Mexican Arroz Verde
As delicious as it is beautiful.
by Erin Henderson
When I was first introduced to arroz verde in my Mexican cooking course, it was intriguingly weird.
Basically, this is a pilaf that is mixed with a blend of poblano pepper, cilantro, and lettuce to create a vibrant verdant side dish. It is, indeed, wonderfully green, but also, like all Mexican cooking, deeply flavourful with a fresh punch from the herbs, and barely-there heat from the poblano and garlic.
Like any recipe out there, this is open to interpretation and personal taste. Some recipes call for spinach, my instructor, a chef who hails from Oaxaca, asks for romaine leaves. We use poblano, but other recipes like to spice things up with jalapeño. And while we use an intense double-chicken stock, if you prefer to keep things vegan, feel free to use vegetable stock or even water – there's certainly enough flavour in here that you can easily sidestep the broth.
Arroz Verde
Don't get impatient and skip the step for toasting the rice, that's key to the final flavour, which is definitely a notch above traditional white rice.
Makes: rougly 4-5 cups
Chef level: Medium
Ingredients:
- 300g long grain rice
- A few handfuls of well-washed cilantro (including stems!!)
- 3 Romaine lettuce leaves
- 2 Poblano chilies
- 1/2 Yellow onion, cut into large chunks
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 240g water
- 100g vegetable oil
- 600g chicken stock
- 5g Kosher salt
How to Make It:
- Wash the rice with cool running water and set aside to dry while you prepare the green sauce.
- Warm the chicken stock over low heat.
- Roast the poblano pepper over a gas flame or under a broiler until the skin is charred. Place in a plastic bag and allow to steam for 10 minutes. Remove the pepper and peel off the skin, and remove the seeds.
- Using a high-powered blender, blitz the peeled poblano, lettuce leaves, onion, garlic, cilantro, and one cup of water into a smooth, pourable sauce.
- In a deep frying pan, warm the oil over medium low and add the rice, stirring frequently, until well toasted and slightly golden in colour.
- Add the green sauce (watch for splatters), the warmed stock, and a pinch of salt. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cover with a lid.
- After 12 minutes, remove the lid, give it a stir. The rice should be toothsome, but not yet cooked through.
- Remove the rice from the heat, cover the pan, and allow the rice to cook in the residual heat for 10 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
Wine Pairing
You are likely not eating this rice on its own (though it's terrific for breakfast topped with a runny egg) but there's a chance it will be the strongest flavour on your plate, especially if pairing with a simple roast chicken or grilled shrimp.
With the verdancy of the rice, pair an equally herbal wine. Sauvignon Blanc is the easiest answer, but if you're looking to spread your wine wings a bit, consider Vinho Verde from Portugal or Rueda from Spain. Both have a bright acidity to compliment the startch of the rice and the green flavours to echo the herbs, as well.