Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas
Arroz con Gandules
Rice and pigeon peas cooked in a caldero with sofrito, achiote and olives. It is the national dish of Puerto Rico, and the crispy pegao at the bottom is the prize.
- Prep 15 min
- Cook 45 min
- Serves 6–8
- Level Medium
You need
- 3 tbsp achiote (annatto) oil or olive oil
- 4 oz (115 g) smoked ham or salt pork, diced
- ½ cup sofrito (recaíto)
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 packet sazón with culantro and achiote
- ¼ cup pimiento-stuffed olives
- 1 tbsp capers (optional)
- 1 can (15 oz) green pigeon peas (gandules), with liquid
- 3 cups medium-grain rice, rinsed
- 3½ cups water or broth (about)
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 bay leaf
How to make it
- Sofrito. In a caldero or heavy pot, brown the ham in the oil. Add the sofrito and cook 3 minutes, then the tomato sauce, sazón, olives and capers for 2 minutes.
- Add gandules and liquid. Add the gandules with their liquid, the water, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and taste: it should be a little salty.
- Add the rice. Stir in the rice and boil uncovered until the liquid drops to the level of the rice, about 5 minutes.
- Cover and steam. Stir once from the bottom, cover with foil and the lid and cook on low 25–30 minutes. Do not stir again.
- Pegao. For the crisp bottom, turn the heat to medium the last 5 minutes. Fluff the top and scrape the pegao out to share.
Photo: Jose Kevo from Springfield, Missouri, EEUU · CC BY-SA 2.0