Mexican Rice

Method

1. Put 90 g of long-grain rice in a bowl, cover with cold water and swirl with your hand; drain and repeat two or three times until the water runs almost clear. Drain in a sieve and leave 5 minutes to shed as much water as possible — wet rice will steam rather than toast.
2. Blend 150 g of chopped tomatoes with 30 g of white onion and 1 clove of garlic to a completely smooth purée. You should have roughly a small cupful; set it beside the stove.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a small heavy saucepan or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the drained rice and stir constantly for 5–6 minutes until the grains turn chalky white with pale golden edges and smell like popcorn. Do not let them brown darkly.
4. Pour the tomato purée into the pan — it will hiss sharply — and stir for 2 minutes over medium heat until it darkens slightly and stops smelling raw and the mixture pulls away from the base of the pan.