You can add flavour to rice by simply cooking it in broth/stock instead of water. Use whatever stock you have; chicken, beef, vegetable, shrimp, etc.
If you REALLY want to add flavour, use my one of my Mexican rice recipes below:
Mexican Rice
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 14½ oz can petite diced tomatoes, with juice
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, diced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions:
Pour vegetable broth, beef broth, and juice from petite diced tomatoes into a large measuring cup. Add water to make 2½ cups, if required. Put all ingredients into a rice cooker or a medium sized pot and cook as you would everyday rice.
Place the finished rice in serving bowl and garnish it with fresh cilantro. If you're one of those unfortunate people for whom cilantro tastes like soap, use parsley.
Mexican Yellow Rice
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ cup red onion, finely diced
- ½ cup mixed vegetables
- ¼ cup chopped bell pepper
- 1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp coriander
Instructions:
In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium. Sauté the onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes, add the mixed vegetables and continue to sauté until heated through, 2 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds.
Transfer the sautéd vegetables to a rice cooker, add the rice, water, chicken bouillon and stir to dissolve bullion. Add the turmeric, thyme, cumin and coriander, close the lid and turn on the rice cooker.
Black Beans & Rice
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup brown rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- ¾ cup bell pepper, diced (any color)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup prepared black beans
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1 scallion, green and white parts, sliced thin on the bias
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, combine 3 cups chicken broth with ½ tsp salt. Bring the broth to a boil, stir in the rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
In a sauté pan, heat 1 Tbs olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion and bell pepper until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds. Stir in the black beans, vegetable broth, vinegar, bay leaf, black pepper, cumin, and ½ tsp of salt. Bring the bean mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf and add the bean and vegetable mixture to the rice. Place the black beans and rice in a serving bowl and garnish it with sliced scallion.