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Achiote Red Rice Pilaf
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4.80 from 5 votes

Achiote Red Rice Pilaf

Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: achiote, annato
Servings: 8 servings.
Calories: 138kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown or white rice (see note)
  • 2 teaspoons achiote paste
  • 1 ¼ cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons avocado or grapeseed oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • ¾ cup diced carrots (¼-inch)
  • 8 ounces V-8 or other vegetable juice

Instructions

  • Rinse the rice well. Place in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak 10 minutes. Rinse again. Allow the rice to drain in the strainer.
  • Mix the achiote paste in the vegetable broth, pushing with the back of the spoon until the paste is completely dissolved. Set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium flame. Add the onions and cook and stir a few minutes. Stir in the rinsed rice and diced carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes, until the rice is coated with oil and turns light golden brown.
  • Add the achiote broth and the vegetable juice.
  • Bring the rice to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to the lowest setting possible. Cook without stirring, 35 to 45 minutes. (To check if the liquid has been absorbed or not, tilt the pan to the side.) Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Mexican cooks would likely make their classic achiote red rice with white rice, but I use brown basmati rice to make it a bit more healthful. If you use white rice, reduce the vegetable broth to 1 cup and reduce the cooking time to about 20 minutes.
  • Vegetable juice is an easy convenient way to add tomato flavor to rice. I keep 8-oz cans of V-8 juice in the pantry for Robbie's go-to salad dressing. Knudsen Organic Very Veggie juice is an excellent option.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2317IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg