Creamy Poblano Rice - just before it goes into the oven
Oh, baby. You don’t understand. My favorite poblano peppers are available in cans! Do you know what this means? I can have them any time I want. When they’re not in season. When I don’t want to drive to the grocery store for a poblano pepper. When I feel the urge to stir them into an omelet or toss them into a pot of posole. Have mercy. They’re so good. REAL good. Really, really good. So when I wanted to make a Mexican style rice for dinner one night, I grabbed my new canned poblano peppers and some pepper jack cheese, and a glorious new side dish was born. Here’s what you’ll need:
NanaBread’s Creamy Poblano Rice
1 cup Texmati basmati rice, uncooked
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt (or 1 tsp. regular table salt)
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1 can of sliced poblano peppers (7.5 oz.), drained
1/2 cup sour cream (low-fat is fine)
1 1/2 cups of grated pepper jack cheese
cayenne pepper, to sprinkle on top (optional)
In a medium size heavy-bottom pan, add the vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and heat the oil just until it starts to shimmer. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the rice turns chalky white and some of the grains start to brown very lightly. Can you see the difference? I love that nutty smell.
Carefully add the water, throw in the salt, and stir to keep the grains from sticking. When your rice begins to bubble vigorously, give it one last stir.
Place a lid on the pan, reduce the heat to low (I set mine between 1 and 2 on my stove dial), and set your kitchen timer for 25 minutes.
A note about the perfect rice cooking pan: The Complete Package gave it to me for my birthday. It’s a Le Creuset saucepan with a steam vent lid.
I’ll be honest, when I first saw that hole, I was confused and disappointed. I was taught than when cooking rice, it’s imperative to keep all the steam in the pan. I think the second rule was that lifting the lid before the rice was done was punishable by death. So naturally, I grew up thinking my rice pan must be perfectly sealed for proper cooking. I was wrong. I’m now convinced that little vent hole is the key to making perfect rice. Since I’ve started using my vented lid saucepan, my rice has come out perfectly every single time. So go ahead. Relax when you see steam escaping. Crack the lid a tiny bit if you’re a rebel. As long as your flame is set to low when you cover it, I’m pretty sure it’ll be okay.
So… back to the poblano rice. When your 25 minutes is up, turn the heat off, leave your lid on, and let your rice sit and rest until the pan is cool enough to touch without burning yourself. That usually takes about 30 minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked rice, sour cream, poblano peppers, garlic salt and one cup of grated pepper jack cheese. Mix it up and give it a taste.
If it needs more garlic salt, regular salt or you want to throw in some cracked black pepper, now is the time to add it. Once it’s perfect, spoon it into a baking dish that has been lightly sprayed or oiled. Spread it out evenly and top with the last 1/2 cup of grated pepper jack cheese. If you like spice, sprinkle on a little cayenne pepper. It really kicks it up a notch. I highly recommend it. Highly.
Pop your baking pan, uncovered, into a hot oven (375F) for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve it with your favorite main course. This week, it was my recipe for carnitas.
Two weeks ago, it was fajitas. Next week, it could be fish tacos. The possibilities are endless, and the world is my oyster. Hmm… poblano rice with grilled oysters, shrimp and veggies? Or poblano rice with carne asada. Or poblano rice with the Pioneer Woman’s tequila-lime chicken. Dang. Now I’m hungry.
Oh yummy!!!!!!!!!! I made Baked Brown Spanish Rice last night to go with our Mexi-chicken roll ups, but I think I will try this next time!
You’ll have to check back in and let me know if you liked it! Personally, I just can’t seem to get enough of it, and neither can TCP. We’ve had it 3 times in the past month or so. It’s so good.
I love Mexican food but have to admit I don’t even know if a poblano is hot? If so I probably won’t be able to handle it. Looks really delicious, though!
It depends, Kandi. Some are hot and some are mild. If you’re looking for poblanos in cans, look to see if the cans are marked. The canned variety I’ve shown are mild. You would enjoy them, but I would suggest NOT sprinkling the cayenne pepper on top if you’re sensitive to hot peppers. I LOVE the flavor of poblanos. They’re the same peppers usually used in chili rellenos, if you’ve ever had those. Mmmmm…. so good.
I wish I had the love for cooking that you do! Cooking is a chore for me right now.
Everything you make always looks so delish, and I tell myself that I am going to try it out, and then never do. One day, I swear, I’m going to get in the mood to cook again and will come to your blog and PW’s for inspiration!
I do love to cook, and so does TCP. For us, it’s like relaxation therapy. It’s very zen to have the kitchen to yourself and the freedom do whatever you want. Of course, it helps that it’s just the two of us now, and there’s no pressure to feed a family and worry about everyone’s like and dislikes. We have very similar taste. But make no mistake, we’re not experts by any means. We just have enthusiasm on our side!
Great recipe! My rice never comes out right… and I trap ALL the steam in there. I just learned something valuable today. :)
Okay, Michelle. I’m going to confess that when I get a comment from another blogger, I instantly go to their blog to learn more about them. I love my readers, and if they can take the time to read my blog, I can certainly return the favor. So at first, I was going to tell you that I love the retro robin’s egg blue KitchenAid mixer your blog is named for. Then I was going to say how much I truly loved your domestic goddess gravatar photo. But THEN…. oh, my goodness. Then I saw that you’ve posted a recipe for Pancit Bihon. Am I dreaming? My neighbor used to bring pancit bihon home from a little bakery in Chinatown in Houston. It was the most wonderful noodle dish in the entire world. Then she moved and the little bakery closed and I haven’t found pancit bihon again in at least 15 years. I’m telling you here and now… if I can find that Mama Sita’s mix and some pancit noodles, I will be making your recipe and earning myself a one-way ticket to noodle heaven. Thank you, Michelle. You stopped by to comment on my rice, and you’ve given me a great gift in return!
Why, thank you! I noticed that your Garlic Salt is Hill Country Fare… and I bought my Mama Sita’s Pancit Bihon mix at H-E-B in the International Foods section, so if you should be able to find it. :)
You rock, Michelle. Thank you so much! PS – I LOVE my HEB.
You forgot a step: how do you keep from eating it straight out of the mixing bowl? This looks sooo good! Cheese and rice and sour cream are so awesome together.
Hahaha… well, there’s nothing to prevent you from consuming it before it’s baked. All of the ingredients could be eaten in the pre-baked state without having to worry about food poisoning or intestinal issues. However, I can state from personal experience that it’s even better when it’s hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted and gooey. I love those poblano peppers and the kick the cayenne gives it, too.
You had me at pepper jack cheese. Looks yummy! Wish my boys ate peppers…
Well, technically you could just leave out the poblanos and make this with the pepper jack cheese. Or you could chop the poblanos into smaller pieces so they might not identify them. Think it would work?
Marcus is one crazy varmint when it comes to rice – obsessed would be a tame way to put it. This dish (we’ve been on a huge pepper/spice kick lately!) would be AMAZING in our rotation!
I love your use of “crazy varmit” when describing Marcus’ love of rice. TCP is a rabid fan, too. Since you love the spice, be sure to add the cayenne on top. Can’t wait to heat what you and Marcus think once you’ve tried it.
Nana, can I make this then freeze it for later?
Absolutely, Malia. Just mix it up, spread it into a baking dish, cover it tightly with plastic wrap then foil and freeze it for up to two weeks. Remove from the freezer and let it sit for 20-30 minutes to thaw, then sprinkle with cheese and bake as directed. OR you can freeze the leftovers in individual serving containers for quick sides or easy lunches. I hope you enjoy it. It’s a favorite in our house.