您的世界上最伟大的米饭清单包括墨西哥的任何菜肴吗？直到最近，我才直到最近（也许是由于我早年花在墨西哥裔美国人餐馆里的组合盘子）。我从来没有梦想过这种美食对可以与意大利意大利调味饭或印度帕劳同一级别排名的米饭宣称。

It wasn’t until I began to spend more and more time in central and southern Mexico and to enlarge my circle of Mexican friends that these recipes came to light, one after another, like unexpected treasures at a rummage sale. Ranging from earthy to elegant and able to be prepared a day or two ahead and reheated in the microwave, I find these rice dishes to be the ideal accompaniment for nearly any meal and, in the case ofarroz huérfano(orphan’s rice, pronounced ar-ROHS WHEHR-fah-no), an excellent main dish in its own right.

简单成分，复杂的口味

赖斯从西班牙来到墨西哥，摩尔人在七世纪的占领期间被摩尔人引入。对于通常包括洋葱，大蒜，藏红花和坚果的西班牙米饭，墨西哥人添加了西红柿，新鲜和干燥的辣椒以及他们自己的灵感。墨西哥的大多数米饭看起来更像是我们所认为的短颗粒，而不是长晶。实际上，其中大部分只是一种长晶品种，生产和包装的质量不足。但是，要么可以为这些食谱提供服务，尽管肯定不是传统的泰式茉莉大米，也不是一些新的美国混合动力车，例如Texmati或Jasmati，并补充说，近年来使它们如此受欢迎的不可定力的额外。

Of equal—if not more—importance than the rice is the main liquid.这些食谱将与纯净的鸡肉汤一起搭配使用，搭配罐装鸡肉汤，并配有精美的鸡肉，火鸡，猪肉或混合物的精美自制汤。遵循米饭食谱时，请使用无盐汤或相应地调整盐。

食谱arroz rojo(pronounced ah-ROHS ROH-hoh) calls for ancho chiles, which are dried poblano chiles. They have an earthy, slightly fruity flavor and are usually of mild heat. But beware because, as with most chiles, they can vary in heat and are capable of producing an unpleasant surprise to those sensitive to chile heat. In the Southwest, these chiles are now quite common in supermarkets and are easily obtainable through mail-order sources.

您会注意到，我在食谱中使用了几种类型的脂肪 - 油菜，橄榄油和植物油。从西班牙征服到最近，猪油一直是墨西哥选择的脂肪。(Before the Spaniards arrived, there was very little fat in the diet, and frying wasn’t usually part of the cuisine.) In recent years, however, because of greater awareness of health considerations, as well as price and availability, vegetable oils have become more and more common. While a neutral-tasting oil can be used for any of the dishes, I like to use olive oil, often in combination with butter, because although it doesn’t taste like lard, it nevertheless provides a bold statement that goes well with most Mexican dishes, including these rices.

搅拌器制作最好的泥

In Mexico, the blender is the modern appliance that imitates some of the functions traditionally performed by theMetate和molcajete, specifically grinding chiles and puréeing sauces. A food processor works okay when you want to make roughly ground salsas, but it doesn’t do as well for purées like the chile purée in thearroz rojorecipe. But if you don’t have a blender, do use a processor for the chiles and to purée the spinach and cilantro for thearroz verde（发音为Ah-Rohs Vehr-Day）；您的结果不会那么顺利。

The pilaf method lets ingredients meld

With their rice, the Spanish also brought their pilaf-style preparation. In this typically Middle Eastern method, the rice is first sautéed in a little oil until it just begins to color. Following this, some Mexican rice dishes require an intermediate step where puréed tomatoes or chiles are fried with the rice until most of the liquid evaporates, leaving behind just the intense essence of the ingredient. Only then are the water or broth and other ingredients added and the pot covered. After the rice has simmered, it should be gently stirred, covered again, and allowed to steam off the heat for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. This breaks up any clumps of rice that might have formed, ensuring more even cooking and a better overall texture.