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A couple years ago when I first made Creamy Beef Taquitos, I thought "what the heck do you serve with taquitos to turn them into a meal?" Plain rice seemed too boring. So I started by making a pot of basmati rice, which I always have on hand since we make so much Indian food. I stirred in a couple tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper which made the rice fantastic (it really emphasizes the nuttiness of basmati and reminds me of popcorn), but I still wanted it to have a Mexican influence. I noticed the lime and cilantro still sitting on my counter leftover from making taquitos and threw them both in. Perfect! A great accompaniment to any Mexican meal, or even Asian or Indian dishes.
Recipe by Meal Planning 101
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Serves 4
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1 3/4 cup water
1 cup basmati rice
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp lime juice
2-3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
Kosher salt and pepper
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add rice, turn heat down to medium low, and simmer rice with a lid on for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Add butter, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper and stir through to combine. Serve.
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RESULTS?
I love making this as an easy side dish that is different than just plain rice. The freshness of the lime and cilantro work nicely with main dishes that are rich (like Creamy Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas) or spicy (like Buffalo Chicken Taquitos or Tandoori Chicken) or pretty much any Mexican dish. If you are one of those people that hate cilantro, fresh Italian parsley would be a great substitute - it would still provide you with the same fresh, herbaceous hit. Or really, have you ever just stirred lots of butter, salt and pepper into hot basmati rice? SO GOOD!
I have tons of meal ideas for you, because this Cilantro Lime Rice is a great accompaniment to so many things!
Meal Ideas:
- Creamy Beef Taquitos or Buffalo Chicken Taquitos + Cilantro Lime Rice
- Shredded Chicken Flautas + Cilantro Lime Rice
- Baja Quesadillas + Cilantro Rice
- Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken + Cilantro Lime Rice
- Creamy Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas + Cilantro Lime Rice
- Beef and Bean Chimichangas + Cilantro Lime Rice
- Coconut-Crusted Chicken Fingers + Cilantro Lime Rice
- Tandoori Chicken + Cilantro Lime Rice
- Ginger Maple Glazed Chicken + Cilantro Lime Rice
- Use Cilantro Lime Rice as a base in Chipotle Pork Burrito Bowls