve learned? Capsaicin is oil soluble…rub your hands with a bit of oil before washing them and it should bind the capsaicin to the oil and wash it away. Ever put a pepper in your mouth that burned too much…try rubbing some butter inside your mouth to do the same thing!
Do try it…it is seriously the BEST Mexican rice dish I’ve ever had. Take my word for it and oh…just to be safe? Double the recipe from the getgo…and then taste away!
But before you go? Do you know about Yummly? It’s a relatively new social media site that let’s you organize the recipes you love. Different from Pinterest in that it’s more than just a photo, it’s a way for you to save recipe with a photo and ingredients and each recipe you Yum is created with nutritional information too. I admit, it’s something new for me too but I’m finding I love using it to save recipes I want to make. Yummly also gives me suggestions for recipes I might love based upon what I have saved to my profile. My profile is here if you want to take a peek. I can Yum my favorites, categorize them to keep my recipe box organized and it’s my favorite way to search for recipes by ingredient…including my own recipes! Plus it’s available on all devices and so easy to use.
On my site and many others, if you want to ‘Yum’ a recipe there are a variety of ways to do that. First things first though? Hop over and start your own recipe box and start saving some YUMS! Many bloggers will have a button on their site so that you can Yum a recipe but the best way for you to be able to include any recipe you see is to get the Yummly Bookmarket for your toolbar; then you can Yum whatever you want.
If you are a food blogger and want to join Yummly, simply visit this page and follow the procedures listed. Once you’ve registered to be a content publisher there are a number of ways to add Yummly to your blog. You can add it directly, via the Yummly recipe plugin, or via social sharing plugins like AddToAny, Shareaholic, or Simple Share buttons.
Go on…try it with this recipe; I promise you, you will want to make it over and over again…Happy Yumming!
Cilantro Serrano Mexican Rice A wonderful and flavorful rice dish perfect for a summer barbecue. Not your typical Mexican rice, this one is filled with flavors of pepper and garlic and cilantro! Ingredients For the Dressing:
1¼ cups (packed) coarsely chopped fresh cilantro ⅔ cup olive oil 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon minced seeded Serrano chile For the Rice:
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large white onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon minced seeded Serrano chile 2 cups long-grain white rice 3¼ cups chicken broth ¾ teaspoon salt Preparation To Make the Dressing:
Place all dressing ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth. To Prepare the Dish:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and Serrano and sauté until the onion is translucent, 7-9 minutes. Add rice and stir 2 minutes. Mix in broth and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is just tender and broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer rice to bowl; cool to barely lukewarm, stirring occasionally, about 1½ hours. Add Cilantro Dressing to rice and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature.) Notes When I originally made this dish I used a cup of olive oil but too often that has meant having some oil at the bottom of the serving bowl so I've cut it down...if you feel your dish could use a bit more, drizzle it as needed after adding the dressing. #version#
Make sure you take a peek at the wonderful dishes from my blogging friend. Um, all with cheese. :)
I’ve come a long way baby! (I hope you agree!). If you’ve gotten this far, I’ve got a laugh for you. I started this blog as a place to transfer a thousand recipes from my first food website that I started in 1995. I had never bothered with photos for that site so it was a new skill set certainly. I started with an Olympus Digital Point and Shoot camera that I had purchased a dozen years ago before a trip to Boston and I knew nothing. I still have a long way to go but I thought you might enjoy a laugh at my expense; here is my image from years ago when I first posted this recipe. Seriously, stop laughing!! :)