Arroz Amarillo
Yellow rice coloured with achiote and finished with sweetcorn and peas. The Yucatecan answer to red Mexican rice; pairs beautifully with cochinita pibil and pollo asado.
Overview
Achiote seeds are bloomed in hot oil to draw out their deep yellow-orange colour, then strained out so only the tinted oil remains. The oil colours the toasted rice and onion before stock is poured in for the steam. Sweetcorn and peas join the rice during cooking and the finished dish is the colour of a summer evening.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons annatto (achiote) seeds (or 1 teaspoon achiote powder, or ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric)
- 1 onion (small, finely diced)
- 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 carrot (small, finely diced)
- 300 g long-grain white rice (rinsed until the water runs clear, drained)
- 500 ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 80 g sweetcorn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- 80 g peas (frozen)
- A handful of coriander (chopped, to finish)
Method
Stage 1 - Bloom the achiote
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-low heat.
- Add the annatto seeds.
- Warm for 2-3 minutes, swirling occasionally, until the oil turns a deep yellow-orange (it goes from pale to bronze; don't let it smoke).
- Strain the oil back into the pan; discard the seeds.
Stage 2 - Soften the base
- Add the onion and diced carrot to the achiote oil over medium heat.
- Cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft.
- Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Stage 3 - Toast the rice
- Add the rinsed, drained rice and the cumin.
- Toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the grains turn opaque and smell nutty (the rice will also turn a richer yellow as it absorbs the oil).
Stage 4 - Steam
- Pour in the stock, add the bay leaf and salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to the lowest heat.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 14 minutes.
- Scatter the sweetcorn and peas on top in the final 3 minutes.
Stage 5 - Rest and serve
- Pull from the heat and rest, still covered, for 10 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaf and fluff with a fork.
- Scatter the coriander and serve.
Notes
- Achiote seeds: Hard, brick-red seeds sold in Latin American grocers as annatto or achiote. They're the colour and a mild peppery-earthy flavour; turmeric is a colour-only substitute.
- Don't burn the seeds: Achiote oil should warm slowly. If the oil smokes, the colour turns brown rather than yellow-orange, and the flavour is bitter.
- Carrot and corn: The dish is yellow before they go in; they make it visually layered as well as sweetening it.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 days; reheat covered with a splash of water.
- Freezes well in portions for 2 months.
Recipes mentioned here
Pollo Asado
Pollo asado is the Mexican answer to grilled chicken, and the marinade is the entire point. Achiote paste (ground annatto seed with garlic, cumin, oregano and vinegar) provides both the dish's distinctive brick-orange colour and a subtle, almost peppery earthiness. Sour orange (naranja agria) is the traditional citrus, though a blend of orange and lime juice mimics it where bitter orange isn't available. The chicken is marinated for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the acid tenderises the meat and the achiote stains right through to the bone. On the grill, the marinade caramelises into a deeply coloured crust while the meat underneath stays juicy thanks to the bone-in cuts. Regional differences matter: Yucatán-style pollo asado leans heavily on achiote and sour orange, drawing from pibil traditions; northern Mexican versions add more cumin and chilli; the version popular in Los Angeles and Texas often gets a touch of tomato paste in the marinade for extra colour. Difficulty for home cooks is low: it's grilled chicken with a confident marinade. The main pitfall is high direct heat scorching the achiote-stained skin before the meat cooks through; a two-zone fire fixes that. Served with charred spring onions, warm corn tortillas, lime wedges, and salsa or guacamole.
Mexican Rice
Long-grain rice (not basmati or jasmine, they're too slim) toasts in oil over medium heat until pale gold and nutty, 3-4 minutes. Diced onion and garlic join briefly. A blender pulses a ripe tomato, garlic clove, ½ onion and a few sprigs of coriander into a smooth red puree; this strains through a sieve to remove fibre and pours into the pan with the toasted rice, along with chicken stock, salt, cumin and a bay leaf. Brought to a simmer, covered, reduced to lowest heat, cooked for 18-20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Off heat 10 min rest; fluffed with a fork; finished with frozen peas and chopped coriander.
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Arroz Rojo Con Chorizo
Mexican chorizo is rendered in the pan to release its red, paprika-laden oil. Onion and garlic soften in the oil, then long-grain rice is toasted before tomato puree and stock are poured in to colour and cook the grains. The result is rice the colour of terracotta with a slightly smoky, slightly spicy chorizo backbone running through every bite.
Arroz Verde
Spinach, coriander, parsley and a charred poblano are blended with chicken stock to make a vivid green cooking liquor. Long-grain rice is rinsed and toasted in oil with onion and garlic, then the green stock is poured in and the rice covered to steam. The grains finish the colour of fresh basil with a clean herbal flavour that pairs with anything off the grill.
Mexican Rice
Long-grain rice (not basmati or jasmine, they're too slim) toasts in oil over medium heat until pale gold and nutty, 3-4 minutes. Diced onion and garlic join briefly. A blender pulses a ripe tomato, garlic clove, ½ onion and a few sprigs of coriander into a smooth red puree; this strains through a sieve to remove fibre and pours into the pan with the toasted rice, along with chicken stock, salt, cumin and a bay leaf. Brought to a simmer, covered, reduced to lowest heat, cooked for 18-20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Off heat 10 min rest; fluffed with a fork; finished with frozen peas and chopped coriander.
Authentic Jamaican Curry Chicken
Jamaican curry sits in its own corner of the global curry map: heavier on turmeric and allspice than Indian Madras, lighter on cumin, and built on a technique called "burning the curry" that gives the dish its character. The technique is exactly what it sounds like, dry curry powder hits hot oil and is stirred for 30 seconds until it darkens from yellow to deep gold and smells like toasted spice. That move concentrates the flavours and removes any raw edge. The finished stew is bright yellow stained slightly orange, savoury and aromatic rather than searingly hot, with thyme and a whole pierced Scotch bonnet scenting the gravy without flooring it. Smell: bloomed curry powder, allspice, browned chicken fat. Not difficult, but requires confidence in the 30-second bloom (under-do it and the dish is flat; over-do it and you have to start over). A Sunday-dinner staple across Jamaica and the diaspora, served over white rice with the gravy spooned generously over.