Arroz con Gandules - Puerto Rican Rice and Peas
Arroz con Gandules is a delicious Puerto Rican Style Rice cooked with pigeon peas, chunks of pork, stuffed olives, and seasoned with sofrito, herbs and tomato sauce. Serve as a side or a main entree.
Equipment
- Dutch Pot or Caldero
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice (rinsed)
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 15 ounce can of gandules (rinsed and drained) (alternatives are frozen or fresh gandules)
- 1/3 cup of homemade sofrito linked above
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup cubed country ham
- 2 tablespoon stuffed olives (drained) optional
- 2 - 3 bays leaves optional
- 1 packet sazon with achiote y culantro
- 2 teaspoons adobo all purpose seasoning or to desired taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt if needed
- fresh cilantro (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a dutch oven pot or caldero, heat olive oil at medium-high heat. Add sofrito, tomato sauce and cooked diced country ham. Cook until fragrant (roughly 5 minutes) and flavors are well infused.
- Then add gandules. If canned, rinse and drain. If frozen, do not thaw. If fresh, add in without manipulation.
- Next, add bay leaves for extra flavoring. Allow to infuse with sofrito tomato base.
- If desired add stuffed olives. Next, pour room temperature water in the dutch pot, stir lightly and begin to season.
- Add sazon, adobo, dried oregano and salt if needed. Carefully taste and adjust seasonings to liking.
- Allow water to come to boil then add rinsed rice. Stir once or twice and leave untouched. Avoid over-stirring, as it creates extra starch and mushiness. Cook rice uncovered until water is mostly absorbed.
- Once most of the visible surface liquid is absorbed, gently stir the rice once more, and lower the heat and cover. Allow low heat to steam rice for 20-25 minutes.
- The arroz con gandules will be done when all liquid is absorbed, rice is fluffy and peas are tender. Remove bay leaves before serving.
Video
Notes
- Fresh Gandules - Have great snap, flavor and texture. Need to be cooked longer to achieve desired tenderness.
- Frozen Gandules - Well preserved and convenient. Should be added to rice frozen NOT thawed to maintain shape.
- Canned Gandules - Comes slightly seasoned and quick to cook. Should be drained and rinsed before adding to the rice, to avoid access moisture and/or mushy texture.