Arroz Con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas)

Submitted by Michelle Figueroa

"Got this recipe from El Boricua."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 cups medium grain rice (rinsed)
• 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 lb pork
• 4 -5 cups hot water, approx
• 1⁄2 cup ready made sofrito sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can of cooked green pigeon peas (gandules, undrained)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 20 green olives
• 1 sazon goya con culantro y achiote
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons oil
• salt & pepper

directions

1. Cut pork into biting sizes and season with adobo, sazon, salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a medium size caldero (rice pot) add the oil and heat on medium heat.
3. Add the pork and fry until almost done.
4. Add tomato sauce, olives, sofrito, sazon, salt and pepper.
5. Cook over for 4 minutes.
6. Add all other ingredients, and enough water to cover the rice 1" above the rice line. Stir.
7. Bring to a boil and cook over med/high heat until most of the water is absorbed.
8. Once the water has been absorbed, stir gently from bottom to top - once or twice only, cover and turn the heat down to low.
9. You can cover the rice with aluminum paper or better yet a banana leaf and then put on the cover.
10. Cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Reviews

[LucyS-D]

Very good recipe. Easily adaptable for leftover pork shoulder (I just added it in the final stir). At the last minute I realized that I was out of gandules, so used pink beans. I did miss the earthiness of the gandule so try to use that. I liked the idea of adding the banana leaf on top for the final simmer, nice touch.

 

[max.exito1]

This is NOT an authentic recipe for Puerto Rican arroz con gandules or rice with pigeon peas. One should NEVER use sazon flavor packets, as they mostly contain MSG and other chemicals including artificial colors. It is best to use fresh cumin, black pepper, salt, powdered garlic and oregano instead. The base for this recipe is the "sofrito". Sofrito is green peppers (preferably cubanelle peppers, onions, lots of fresh garlic, ajis (Italian sautéing peppers), recao (coriander) or lots of cilantro. All of these are put into a food processor and made into thick sauce and then sautéed in oil infused with annatto coloring at the start of the recipe. Capers, roasted red peppers and stuffed green olives are also added to the pot along with the tomato sauce. I think 8 ounces of tomato sauce is too much for 2 cups of rice. It should be half that.

 

[newlms]

Excellent! I used a premade pernil from the supermarket, added a bit more sofrito than the recipe called for and bought yellow Spanish rice. IT WAS FAB !