The Survival Mom’s Macho Mexican Rice

I don’t post recipes very often, but I came across this in the ancient, dusty archives and decided to refresh it a little and share it again. It’s the perfect rice and beans recipe.

This is a terrific homemade Mexican rice dish that I’ve been making for years. A friend of mine who lived in Korea for a few years told me that a Mexican neighbor there taught her this recipe, and it was passed on to me. Now I’m passing it on to you!

One of the first steps is to roast the rice in a bit of oil, and I think that’s what makes taste especially good. If you’ve never toasted rice before, start with the heat set on Medium, heat the oil first, add the rice, and then stir every so often. When most of the rice has browned, it’s ready to add the other ingredients.

I usually make this in a large covered skillet, but you could also use a Dutch oven, either indoors or outdoors over a campfire. The beauty of this recipe is that, first, it’s authentic, and second, it can be made using whatever ingredients you have on hand and seasoned just the way you prefer, and third, it’s very, very forgiving. If you are missing an ingredient, other than rice!, it’s still tasty. If you want to substitute one ingredient for another, no problem. You will still love the final result.

The ingredients are very basic and are probably all in your pantry right now. A typical food storage pantry will have most all the ingredients. As if that weren’t reason enough to make a batch tonight, it’s quick and can be used as a side dish or a filling for burritos. If your gang is particularly hungry and you need the quickest possible meal, add chopped up chicken, beef or pork to the rice while it simmers. Warm a few flour tortillas, and now you have a main dish. Ole!

Survival Mom’s Macho Mexican Rice

2 cups white rice or 2 cups Super Rice mixture

3 T. olive oil

3 c. water or chicken broth

2 T. tomato paste, or more if you prefer

2 cloves of garlic, pressed

1/2 t. salt or more, to taste

Customize to your own preferences by adding any or all of the following during the simmering time:

1/2 – 1 tsp. cumin

1 t. chile powder

canned green chilies

1/2 c. frozen or canned corn

1/2 cup of salsa or chopped canned tomatoes

chopped onion

sliced black olives

chopped cilantro, fresh or dried

In a 10″ skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the rice and mix until slightly browned. Be careful to not burn the rice.

Add the water or chicken broth, tomato paste, salt, and garlic. Stir until the tomato paste is dissolved, then add any or all of the additional ingredients. Bring mixture to a simmer and cover with a well-fitting lid. Continue cooking for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked but not mushy. Serve piping hot.

Optional:  Top your finished rice with sour cream or grated cheddar cheese.

This is one of the food storage friendly recipes you’ll find in my book, Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family For Everyday Emergencies and Worst Case Scenarios. 

Rice is also a great budget-stretcher. There are lots of ideas in this article to help you do that. It was also the main ingredient in the creation of a mini food cache. Read more here about what those are and how to make them.