Brown Rice and Pigeon Peas (Arroz Con Gandules)

Mary the Disturbed Stick Woman's Note:

This is one of my favorite recipes of any kind. It's tasty, healthy, easy, quick, and I'm happy eating it for days on end. It's based on a Goya recipe that I adapted to use brown rice for better nutritional value. If you want to eat more whole grains but just can't find appetizing ways to prepare them, give this a try. It can also be made with long-grain white rice if you prefer (not jasmine rice or anything like that, just the ordinary kind). The canned pigeon peas and sazon can both be found in the latino/hispanic/international section of most US supermarkets.

• Total Time: 42 mins
• Prep Time: 12 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 slices smoked bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can pigeon peas (gandules)
• 1 packet goya sazon goya with coriander and annatto
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups long grain brown rice

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the bacon and onion and cook three minutes. Add the garlic and cook two minutes longer.
2. Stir in all remaining ingredients except rice. Bring to a boil.
3. Stir in rice, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until rice is tender (about 40-45 minutes if you're using brown rice, 25-30 minutes if you use white rice.

Reviews

[Umm Abdullah]

I used the Goya Gandules recipe last night and here are my recommended tweeks:

1) Use Brown Basmati rice from the Indian stores because after a 45 min soak it only requires 20-25mins cooking time same as the original white rice recipe. Plus brown rice haters will not know the difference once turmeric or saffron is added
2) I don't use Sazon b/c of the MSG and even the ones that don't have MSG have DSG. Soooo I suggest use:
-Turmeric for yellow color or saffron if you have it
-Goya Adobo
-Add your own coriander powder(which I forgot oops)
3) Use Goya's tomato sauce Spanish Style which also has some spices in it.
4) I like turkey bacon but you can also use smoked/dried turkey neckbones or similar types of smoked/dried turkey meat. It's sooo yummy with any Caribbean rice and peas recipe Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Trini, Guyanese whatever (I forgot this too lol).

Tonight I will be adding some camarones(Shrimp) with the coriander to the leftover rice. Hope it taste good

[Big Mama #4]

Wonderful!!!! I used more bacon and substituted sofrito for the tomato sauce because thats what I had on hand. Can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch!

[mandagirl]

We loved this! It may be a bit unusual, but I had left over dark meat turkey and used that in place of the bacon. With a salad and bread it was a complete meal.