Chef Lupita
Arroz con Azafrán Comiteco
Comitán's golden rice from the Chiapas highlands, gently fried first, then steamed with saffron threads, chicken broth, onion, and garlic until each grain stays separate.
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Arroz Blanco Tabasqueno con Platano
Created by
Tabasco's everyday white rice, cooked loose and clean with onion and garlic, then crowned with sweet fried ripe plantain from the lowland kitchen.
Side Dishes
Mexican
Weeknight
Comfort Food
15 min
Active Time
30 min cook•45 min total
Yield6 servings
Tabasco, the humid lowland state between river, lagoon, and cacao country, knows what plantain is for. This arroz con platano belongs beside robalo, frijol puerco, pejelagarto, or a guisado de carne. It is not decoration. It is the starch that steadies the plate.
The rice stays white. No tomato. No cumin. No chile powder pretending to be Mexico. The flavor comes from rinsed long-grain rice, a little onion and garlic, and the ripe platano macho fried until the edges turn deep gold and the center softens. The sweet plantain against plain rice is the point. Tabasco cooks understand that not every Mexican dish needs to shout.
I learned this kind of rice from a senora near Villahermosa who served it in a low clay cazuela with chile amashito on the table, not mixed into the pot. She told me the rice must fall apart grain by grain, never clump like wet masa. Rinse it until the water runs clear, fry it lightly, cover it, and leave it alone. No me vengas con atajos. The patience is small, but it matters.
Cada estado, su propia cocina. In Tabasco, plantain is not a garnish borrowed from somewhere else. It grows in the heat, feeds the house, and tells you exactly where you are.
Rice entered Mexican cooking through Spanish colonial trade after the 16th century and became especially important in Gulf and tropical regions where it paired naturally with fish, beans, and stewed meats. Plantain, brought to the Americas through Iberian and African routes, adapted quickly to the humid soils of southeastern Mexico, including Tabasco, where it became an everyday starch beside corn, yuca, and cacao-based preparations. Tabasco's arroz con platano reflects that lowland pantry: plain rice for balance, ripe plantain for sweetness, and chile amashito kept at the table for those who want heat.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
long-grain white rice
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
rinsed until the water runs clear and drained well
manteca de cerdo or neutral oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
white onion
Quantity
1/4 medium
finely chopped
garlic clove
Quantity
1 large
finely minced
hot water or light chicken broth
Quantity
2 1/2 cups
kosher salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
ripe platano macho
Quantity
2
yellow with black spots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick
neutral oil
Quantity
1/3 cup
for frying the plantain
chile amashito (optional)
Quantity
for serving on the side
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| long-grain white ricerinsed until the water runs clear and drained well | 1 1/2 cups |
| manteca de cerdo or neutral oil | 2 tablespoons |
| white onionfinely chopped | 1/4 medium |
| garlic clovefinely minced | 1 large |
| hot water or light chicken broth | 2 1/2 cups |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| ripe platano machoyellow with black spots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick | 2 |
| neutral oilfor frying the plantain | 1/3 cup |
| chile amashito (optional) | for serving on the side |
Equipment Needed
- •Fine-mesh strainer for rinsing rice
- •Heavy 2-quart saucepan with tight lid
- •Cast iron skillet or comal-like heavy pan for frying plantain
- •Low clay cazuela or hand-thrown Tabasco-style serving dish
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the rice
Put the rice in a bowl and cover with cool water. Swish it with your hand, drain, and repeat until the water is almost clear. Drain it in a fine-mesh strainer for at least 10 minutes. This is what keeps the grains separate. If you skip it, the rice turns sticky and then you blame the pot. The pot did nothing.
- 2
Fry the rice
Heat the manteca de cerdo or oil in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the drained rice and stir for 4 to 5 minutes, until the grains turn opaque and sound dry against the spoon. Do not brown it. This is arroz blanco, not arroz rojo. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until the garlic smells alive.
- 3
Simmer covered
Add the hot water or light chicken broth and the salt. Stir once, only once. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to the lowest setting and cover tightly. Cook for 16 minutes without lifting the lid. Rice needs quiet. Every time you open the pot, you steal the heat it needs to finish.
- 4
Rest the rice
Turn off the heat and let the covered pot stand for 10 minutes. Then uncover and fluff gently with a fork from the edges toward the center. The grains should be tender, separate, and white, with the onion nearly disappeared into the rice.
- 5
Fry the plantain
While the rice rests, heat the 1/3 cup neutral oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the plantain slices in one layer and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden at the edges and soft in the center. The plantain must be ripe, yellow with black spots. Green plantain belongs to another preparation. Here you need sweetness.
- 6
Serve family-style
Spoon the rice into a warm clay cazuela or shallow serving dish. Arrange the fried plantain over the top, not hidden underneath. Set chile amashito on the side if you have it, whole or lightly crushed with salt. The rice stays plain. The chile is for the table. Asi se hace y punto.
Chef Tips
- •Use platano macho that is yellow with black freckles or mostly black. If it is green, it will taste starchy and harsh here. Save green plantain for tostones or another dish.
- •Tabasco's chile amashito is small, sharp, and usually served at the table, often fresh or crushed with salt and lime. Do not cook it into this rice. The dish is not meant to be chile-hot.
- •Water gives you the cleanest arroz blanco. Light chicken broth gives more body. Heavy broth will take over the rice, and this dish is supposed to sit beside stronger guisos, not compete with them.
- •Manteca de cerdo gives the rice a rounder flavor. Neutral oil is common for frying the plantain. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
Advance Preparation
- •The rice is best the day it is made, but it can be cooked up to 4 hours ahead and held covered at room temperature if the kitchen is not too hot.
- •Fry the plantain close to serving. It softens as it sits, and the edges lose their bite.
- •Leftover rice can be reheated in a covered skillet with a spoonful of water. Reheat the plantain separately in a dry skillet to bring back the golden edges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 220g)
Calories
345 calories
Total Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
3 mg
Sodium
400 mg
Total Carbohydrates
55 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
12 g
Protein
4 g
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