A great place to use leftovers and to improvise. Plenty of lime, raw onion, and cilantro are key; if you include them in abundance, the soup will be delicious and authentic. Though I have never seen it in Mexico, you could use vegetable stock here if you prefer.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 160)

　　1/4 cup long-grain rice

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 cup diced fresh tomato

　　1/2 cup minced onion, preferably white

　　1 cup diced cooked chicken, optional

　　1/4 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste

　　1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves, or more to taste

　　Minced fresh jalapeños or other chiles to taste, optional

　　

Step 1

Put the stock in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rice along with some salt and pepper and lower the heat so the mixture just bubbles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is quite tender, about 20 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, combine the vegetables with the chicken if you’re using it, lime juice, cilantro, and chiles if you’re using them, in the bottom of 1 large or 4 small bowls. When the soup is ready, ladle it over the vegetables and spices, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.