Vegan Mexican rice is a colorful dish prepared to the delight of many palates. It is a very tasty preparation that serves as a garnish to accompany any main dish in a quick meal weeknights.
And if you’re a fan of rice, you can’t miss the information about vegan Mexican-style meals presented in this post. You will also find some facts about this dish, how to prepare it, the benefits and a typical recipe.
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Some interesting facts about this dish
Experts coincide that this dish is invigorating, since it provides energy to your body in view of the combination of vegetables used.
This Mexican rice can be prepared with the grains of fragrant or basmati rice (or any variety in fact). This type of rice absorbs the seasoning of vegetables and spices or of vegetable broth, providing them with a fantastic flavor.
On the other hand, some connoisseurs of gastronomy warn that the only difficulty in making this complete dish is that you have to avoid putting too much liquid for cooking, at the risk of ending up with a soup and a dish that will have lost all its texture and flavors. So it’s better to use less broth after having browned the vegetables and added the rice in the stew-pot, while remaining concentrated on the cooking. This way you can add more broth as soon as needed, since you don’t want it to burn either.
However, if you want to give your rice a boost, a few aromatic herbs can be added just before serving, or a freshly sliced avocado.
How to prepare a vegan Mexican rice
For the preparation of such a succulent dish you require ingredients you always have at home or, if not, you can easily find them in any grocery store. These ingredients are: rice, water, medium tomatoes, onion, garlic clove, peas, oil, salt.
- To start the cooking, tomatoes must be chopped together with the half onion, the garlic clove and 4 cups of water. Blend everything together and set aside. Then, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and add the 2 cups of rice.
- Stir with a wooden spoon for a few minutes to brown the rice in the oil. When the rice is browned, add the whipped mixture of tomato, onion, garlic and water that we have prepared before. Stir and add 2 tablespoons of salt and the cup of peas.
- When it boils for the first time, turn it over and lower the heat a little. Cover it so that the steam makes the rice uniformly. Before the water is consumed it is advisable to adjust the point of salt.
- Check with a spoon, making a hole, if there is water in the bottom. When it is verified there is no more liquid and the rice is done, turn off the fire and it is ready to serve.
Benefits of consuming Mexican rice
There are several benefits you get when you eat Mexican rice as a side dish in your regular diet. Some of these benefits are:
Helps lose weight
In view of the presence of fiber, the feeling of satiety is increased, so you will get satisfied eating the exact amount of food your body really requires.
On the other hand, in many versions of the Mexican rice jalapeño is added to get a spicy flavor. It is known that this ingredient concentrates capsaicin, a substance that can increase metabolism and stimulate lipid oxidation and mobilization.
Improves intestinal transit
Mexican rice can be excellent for improving transit and preventing constipation. This is due to:
- The presence of fiber in rice, which is important to achieve a faster descent of the bolus through the digestive tract.
- The action of capsaicin which causes some slight irritation at the intestinal level after ingestion. This is not negative, but rather the opposite. From this point on, the peristaltic contractions become stronger.
A good supply of antioxidants
The vegetable ingredients of the vegan Mexican rice are characterized for concentrating vitamins and phytonutrients with antioxidant capacity.
As known, the regular consumption of antioxidants is determinant to reduce the incidence of many chronic and complex pathologies. Among them we could mention cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.
Provides enough proteins
This is a dish high in protein, as well as fiber required for the proper performance of most body functions.
Recipe
You can check the link for more detailed info about how to cook mexican rice. There you will find complete directions to cook a recipe for you to try this delightful dish. Some other important facts about this meal are also given.
Although the recipe in this link it is not vegan, it is a healthy homemade Mexican rice recipe quick to make for when you need a delicious side dish to accompany your meals.