ISO a Puerto Rican Rice recipe this is brown in color

[Stevie]

When I was a boy a family friend Elenor, made the best rice. She was born in Puerto Rico and had immigrated to New York then to Texas where I live. I don't know what type of rice she used but it came out a light brown color and delicious. I've tried brown rice from the store and that's not it. Any ideas?

[kitchenelf]

I feel sure that she used just regular long-grain rice. The "brown" came from heating some oil in a skillet, when hot add the rice and brown it. It gives it a delicious nutty flavor. When I do this I like to add the appropriate amount of water to an ovenproof pan and cook in the oven with a few sprigs of thyme. It's wonderful!!!!

Do try browning it first - I think that's the key. Make sure the rice is well coated with the oil and stir VERY often to prevent burning.

[ironchef]

are you certain it was a light brown? puerto ricans make a rice using anatto or achiote seed/power to color it, but it's more of a rust orange than it is brown.

[wasabi woman]

I watched an episode of Dweezel and Lisa on FoodNetwork Thursday night.
They were on a trip to Puerto Rico. They visited a chef who was making a special fried rice and as he began, he said that the basis was "dirty rice", which he said was a staple in Puerto Rico. Here is the part of the recipe that supposedly made "dirty rice"...

precooked rice, cooked with a seasoning packet (recommended: Sazon Goya)

here is the link to the whole recipe
Dragonfly Stir-fry Rice

Good Luck!