Mexican Fiesta Rice Salad/ Mexican Fiesta Rice

(A vegan rice dish flecked with vibrant-colored veggies, and black beans)

This is a rice dish bursting with flavors! Flecked with vibrant-colored veggies, and black beans- this is a unique Mexican rice variant. Why unique? Because you can eat it hot as rice or refrigerate it and serve it cold - as a salad! It can be your one-pot meal recipe or a lovely side dish. The choice is yours! It is so yummy that you can just devour it anytime.

RECIPE VIDEO

You can use white or brown rice for this recipe. Brown rice is undoubtedly a more healthy option, but it’s not a common entity in every kitchen. If you don’t have brown rice on you, white rice works just fine. If you are using white rice kindly use long-grain basmati rice as it gives a nice look to the dish.

Black beans are an integral part of Mexican cuisine. If you don’t find them in your local grocery store order them online(I have shared a link to buy black beans in the ingredient section below).

Personally, I like to heat this rice in the microwave for about a minute and then have it. However, this tastes good when served cold too. Try it both ways and decide which one works for you. You can make this rice ahead of time and serve it later according to your preference.

Ingredients

For cooking the black beans -

1/4 cup black beans (Link to buy black beans online)
1 garlic pod
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 onion
2 cups water
salt as per taste

For the dressing -

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
5-6 garlic pods minced
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
salt as per taste
2 tbsp lemon juice

For the rice-

1 cup long-grain basmati rice/ brown rice
1 red bell pepper/ capsicum
1 green bell pepper/capsicum
1 yellow bell pepper/capsicum
1 onion
1 tomato
1/4 cup corn kernels

For the garnish -
Chopped coriander leaves

Method

Cooking the Beans -

HOW TO COOK BLACK BEANS VIDEO

Wash the beans thoroughly and transfer them to a cooking pot.
Add a garlic pod, bay leaf, cumin powder, salt, onion, and water to it. Give it a stir and start heating them. Cover the pot with a lid and let the beans cook.
Keep stirring intermittently. If the water dries up, add some more water and keep cooking. Typically beans take 2-3 hours to cook inside out. Keep a check on them.

Once they are cooked, drain the excess water using a sieve.
Remove the bay leaf and rinse the beans with water again. Drain all the water. Set the cooked beans aside.

Making the dressing -

Mix all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and stir it well to make the dressing.

Rice preparation -

Rinse the rice under running tap water 2-3 times. In a pan, bring 3-4 cups of water to a boil. Lower the heat and add a little salt, lemon juice, and rice to it. Give it a stir, put a lid on the pan, and let the rice cook on low-medium heat. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. Keep checking the rice. Stir it gently a few times if needed. Toward the end, taste a little rice to check if it’s done. The rice should be just cooked- nice and firm. DO NOT OVERCOOK THE RICE.
Set a large strainer over a large vessel and strain the rice properly.
Fluff up the rice using a spoon/fork gently to let all the steam out. Add 1 tbsp of butter/vegan butter over it, and mix it well with the rice. Set the rice aside for cooling.
Alternatively, you can use a rice cooker or instant pot to cook your rice.
Boil the corn kernels and keep them aside.
Chop the bell peppers, onion, coriander leaves, and tomato as shown below -.

In a large mixing bowl, add boiled rice, black beans, corn, chopped vegetables, and the dressing. Mix well.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
If you want to refrigerate it, cover the bowl with a lid/ plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge.
If you want to eat it at room temperature just go for it. You can heat it in the microwave a little if you like to have it warm.

MEXICAN FIESTA RICE SALAD IS READY TO BE SERVED!
SERVE HOT/COLD.

Notes -

We can cook black beans in an instant pot or a pressure cooker too. However, cooking black beans as mentioned above has its benefits. The biggest one is CONTROL. You can monitor the beans from time to time and stop cooking when the beans are just ready. So, the chances of overcooking and breaking the beans are less. Sure this is a little time-consuming, but if you are a perfectionist then it’s worth it.
If you are using brown rice, wash it thoroughly first. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then add the brown rice to it. Cook, it uncovered for about 30-35 minutes till the rice is just cooked. Pour the rice into a strainer over the sink and fluff it up with a fork to separate the rice grains.
Chopped avocado goes very well with this rice. If you have it please incorporate it while making this rice.
You can add jalapenos to this rice if you want to make it spicy.

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Meals, salad, sides

Mexican

Yield: 2-3

Author: Gauri Nigudkar

Fiesta Rice saladhttps://youtu.be/WMxkf9VkoNUHow to make Mexican Fiesta rice salad2023-03-05