Arroz Verde (Mexican Green Rice Recipe)
For past few weeks, the way I cook for Chef In You has changed.  Earlier it was based on recipe request from the readers and family along with recipes that I have been meaning to try for a long while. Now I have lots going on in my end and my cooking is more based on what I have on hand and what looked good at the grocery store the day I went shopping for some veggies/fruits. Blame the time, blame lack of energy or blame the work that's swamping up my whole day.  But while time is acting pricey, it sure does not make me any less conscious of what goes into our daily food - so healthy meals will continue to appear in my kitchen along with few fancy and festive ones.
Arroz Verde (Mexican Green Rice Recipe)
The last time I looked into my fridge, I found I had some assorted leftovers. Few spinach leaves and even fewer arugula leaves. 1 poblano chile and few cilantro leaves completed the picture in one of the trays. I was wondering what I could do with when I remembered this recipe  I had bookmarked from the Vegetarian Times website. While Mexican Green Rice has umpteenth versions for getting that green color (some use only cilantro, some only poblano/jalapeno, some spinach, some with green bell peppers while few others with romaine lettuce), I liked this version which used arugula,spinach,cilantro and poblano for that green color.   I can never say no to using greens in my cooking and hence that went into my Bookmarks folder. So with such a pantry, the opportunity presented itself to try this out this particular day and I adapted the recipe based on the ingredients I had on hand. You can refer to the original recipe by clicking on the link.
  • Cook time:
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 2 people
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Spinach
  • 1/2 cup Arugula ( or use more spinach)
  • 1/2 cup Cilantro leaves
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 garlic, minced
  • 1 small poblano chilies, seeded and chopped (leave the seeds in if you can take the heat)
  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 1-1/2 to 2 cups water/vegetable stock
  • salt to taste
Method
1. Wash the green together well.
2. Blend them well along with the chilies with 1/2 cup water for few seconds or until smooth.
3. Meanwhile saute the onions along with garlic in a skillet in 1 tsp oil. Add salt and cook until onions are soft - about 30-40 seconds.
4. Add the rice and saute until rice is translucent.
5. Add the blended mixture along with 1-1/2 cups of water/stock (or more depending on the quality of your rice). Stir well.
6. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
7. Fluff up the rice and serve hot.
I served these garnished with few more cilantro leaves along with soft tacos and Mango salsa. I had used a medium poblano and there was heat to the rice. So the pairing with the salsa went extremely well. Arroz Verde (Mexican Green Rice Recipe)

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4 Member Reviews

By Elizabeth on Sep 18, 2012

I made it with charred poblano peppers,I cleaned them with warm water,until all the black came out,then I mixed it with all the greens,flavor changed dramatically,it was delicious!

By Shamalka on Apr 10, 2012

Hey I made this..it turned out quite well.. :) It was so nice to have this piping hot rice after a long tiring day at work! plus it's nutritious too! Thanks a lot for the recipe..:)

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28 Comments

By Creamy Cilantro Rice | The Quick Bite on Feb 3, 2015

[…] dish called arroz verde. The texture is pretty different, but it looks absolutely delicious so this is probably worth a shot as […]

By Swati on Nov 13, 2014

Hi. Wanted to know wot is pablano chillies in indian terms?

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[...] Mexican Green Rice [...]

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[...] Mexican Green Rice [...]

By recipetasty on Sep 18, 2012

love this recipe....

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[...] Cowboy Quesadillas with Clean BBQ Sauce Mexican Green Rice [...]

By Prachi on May 7, 2012

My mom makes an indian version of this.. we call it "Palak Rice" at home.. we add tomatoes also to the gravy. I will surly try one with Jalapenos.

By Angelf8ce on Mar 15, 2012

I absolutely love this recepie.. I'm making this for our St. Patrick's Day Pot Luck at work :wink:

By Arroz verde and the adjectives for colors in Spanish « hispanyeros.com on Nov 26, 2011

[...] is one those famous Mexican foods. A typical arroz verde is prepared with cilantro, spinach, sometimes chicken and of course with rice. Very often poblano [...]

By Alex on Jan 20, 2011

I'm making this right now :-D I can't wait to taste it!

By CurryLeaf on Nov 29, 2010

I missed this. Excellent Rice. I have seen this rice but never tried it. Looks perfect. How r you and baby H? Do take care.

By satya on Nov 26, 2010

Hey dk, you have a nice blog here. Hey I too started one recently and am glad to tell you that I am hosting an event called "Thank you mom". Please send in your entry and spread the word.

By simply.food on Nov 25, 2010

Lovely tasty rice and so beautiful in colour.

By sharmi on Nov 24, 2010

looks like our Indian pudina-coriander rice:) yum looking

By heguiberto souza on Nov 23, 2010

yum consider yourself bookmarked! This rice looks good. I would totally leave some of the ribs and seeds of the poblano in. What would you think about roasting the poblano? I bet it would add another dimension of flavors! Cheers, Heguiberto

By Priya Srinivasan on Nov 22, 2010

Colorful Rice!!!!

By Apu on Nov 19, 2010

Looks delicious!! I love Mexican green rice!!

By Padma on Nov 19, 2010

Can you give Indian equivalent names to the grees used...i could only understand spinach which is palak...also are these available in India??

By Priya on Nov 19, 2010

Green rice looks yummy..

By Gayathri Kumar on Nov 19, 2010

Love the colour of rice. Looks delicious..

By Nishi on Nov 18, 2010

very nice rice Divya. I'm so goona try this :)

By harini-jaya on Nov 18, 2010

thats a very tempting n colorful rice there..surely a keeper!

By musical on Nov 18, 2010

Colorful and delicious!

By Shivani on Nov 18, 2010

love that color, easy to make. Will try this weekend. :)

By Tweets that mention Arroz Verde Recipe | Mexican Green Rice | Chef In You -- Topsy.com on Nov 18, 2010

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By Smitha on Nov 18, 2010

what a delish rice...I am pro Mexican dishes all the time!...and with such yummy dishes...aha I can live on it for ever!

By Siri on Nov 18, 2010

Gorgeous looking color. will make some for my dear husband who is a spinach-fanatic. :) Good to see you back babes, in record time I must say. :lol: Hugs, Siri