Arroz Rojo - Mexican Red Rice

Ingredients
1 Cup of long grain white rice
2 Tablespoons of olive oil or avocado oil
2 Cups of chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 Cup of tomato sauce
1/2 Teaspoon of minced garlic
1/2 Teaspoon of salt
1/4 Teaspoon of pepper
1/4 Teaspoon of cumin

Optional
1/4 Cup of corn kernels 
1/4 Cup of peas 
4-5 Cardamom pods 

Instructions

Heat the oil on a medium pan on medium heat. 

Once the oil is hot, (which can be tested by placing a wooden spatula on the oil - if it bubbles around the spatula's surface inside the oil, then it is ready) place the rice in the pan.

Mix the rice continuously until it achieves a golden color. If your rice starts to look brown this means you are over frying it and it is starting to burn. 

Add the chicken broth (or vegetable broth) to the rice in the pot. If you are taking your broth out of the refrigerator, place it in the microwave so it will warm up to at least room temperature. Otherwise the broth and oil will splash upon contact if the broth is cold. 

Add the tomato sauce and mix so that the tomato sauce distributes evenly. 

Add the salt, pepper, and cumin. Continue mixing. 

At this point you can add vegetables of your choosing. You can add corn and peas as it is served in the US, or you can leave it plain if that is what you prefer. After adding the vegetables, mix to ensure that the veggies are distributed somewhat equally among the rice. 

Also optional, I like to add a few cardamom pods at the end. This is not traditional of Mexican cuisine-, just something I prefer to do and gives the rice a lot of delicious flavor. You can leave the pods at the top, without mixing further, if you'd like to easily remove them after the rice is cooked. 

Once the water is boiling you may place a lid over the pot, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, remove the lid, discard the cardamom pods, mix the rice to "fluff" it, and serve. Enjoy as a side or a heathy main vegetarian meal.