Apart from toasting the rice before cooking it, there are a few other tips to achieve the most flavorful and fluffy results. A traditional arroz rojo recipe calls for white long-grain rice, which is not only the most popular grain of rice in Mexican cooking but also the best type of rice for a fluffy and separate cooked texture. If you’d rather not use long-grain white rice, basmati and jasmine are long-grain alternatives.

Another important cooking hack for arroz rojo is adding cooking liquids in segments. Arroz rojo typically uses a mixture of stock and tomato puree. To maximize the rich tomato and aromatic flavors, you should first add the tomato puree to the toasted rice in the pot. The tomato puree and rice will come to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until partially absorbed, and then you’ll add the remaining portion of cooking liquid.

For perfectly cooked added vegetables in your arroz rojo, add them in with the remaining cooking liquid before covering the rice. As the small proportion of stock rises through the rice, it’ll also steam chopped raw veggies or reheat precooked frozen vegetables. If you want to increase the spice level for your arroz rojo, you can blend a fresh jalapeno into the tomato puree or dot the rice with pickled jalapeno halves when you add the chicken stock and other vegetables.