Authentic Morisqueta Michoacana Recipe

This morisqueta recipe features white rice topped with juicy pork ribs in roasted tomato sauce, beans, and cheese. A comforting and traditional dish from the state of Michoacán bursting with flavors and so easy to make at home.

this recipe

About

Morisqueta is a Mexican traditional dish from Michoacan. It consists of white rice cooked in water and served with a tomato sauce, beans, and cheese.

Basically, Morisqueta is just the name given to the cooked rice, which can be served with other dishes like soups, broths, and stews, including seafood preparations. It’s a versatile dish and it’s easy to find different regional versions of it.

Our recipe features the traditional way is made in Apatzingán Michoacán, where the cooked rice is served topped with beans, pork ribs braised in tomato sauce, and fresh cheese.

The dish also has some variations in the same city, such as using only the sauce with no meat, serving with soupy beans (frijoles caldosos), and adding shredded cabbage,

What Type of Rice To Use

As you already know, there are many types of rice available on the market. To bring this dish to life, you want to stick with long-grain rice.

Mexican white rice should be your first option, but if not available, use basmati, jasmine, American long-grain rice, or any other kind of long-grain rice that’s available to you. 

The perfect rice-water ratio for morisqueta is 1:2, meaning, for every cup of rice, two cups of water are needed to achieve a perfectly fluffy and nicely cooked rice.

About The Stew

Though the rice is the foundation of this dish, it would be nothing without the main star—the salsa. Pork ribs are always my first option, but the recipe can be made also with pork shoulder or even sirloin.

The salsa must be well-seasoned, but you shouldn’t overdo it. When it comes right down to it, the traditional sauce is very simple, but delicious. It contains roasted tomatoes, chilies, onion, pepper, and garlic.

These simple ingredients already provide so much flavor, so the seasoning should accentuate that flavor, not overshadow it. A little goes a long way!

It’s important to note that chile de árbol is very spicy, particularly if you’re not used to eating it. However, chilies are essential to this recipe because it adds flavor, boldness, and a nice kick to the salsa. You should use as much as you can handle.

If chile de árbol is not available where you live, use other types, such as serrano or jalapeño chiles and you can remove the seeds to tone the spiciness down a bit if you want to. 

How To Make Morisqueta Michoacana

Start by placing the ribs in a pan and covering them slightly with water. Add salt and bay leaf. Set heat to medium and bring to a simmer.

You need to cook the meat for about one hour or until tender, in the end, all water should have evaporated and the meat should be tender but not falling from the bone.

While the meat is cooking, make the tomato sauce. Place tomatoes, onions, and chilies on a smoky hot griddle.

Roast until charred spots appear and tomatoes are tender with the skin falling off. Chilies will roast faster, so does onion and garlic, therefore make sure to remove them as the tomatoes keep cooking.

While the sauce ingredients are roasting, make the rice. Place rice in a large sieve and rinse quickly under running water. Put rice into a pan, add salt and water.

Cover the pot, place it over medium-low heat and cook without uncovering until rice is nicely cooked through (about 18-20 minutes).

Now back to the sauce. Place the roasted ingredients in a blender, peppercorns, and 1 and half a cup of water. Blend until everything is combined into a sauce.

As the meat is finishing to cook, it will start releasing its own fat, so keep cooking to brown nicely those ribs.

Then pour in the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper, mix well and bring to a simmer.

Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat to blend the flavors and then adjust with salt to taste. The pork ribs stew should look like the photo below after being cooked.

Notes & Tips

• Do not uncover the rice when it’s cooking, as it need the steam to cook it perfectly with that amount of water.
• Preparing the rice in a rice cooker is a nice shortcut.
• You can use queso fresco, queso panela, cotija cheese, primo sale, paneer cheese, or even parmesan for this recipe.
• Morisqueta can be also vegan by omiting the pork meat in this recipe. Still, make sure you make the sauce with all the spices needed for a flavorful dish.

How To Serve

Fluffy the cooked rice with a fork and divide it into serving plates. Add beans on each plate and top with ribs and plenty of tomato sauce. Last, add the cheese and enjoy!

In Apatzingán, this rice dish is often served with totopos, tostadas, or crispy potato tacos on the side.

Store and Reheat

Morisqueta is a prep-meal perfect for those busy days. The rice can be made up to 3 days ahead and keep it in the fridge nicely stored in an airtight container.

The pork stew can be also made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

For reheating the rice, the microwave is your best option, but the stove can be also used, add rice to a non-stick pan and place over the lowest heat your stove allows, cover, and reheat for a couple of minutes gently stirring from time to time.

More Recipes With Rice

• Arroz Verde (Mexican rice with green poblano sauce).
• Red Spanish Rice (the traditional arroz rojo recipe).
• Arroz Blanco (Authentic Mexican white rice with vegetables).
• Arroz con leche (sweet creamy rice with cinnamon).

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