Known as Puerto Rico’s national dish, arroz con gandules is mellow, gently seasoned stewed rice and pigeon peas (a small dried bean). Including some pork such as bacon is traditional, but you can also make a vegan version with a little extra olive oil. Buy sazón, an annatto-based spice mixture, in the Latin foods aisle at your grocery store, at Latin markets, and online.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this easy-to-make recipe for Rice and Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules) .
1. Info for Rice and Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules)
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 30 min
- Servings: 5
- Calories: 672.59 kcal
2. Ingredients for Rice and Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules)
- extra-virgin olive oil
- bacon
- sofrito
- capers
- pigeon peas
- sazon seasoning
- garlic powder
- jasmine rice
- vegetable broth
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- finely chopped fresh cilantro
3. Directions:
- In a large pot such as a Dutch oven, add the olive oil and bacon. Over medium heat, sauté the bacon to render out the fat. Once the bacon is crisp, discard all but 3 tablespoons fat. Then add the sofrito and capers. Stir occasionally until the sofrito is fragrant and toasty, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Next add the pigeon peas with their liquid, sazón, and garlic powder. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir and let the mixture come up to a boil. Then add the rice and stir, making sure that all of the rice is coated with the pigeon pea sauce. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan often, to make sure the rice is slightly toasted. Then add the vegetable broth, salt, and pepper and stir.
- Let the liquid come to a rolling boil, scraping the bottom of the pan. Once most of the liquid has evaporated and you see little pockets of bubbles coming from the rice, fold the rice over itself and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and finish cooking until the liquid is absorbed, another 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Sprinkle with cilantro if you like. Serve immediately with your favorite protein, or enjoy solo!
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