I had this dish in Denver. The bar tended to sell mexican food, but I am not sure if this is specifically a mexican dish.
The actual meal itself (onion, coconut etc) I am not looking for specifically. I haven’t been able to find a recipe where crispy rice in general is made in a cast iron pan.
The bottom and sides were crispy, and the middle was very creamy rice. Does anyone have a recipe or suggestions?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorched_rice
Personally, I really like the version from Iran. They (and I’m sure there is regional variation in it) mix some yogurt into the rice, which seems similar to the dish you had.
Plain, white rice will brown a little where it contacts the pan. Adding a fat like oil or butter will conduct heat better so you get a thicker layer of browning. It’s basically frying. The addition of an acid increases the rate of caramelization, so yogurt helps with that.