Mexican Rice Platter | Cilantro Lime rice and Spicy Avocado Salad

Summer is at it's peak here. The temperature hit 90 F for this season and the days are getting hotter and humid. These are the days I prefer to have simple and light food. Having said that I can cut short my cooking time and extend my fun time with friends.This is one such platter you can prepare in under 30 minutes and enjoy thoroughly.

I find a lot of Similarities between Indian and Mexican when it comes to food. The extensive use of rice, beans , coriander (cilantro) , green chilies( Jalapenos) , red chilies , tottillas similar to our chapathi/roti proves that.

Coriander and lime are my favorite for ever and are available in plenty now. Wanted to make the best use of them, that's when I settled with Mexican platter for dinner. Thankfully I had some avocados too. Some spicy salad as an accompaniment makes a perfect pair with this rice.

Clean and crisp flavors is the specialty of the rice. The addition of other ingredients might override the natural taste and flavor here.

Mexican Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients

Rice .......................... 2 cups, I used basmati
Salt ........................... to taste
Limes ....................... 2
Cilantro / coriander leaves .....................1/2 cup , finely chopped
Zest of a lime.
Oil............................. 1/2 tsp , any neutral oil is fine , I used canola
Water ....................... 4 cups

Method

• Wash the rice thoroughly , multiple times until the water runs clear.
• Soak the rice with enough water for 20 minutes later strain using a colander.
• Heat 1/4 tsp oil in a deep heavy bottomed pan over medium.
• Stir in the rice and mix gently so that every kernel of rice is coated with oil for 30 seconds.
• Add water along with salt to the pan and bring the heat to the maximum.
• Let it cook for a couple minutes so that you see only rice and no more water on the top.This might take upto 5 minutes.
• Now cover and simmer for another 7 minutes or until the riced is cooked to perfection.
• Transfer the rice to a platter to cool by drizzling the remaining 1/4 tsp oil.
• Now stir in the cilantro and lime juice and mix gently, rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Spicy Avocado Salad

Ingredients

Avocado ..............................1 , fully ripen
Jalapeno ./ green chile .............................1
Onion .....................................................1 small
Tomato .................................................1 big and firm
Salt .................................................... to taste
Pepper............................................... 1/4 tsp
Oil ....................................................1/2 tsp
Lime ..................................................1
Coriander leaves/ cilantro ................ few sprigs

Method

• Finely chop the jalapeno.
• Seed and dice the tomato.
• Dice the onions
• Dice the avocado into medium chunks
• Finely chop the cilantro
• Zest the lime and squeeze the juice in a small bowl.
• To the lime juice add oil , salt and pepper and mix vigorously.
• In a mixing bowl , add all the vegetables and pour the dressing over them.
• Give a gentle mix and  refrigerate until serving.

Note :

You can add a layer of any cooked beans and some cheese/ sour cream too. I avoided as I planned for a lighter version.