Arroz Rojo

Ingredients

• 8¾ ozlong-grain ricewhite, rinsed until the water runs clear
• 2 tbspoilneutral oil or olive oil, for toasting
• 1onionfinely diced
• 1tomatoesRoma tomato, diced
• 2 clovesgarlicminced
• 2⅓ cupschicken brothor chicken broth (then not vegan)
• 1½ tbsptomato pastedissolved in the broth, for colour
• 1 tspsaltplus more to taste
• 2⅛ ozpeasfrozen, thawed, folded in at the end

Method

1. Rinse the long grain rice in a sieve under running water until the water runs clear, then let it drain well.
2. Heat the oil in a pot and toast the rice in it, stirring often, until it turns golden brown.
3. Add the onion, tomato, garlic and salt and fry briefly with the rice until everything smells fragrant.
4. Pour in the vegetable broth, add the tomato paste and stir until the paste has completely dissolved.
5. Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover and let the rice cook for about 20 minutes, until it has absorbed the liquid.
6. Take the pot off the heat and let the rice rest, still covered, for 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Add the thawed peas and fluff the rice with a fork; don't stir it, or the grains will turn mushy.
8. Finally, taste and season with more salt.

Tips and variations

In a hurry? Toast the rice right in the pressure cooker, cook it for 4 minutes at high pressure, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. For a deeper tomato flavour, roast the tomato in the oven, blend it with the onion and garlic into a purée and leave out the tomato paste. For a low-carb version, swap the rice for grated cauliflower seasoned with paprika and cumin: soften the vegetables first, then cook the cauliflower for just 3 to 5 minutes. Chicken broth instead of vegetable broth makes the rice more savoury, though it's no longer vegan. To serve, scatter freshly chopped coriander over the top and put lime wedges on the side.