Mom's Mexican Rice

Super simple Mexican rice that goes with anything from shredded beef burritos to saucy chicken tacos, and anything in between. Sometimes I just melt some shredded cheese on top and eat it on its own!

Your ingredients:
10.5 once can of tomatoes with green chiles
10.5 once can of condensed chicken broth
1 cup white rice
1 cup water
Garlic salt
Ground cumin
Vegetable oil

In a 10 inch skillet heat a bit of vegetable oil over medium heat. Pick through your rice and add to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is golden brown.

Add to the pan the broth, tomato/green chile, and a cup of water. 

Sprinkle garlic salt over the top (I don't have a real measurement for the garlic salt, we just sprinkle until we think we've sprinkled over the whole thing.) The next ingredient is the ground cumin.  If you want it more mild, use a 1/2 tsp. More spicy, 1 tsp. I usually go for somewhere in the middle. 

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. 

Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Please note that it is not a great idea to use a cast iron skillet for this recipe, it will cause your rice to taste like a cast iron skillet. I learned it the hard way while making the batch for this post.

Keema Mattar Recipe

Like Indian food? This might be just what you need in your life! Keema means minced or ground meat (typically lamb or mutton, but can also refer to beef) and mattar means green peas. So, this is a meat dish with peas. Combined with a tomato gravy and easy to make mix of spices, it is perfect! Now, please note that this recipe is likely far from authentic, as I tweaked, adjusted and simplified it all throughout my high school career. We lived in a very small town where access to the ingredients to make exotic dishes was extremely limited. Still, it is quite tasty, easy, and cheap to make.

Recipe:

1 lb ground beef or lamb

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tomatoes, chopped (I don't typically keep fresh tomatoes on hand, so I use canned. And, since I like lots of tomatoes for my gravy, I usually use two 14 ounce cans. Yum!)

2-3 tsp curry powder

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 can green peas, drained

Chop onion and mince garlic. In a wok or skillet heat 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat. 

Add onions, and stir fry until they begin to turn golden brown. Add minced garlic and stir fry for just a minute longer (don't burn it!) 

Add the meat and continue cooking until no pink remains. Add your tomatoes to this mixture .Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Measure out your spices and set aside.

While your mixture simmers, start up a batch of rice. 

Once the time is up, uncover and add your spices. Mix them in thoroughly, let simmer a few minutes and you will notice that they will thicken up the liquid in your gravy a bit. Carefully fold in your drained peas, and allow them to warm through. 

Serve on a bed of hot cooked rice.