Why should Spanish rice be relegated to a side dish? This Spanish rice is so chunky and flavorful, you can easily serve it as a main dish.

Note: I use a small 6 cup rice cooker. If you are using a larger size you may need to adjust the amount of water. Use however much water you would normally use to cook 2 cups of rice, and add an extra half cup.

Yield: approx. 4 servings

Tools

Chef knife
Medium sauce pan
Heatproof spatula
Rice cooker
Large serving bowl

Ingredients

2 cups white rice
2 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bell pepper, chopped finely
1/2 cup bacon bits (see recipe)
1 heaping tbsp. tomato paste
3 1/4 cups water
1 tbsp. chicken bullion (or use chicken stock instead of water)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Dash of hot sauce
1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
1 tbsp. lime juice

Directions

Prepare bacon bits and set aside. Chop onions, bell pepper, and garlic and set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add rice and stir until rice starts to turn opaque and barely starts to brown.

Add chopped onion, keep stirring until onion begin to turn clear. Add garlic and continue to stir for a couple more minutes.

Transfer the rice, onion to rice cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients except for cilantro and lime juice, stir until chicken bullion and tomato paste are dissolved. Cook according to your cooker’s instructions.

After rice is done cooking, let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to large serving bowl, add cilantro and lime juice and stir.