Arroz con Gandules Recipe (Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas)
Arroz con gandules is a must for any Puerto Rican holiday table. From Christmas through Octavitas, this rice and pigeon peas dish sits alongside pernil and coquito as one of the Three Kings of the season.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 200kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 oz Cooking Ham or summer sausage
- 1 Onion Small, or half of a medium or large onion. Peeled and diced.
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon Achiote OIl
- 1 can Pigeon Peas
- 2 tablespoon Sofrito
- 2¼ cups Water or broth
- 2 cups Rice
- 1 tablespoon Adobo
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 12 Olives
Instructions
- Heat your pot. Add a small amount of olive oil and cooking ham. Allow it to render its fat. Cook ham until is golden brown and any fat has rendered and crisp.
- Add onions and sauté until soft.
- Add sofrito garlic with tomato paste and quickly incorporate.
- Add gandules and sazón or adobo. Sauté lightly to integrate flavors.
- Then add rice and achiote oil. Sauté rice until all grains are coated with oil.
- Coating and toasting the rice grains helps to deliver a loose grainy end product.
- Add olives, liquid and bay leaves—mix pot. Bring liquid to a heavy simmer for about 10 minutes, uncovered.
- Option to cover with plantain leaves for added flavor. Cover, bring the heat to a minimum, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Rinse the Rice: there is much debate about whether to use rice or not the rice. Rinsing the rice removes the excess starches covering the grains or rice. I grew up rinsing the rice, but I have also cooked my rice without rinsing. I have found that rinsing the rice provides a grander final product.
- Crisping the rice: Crisping the rice before we add the water helps to make the rice grainier and loose.
- Broth with water: Adding a little water to your broth would help to keep the rice from getting too sticky.
- Cooking Rice: Rice cooks for about 20 minutes in total. There is some simple math involved, though. For example, if cooking uncovered took 5 minutes, the rice would cook covered for 15 minutes. So adjust your covered time depending on how long it takes to cook uncovered.
- Don't mush the rice: Check rice for doneness by fluffing rice with a fork. I have used a spoon before, but the big cooking spoon squashes the rice. The tines of the fork are far more delicate and allow you to lift the rice without smashing it.
- Rice troubleshooting: If, by any chance, the rice is not entirely done, let it rest covered for a few minutes. If the rice is still undercooked, add about one-quarter cup of water, cover and set the burner to the lowest setting, and cook for another five to ten minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 533mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
