Best Arroz Con Gandules Yellow Rice With Pigeon Peas Recipes

ARROZ CON GANDULES (PUERTO RICAN RICE AND PIGEON PEAS)

Steps:

• 1. Heat a large heavy bottomed pot, or a caldero if you have one, over medium heat. If using ham or bacon, slowly cook the meat until crispy, remove meat from pot and set aside leaving the drippings. If not using meat, add olive oil before continuing with the next step. 2. Then, add the gandules, tomato sauce, green olives, sofrito, salt, adobo seasoning, sazon, ground black pepper and ground cumin. Stir to fully combine. 3. Once the mixture becomes fragrant, pour in the water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then add the rice. Stir until rice is submerged and pigeon peas are distributed evenly. 4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes. You can add your ham or bacon back in now if you want, or wait to add it in again before serving. Traditionally the rice would be covered with a banana or plantain leaf. However, a tight fitting pot lid will work just fine! 5. About half way through cooking, remove the lid and stir, making sure to scrape up any rice stuck at the bottom of the pan. This is a very touchy subject - some Puerto Ricans insist that you don't stir the rice while cooking. That the crispy bottom bites are the best part! While others would prefer more evenly cooked rice. Whatever you do, if you do stir the rice, make sure you only do it once or the rice can become sticky. 6. After simmering for 25 minutes, remove the arroz con gandules from the heat and let it sit for an additional 30 minutes before serving. This is called letting the rice "steam". The rice is done once all the liquid is absorbed. 7. After letting the rice rest for about a half hour, remove the lid. Fluff and stir the rice, then serve warm with fresh cilantro, if desired.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (PIGEON PEAS RICE)

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse the onion, bell pepper, garlic and cilantro until all is chopped very small to make the sofrito.
• In a large cast-iron pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute the sofrito mixture, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon cubes, sazon, oregano, adobo, black pepper and alcaparrado for about 2-3 minutes until vegetables begin to release aroma.
• Add the pigeon peas with it's liquid and 2 cups of water. When the water begins to boil, add the rice, stirring occasionally to avoid from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Once the rice has soaked up all the water and begins to dry up, lower the heat to low. Cover and let cook for 25 minutes. Then, stir the rice carefully and cover for an additional 5 minutes.
• Serve warm.

PIGEON PEA RICE: ARROZ CON GANDULES

Steps:

• Place a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and bacon. Fry, stirring, until the bacon is crisp. Add the onion and cilantro. Continue to cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the rice, tomatoes, oregano, cumin, salt, achiote, and pigeon peas. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the rice is opaque. Stir in the tomato paste and water and bring to boil. When all the water is absorbed, cover tightly and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until tender. Serve on a decorative platter and garnish with cilantro.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (PUERTO RICAN RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)

Steps:

• Heat your caldero or Dutch oven to medium heat, and add your olive oil, bacon/ham (if using) and sofrito. Stir constantly until fragrant and tender, but not browned, about 4 minutes.
• Next add in the Sazon, tomato sauce or paste and chicken bouillon. Stir to combine.
• Add in the drained pigeon peas, Italian seasoning or oregano, bay leaves, and water/broth. Add the cilantro and/or olives, if using. Allow the liquid to come up to a boil, and taste it for salt. If it needs more saltiness, add in another chicken bouillon cube. You want this liquid to be highly seasoned, as it will determine the final seasoning of the rice.
• Once the mixture is boiling, add the rice. Stir the rice to get it submerged and distribute the pigeon peas throughout.
• Cover and allow the rice to absorb all the visible liquid. Once most of the visible surface liquid is absorbed, stir the rice, and cover again. Lower the flame to low, and allow it to steam for 20-25 minutes. It's done with all the liquid is absorbed and the grains are fluffy and fully cooked.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE AND PIGEON PEAS)

Steps:

• Soak pigeon peas overnight in 6 cups of water; drain and discard water.
• In a large, covered pot, combine peas with 4 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 30 minutes.
• Season with salt and cook 15 minutes more; drain, reserving 3 cups of the cooking liquid (you may need to add more water to end up with the 3 cups).
• Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, lightly brown the bacon and ham; add in the remaining sofrito ingredients and saute, over low heat until all the ingredients are tender and the tomatoes break down.
• Stir in the additional ingredients and combine well; stir in the peas and rice.
• Add the 3 cups of reserved cooking liquid and let cook, uncovered, until almost dry (it will look like little volcanos are erupting); stir up the rice from the bottom.
• Cover and turn the heat down to the lowest setting and let cook 30 minutes, turning the rice, from the bottom, once halfway through cooking.
• NOTE: This is how the dish is supposed to be cooked. I prefer to add the olives after the last turning of the rice for a "cleaner" flavor.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE AND PIGEON PEAS)

Steps:

• Heat achiote oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat until it ripples; stir in sofrito and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
• Cook until sofrito reduces and starts sizzling, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the neck bones, peas, and rice until everything is lightly covered with oil.
• Add enough broth to cover rice and bones by the width of two fingers.
• Cover with a banana leaf, if using, folding as necessary to fit into the pot.
• Bring to a boil and let cook until the level of broth reaches the level of the rice (it will look like numerous volcanos).
• Remove leaf, add in olives, give a good stir, replace leaf, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Remove leaf and fluff with fork; serve hot.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)

Steps:

• In a large pot, fry salt pork in olive oil until halfway done; add ham and continue frying.
• Add rice and sauté until rice is browned.
• Add about ¾ cup to 1 cup sofrito (more or less to taste), tomato sauce and canned tomatoes.
• Add gandules (drained and rinsed) and 4 cups of water.
• Add olives and capers, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to taste and bijol (for color).
• Cook uncovered over medium-high heat 10 minutes, then cover, lower heat and continue cooking 15-20 minutes until done.
• Sofrito: Blend 1 Bunch Cilantro, 1 red pepper, 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 1 head garlic in blender until smooth. (Leftover Sofrito can be freezed and used in beans, soups, etc.).