Arroz con Gandules - Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon 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 rinsed white rice long grain
- 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 or tomato paste
- 1/3 cup fully cooked, cubed country ham or chunks of pernil pork shoulder
- 2 tablespoon stuffed olives (drained) optional
- 2 - 3 bays leaves optional
- 1 packet sazon with achiote y culantro goya or loiza brand
- 2-3 tablespoons adobo all purpose seasoning or to desired taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt if needed
Instructions
- In a dutch oven pot or caldero, heat olive oil at medium-high heat. Add sofrito, tomato sauce and cooked diced country ham or pork chunks. 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 heavily 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.