Arroz Amarillo Con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas)

Submitted by Michelle Figueroa

"Arroz Con Gandules is considered a Puerto Rican dish, but we have always consumed "Arroz Con Gandules" in my household,"

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pigeon peas
• 3 cups long-grain white rice
• water (depends what type of rice if you use regular long grain rice it's 1 1/2 cups water per 1 cup rice, i)
• 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 lb pork, cut into little cubes like 1/2 inch big (like pork shoulder or boneless leg of pork, etc.)
• 1 small green bell pepper, finely minced
• 1 medium onion, finely minced
• 5 -6 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste (through a garlic press)
• salt, to taste at least 2 teaspoons
• 1⁄2 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin (to taste don't over do it for this dish or it will over power it)
• 1 sazon goya con culantro y achiote
• lard (my grandmother prefers bacon grease or lard leftover from making fried pork rinds to cook this dish,) or bacon grease (my grandmother prefers bacon grease or lard leftover from making fried pork rinds to cook this dish,)

directions

1. Wash rice really well until water runs clear, strain well, put in rice cooker and add water, set aside.
2. Heat pan on medium high heat, add olive oil or lard, let it heat up a bit like 5 minutes more or less. Be sure the oil is hot enough, you can test it by dipping a wooden spoon if it sizzles it's ready.
3. Season pork cubes with 1 teaspoon salt (trust me) and add to hot oil, let it fry in one layer underdisturbed until browned. About 5 minutes more or less. Add minced onion and bell pepper and cook down together with pork for about 5-7 minutes, add minced garlic afterwards and cook for 2 minutes or so until fragrant.
4. Turn off heat and dump this sautee into the rice cooker with the rice and water, mix well. Add drained can of pigeon peas, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon "Bijol", and 1/2- 1 teaspoon cumin. Mix well. Taste the water in there, it should be salty like ocean water, if not add more salt carefully. Increasing by 1/2 teaspoons and so on but don't use more than 3 teaspoons.
5. Cover and turn on rice cooker and set to cook, when it beeps the rice is done. Fluff it and it's ready.
6. Serve with whatever you want, I like it with a simple salad, of sliced tomato, cucumber, and onion dressed in lime and salt along with a meat dish that's grilled or pan-fried.

7. NOTE:

8. (1)You can adjust this to your stove top, fry the pork, and make the sofrito (sautee of onion, garlic, and bell pepper) add the cleaned drained rice stir well to coat with sofrito, add water, salt, cumin, bijol, and drained can of pigeon peas, bring to a boil, stir, then cover and lower heat to low to cook for about 30 minutes covered, then open to check if it's done if so turn off heat and fluff.