Arroz con maíz (sweet corn pilaf), also known as moro de maíz, is a delicious combination of sweet corn and the most flavorful rice.
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Arroz con maíz, moro de maíz or locrio de maíz (rice with corn) is one of the most popular ways Dominicans consume rice. But if you think it is just adding sweet corn to rice, then you're missing out on a huge opportunity here.
Done right this rice can have a deeper, richer flavor, enhanced by the gentle sweetness of sweet corn.
Versions
The simplest version of this corn and rice recipe you'll find out there is just corn added to a pot of white rice while it cooks. Just white rice with corn. Perhaps some herbs thrown in for garnish.
Other recipes call for more seasonings and ingredients to add more flavor to it [1]. The latter is my preference.
Another way to make this (though I didn't, to keep it a vegan-friendly recipe) is to fry chopped tocineta (bacon) and use the fat it releases in lieu of oil, leaving the tocineta to keep cooking alongside the rice. This appeared in one of the oldest Dominican cookbooks [1] I own.
About this recipe
To add extra flavor I use vegetable broth, which you can make with our easy recipe, or buy. You do not need to be limited by this, experiment and add other ingredients and herbs that you love too, but most importantly, don't just make white rice and add corn to it. But if you do not want to use broth, just use an identical amount of boiling-hot water that you will salt to taste once added to the rice.
Buen provecho!
[Recipe + Video] Moro or Arroz con Maíz (Rice with Corn)
Equipment
- Thick bottom, 1.5 gal [5.5 liters] capacity pot
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
- 1 large red onion, minced
- 2 cups of sweet corn, (boiled soft, from frozen, or canned)
- 2 cups of rice, (long grain, Carolina)
- 3 cups of vegetable broth, salted to taste, boiling-hot (see notes)
- 3 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
Instructions
Cooking onions: Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in the pot over medium heat. Cook stirring the onions until they become translucent.-
Adding corn and rice: Once the onions have become translucent, add the corn, and cook stirring to heat it through. Stir in the rice, making sure it's all covered in a light film of oil. This will help fix the starch, and produce rice that is not too sticky (graneado).
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Adding broth: Pour in the vegetable broth and stir the rice.
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Cooking rice: Simmer uncovered, and stir regularly to avoid excessive sticking, always scraping as much of the rice at the bottom as possible.When almost all the liquid has evaporated cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.Uncover and stir, moving the rice at the bottom to the top. Cover again and cook for 10 more minutes. Try the rice, it should be firm but cooked through (see notes). If necessary, cover and simmer another 5 minutes over very low heat.
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Finishing: Uncover, add the remaining oil and stir. Mix in the parsley and remove from the heat.
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Serving: Right after removing from the heat, scoop the rice right away into a serving bowl. Scrape the rice at the bottom (concón) and serve alongside as a special treat.This dish goes great with meat or fish dish of your choice.
Video
Notes and Tips
Nutrition
References
- Mari's Cakes: Moro de maíz
- Amanda Ornes de Perelló, Cocina Criolla. Sto. Dgo.: Ed. del Caribe, 1962. Pag. 231
I tried this recipe because it seemed simple enough and the ingredients are easy to find here. Very tasty. I would do it again.
Thank you for all your recipes, you have allowed me to tap into my Dominican roots in a way I could not before. My mother refused to teach me how to cook our typical Dominican dishes via recipes/measurements, she insisted on the old adage "mirando es que se aprende." And,… Read more »
No water added to the rice?