Arroz Verde (Mexican Green Rice)

I have never really eaten a lot of greens in my life. Its not like I hate ’em; but I just don’t eat ’em so much. I always manage to fool myself into eating the greens by blending and adding them to something or the other that I munch on. This rice happened to be discovered one day when I just had a lot of spinach & mint leaves and didn’t wanna eat the typical south Indian style spinach with lentils. Of course, later on I found out it wasn’t such a great invention myself. Such a dish already exists 😀 And that goes by the name Arroz Verde.

A little research I did told me that every Mexican family has its own version of the Green Rice. Some use spinach, some use arugula, some use a mix of the two, some add cilantro or mint and so on… So I have just come to the conclusion that you could add whatever edible green leafy vegetable you have on hand and it’ll still be called Arroz Verde. (correct me if I’m wrong 🙂) And since Corn is such a popular ingredient in so many Mexican dishes, I decided to add that too! 😉 Mint is my favorite edible leaf. So I was generous with the mint!! 🙂

Let’s get started.

You’ll need –

Start by washing the rice well and soaking in warm water for as much time as possible. I usually do that 30 minutes before. This helps the rice cook faster.

Wash your green leafy veggies extremely well.

Along with the chilli pepper & garlic, blend the greens (in batches, if you have to) to a really smooth juice.

Heat up oil in a large wok and add the onions

Sauté the onions until they are translucent

Add in the corn kernels and sauté for a minute or two.

Drain out the water from the rice.

Add it to the Wok.

Mix well and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the blended green juice + water & SALT

Bring it to a boil. Taste before closing with a lid

Close & cook for 15-20 minutes or until rice is done. Fluff up the rice with a fork.

Serve hot as is or with any of your favorite Mexican sides!