Non-Traditional Arroz Verde - Recipe
The traditional recipe for arroz verde involves cooking your rice with a puree of poblano peppers and herbs. It is truly delicious, and I'd choose it in a heartbeat over the typical red rice you find universally at America’s Mexican restaurants.
One day I asked myself "Why am I cooking all of these delicious fresh herbs when their raw flavor is so perfect?” So I took a new approach. I omitted the poblanos, and simply made a pesto-like puree of the herbs, garlic, and a little oil. After the plain rice was cooked, I stirred in the herbs right before serving. The result was a rice that has a vibrant, fresh flavor and a color to match, and I’ve made it this way ever since.
The recipe below calls for 2 cups of fresh herbs. There is a sample selection in the recipe, but you can vary it according to what you have available and what you are serving it with. Small amounts of chives and rosemary are also very welcome. Because the herbs are thoroughly pureed, you can use tender stems of parsley and cilantro as well as the leaves.
Non-Traditional Arroz Verde
Vegan and gluten-free / Serves 4 / 10 minutes active (40 minutes total)
- 1 1/2 cups medium grain white rice (or basmati rice)
- 1 cup lightly packed leaves and tender stems flat leaf parsley
- ½ cup lightly packed leaves and tender stems cilantro
- ¼ cup lightly packed leaves fresh oregano
- ¼ cup light packed leaves mint or dill
- 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher or flaky sea salt (only ¾ teaspoon if you substitute table salt)
- Cook the rice in a rice cooker or according to package directions.
- In a food processor, combine the herbs, garlic, and olive oil. Process until thoroughly pureed.
- Just before serving, stir the herb mixture and salt into the rice. Taste and add more salt as needed.
