Tesi Johnson, Gleaner Writer

Arroz a la Mexicana is to Mexico what rice and gungo peas is to Jamaica. The meal is not complete without some tequila and beer.

Rice and gungo peas is to Jamaica, what arroz a la Mexicana is to Mexico.

Just as Jamaica's tradition is serving rice with green gungo peas with Christmas dinner, so do the Mexicans enjoy their own brand of rice and peas at Christmas time.

"Rice and beans are like salsa, the basics of our food," explains Mexican Ambassador Leonora Ruedu, who hosted Food in her St. Andrew residence where she demonstrated her Christmas cooking skills.

"Once you have rice and beans, you have everything," she continued, which is always served for Christmas dinner along with other must-haves such as tortillas, Corona beer and of course, Jose Cuervo tequila!

Ambassador Rueda's 'Arroz a la Mexicana'

1 kilo rice (approximately 2lb)

4 large tomatoes

1 large onion

2 cloves of garlic

Method

1. Wash rice in hot water. "This helps prevent the rice from being sticky," explains Ambassador Rueda.

2. Drain and then set to dry.

3. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan. Add the rice to the oil, stirring occasionally until in changes colour to brown.

4. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, purée 4 large tomatoes, 1 large onion and 2 cloves of garlic with about half cup of water.

5. Pour the purée into the saucepan with the browned rice, stirring occasionally, until it changes colour to a deeper red.

6. Add more water to cover and leave to simmer on a low heat. When the water begins to boil, remove the cover and stir in the chopped carrots, stringbeans, sweet corn, green peas.

7. Then add 2 chicken bouillon cubes, (or you could have used chicken broth instead of water from the get go) and a whole chilli pepper, NOT chopped. Allow to simmer until most of the water evaporates and the rice is perfectly plump.

Mexicans enjoy a rich culinary tradition which peaks at Christmas time. Another Christmas favourite is Bacalao a la Valencia, which is "a dish that was inherited from Spain, made with Norwegian 'saltfish', olives, capers, three different kinds of peppers and lots of olive oil," explains the ambassador. They also enjoy stuffed turkey, black beans and Russian salad.

All this feasting happens on Christmas Eve into early Christmas morning, after attending Mass, like many other Central and South American countries. "Mexicans have dinner at 11 or 12 at night on Christmas Eve, and after dinner we open the gifts."