Cooking Instructions

• Heat a comal, griddle, or large nonstick pan on medium heat. Add the 8 ounces of Roma tomatoes and cook, turning them every 3 to 5 minutes until they are browned or blackened in places and their skins begin to split, which should take about 15 minutes.
• After cooking, take the tomatoes off the heat and let them cool for about 5 minutes.
• In a blender, combine 1/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the chopped yellow onion, 1 peeled garlic clove, the tomato paste, and the bouillon paste. Blend this mixture until it is smooth.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the jasmine rice and cook it, stirring often, until some grains become opaque and it becomes fragrant, which should take 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat. Carefully pour in the tomato mixture and stir it well. Add 1/2 cup of cilantro sprigs, the remaining 1 1/4 cups of water, the other peeled garlic clove, and the kosher salt. Stir everything together, then turn the heat to high to bring it to a boil.
• Once boiling, cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Allow it to cook until the rice is tender, which will take about 20 minutes. Uncover the pan and use a fork to stir the tomato sauce on top into the rice, fluffing it as you go. You can remove the cilantro stems and garlic if you prefer. Taste the rice and adjust the salt if needed. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before fluffing again and serving.