Best 5 Arroz Con Gandules Rice And Pigeon Peas A Puerto Rican Fav Recipes

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Arroz con Gandules, also known as Puerto Rican rice with pigeon peas, is a beloved dish that embodies the vibrant culinary heritage of Puerto Rico. This classic one-pot meal is a harmonious blend of savory flavors, combining tender rice, succulent pigeon peas, and a medley of aromatic spices. Its vibrant yellow hue, derived from the natural color of the annatto seeds, adds a cheerful touch to any dining table. Arroz con Gandules transcends its status as a mere dish; it's a culinary tapestry that weaves together the history, culture, and traditions of Puerto Rico. From family gatherings to festive celebrations, this dish holds a special place in the hearts of Puerto Ricans worldwide.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll embark on a culinary journey to explore the authentic flavors of Arroz con Gandules. We'll provide you with two delectable recipes: a traditional version that stays true to the classic Puerto Rican flavors and a vegetarian variation that caters to a meatless lifestyle, ensuring that everyone can savor this beloved dish. Get ready to tantalize your taste buds as we delve into the vibrant world of Arroz con Gandules, a culinary treasure that captures the essence of Puerto Rican cuisine.

Let's cook with our recipes!

ARROZ CON GANDULES (PUERTO RICAN RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)



Arroz Con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas) image

Provided by Jannese

Categories     Side Dish

Time 30m

Number Of Ingredients 13

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup country ham or bacon, diced ( (optional))
1/3 cup sofrito
3 cups water or low sodium chicken broth
1 ½ tsp sazón con achiote y culantro
1 cube chicken bouillon (or more if needed)
2 tbsp tomato paste (or 1/3 cup tomato sauce)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or oregano (either one works)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
2-3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons pimento stuffed olives (optional)
15 ounce can Pigeon Peas (Gandules), drained and rinsed (or 2 cups of fresh or frozen)
2 cups parboiled rice

Steps:

  • Heat your caldero or Dutch oven to medium heat, and add your olive oil, bacon/ham (if using) and sofrito. Stir constantly until fragrant and tender, but not browned, about 4 minutes.
  • Next add in the Sazon, tomato sauce or paste and chicken bouillon. Stir to combine.
  • Add in the drained pigeon peas, Italian seasoning or oregano, bay leaves, and water/broth. Add the cilantro and/or olives, if using. Allow the liquid to come up to a boil, and taste it for salt. If it needs more saltiness, add in another chicken bouillon cube. You want this liquid to be highly seasoned, as it will determine the final seasoning of the rice.
  • Once the mixture is boiling, add the rice. Stir the rice to get it submerged and distribute the pigeon peas throughout.
  • Cover and allow the rice to absorb all the visible liquid. Once most of the visible surface liquid is absorbed, stir the rice, and cover again. Lower the flame to low, and allow it to steam for 20-25 minutes. It's done with all the liquid is absorbed and the grains are fluffy and fully cooked.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)



Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas) image

Feed a crowd with this authentic Arroz con Gandules recipe, which was handed down to me from my mom. It's a staple with the "familia" at all our gatherings. -Evelyn Robles, Oak Creek, Wisconsin

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories     Side Dishes

Time 45m

Yield 18 servings (3/4 cup each).

Number Of Ingredients 12

1/2 cup sofrito
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 cups uncooked long grain rice
1 envelope Goya sazon with coriander and annatto
7 cups water
1 can (15 ounces) pigeon peas, drained
2 cans (5 ounces each) Vienna sausage, drained and chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1 envelope Goya ham-flavored concentrate
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Steps:

  • In a Dutch oven, cook Sofrito in oil over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add rice and sazon; cook and stir until rice is lightly toasted, 3-4 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until rice is tender, 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 220 calories, Fat 5g fat (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 14mg cholesterol, Sodium 537mg sodium, Carbohydrate 38g carbohydrate (1g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 6g protein.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE AND PIGEON PEAS)-A PUERTO RICAN FAV



Arroz Con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas)-A Puerto Rican Fav image

Make and share this Arroz Con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas)-A Puerto Rican Fav recipe from Food.com.

Provided by kimjunae

Categories     Short Grain Rice

Time 50m

Yield 10 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 9

2 cups white rice (short grain)
1 (15 ounce) can pigeon peas
1 (5 g) packet sazon goya
4 ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons sofrito sauce
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons adobo seasoning

Steps:

  • Pour olive oil in a cast iron/aluminum pot until hot.
  • Bring the temp up to med-high and pour in water, bullion, tomato sauce, sofrito, adobo, and sazon until it comes to a boil.
  • Pour in pigeon peas (gandules) and let boil for a minute.
  • Pour in rice.
  • Stir ONCE and put the lid on it, sealing tightly.
  • Let sit for 20 minutes on low-medium.
  • If the rice looks gummy DO NOT STIR IT, just put the lid back on and wait until the rice is firm (ready).
  • If you desire the crunchiness on the bottom, once the rice is done cooking, put the temp on very low temp and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The bottom will loosen up from the moisture (since it it's done cooking).

ARROZ CON GANDULES (PUERTO RICAN RICE AND PIGEON PEAS)



Arroz Con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas) image

Arroz con Gandules -- also known as Puerto Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas -- is Puerto Rico's national dish for a reason! It's a flavorful Puerto Rican rice dish made with gandules (pigeon peas), green olives and sofrito. Treat your friends and family to this famous rice tonight!

Provided by Jessica - The Novice Chef

Categories     Side Dishes

Time 1h10m

Number Of Ingredients 14

4 slices bacon or ham, optional
2 tablespoons oil (olive or vegetable oil)
1 cup fresh or frozen gandules (pigeon peas), drained from the water
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup green olives
1/4 cup sofrito, thawed if using store bought frozen sofrito
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
½ packet sazon
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin powder
3 ½ cups water
3 cups medium white rice, rinsed
cilantro, optional garnish

Steps:

  • 1. Heat a large heavy bottomed pot, or a caldero if you have one, over medium heat. If using ham or bacon, slowly cook the meat until crispy, remove meat from pot and set aside leaving the drippings. If not using meat, add olive oil before continuing with the next step. 2. Then, add the gandules, tomato sauce, green olives, sofrito, salt, adobo seasoning, sazon, ground black pepper and ground cumin. Stir to fully combine. 3. Once the mixture becomes fragrant, pour in the water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then add the rice. Stir until rice is submerged and pigeon peas are distributed evenly. 4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes. You can add your ham or bacon back in now if you want, or wait to add it in again before serving. Traditionally the rice would be covered with a banana or plantain leaf. However, a tight fitting pot lid will work just fine! 5. About half way through cooking, remove the lid and stir, making sure to scrape up any rice stuck at the bottom of the pan. This is a very touchy subject - some Puerto Ricans insist that you don't stir the rice while cooking. That the crispy bottom bites are the best part! While others would prefer more evenly cooked rice. Whatever you do, if you do stir the rice, make sure you only do it once or the rice can become sticky. 6. After simmering for 25 minutes, remove the arroz con gandules from the heat and let it sit for an additional 30 minutes before serving. This is called letting the rice "steam". The rice is done once all the liquid is absorbed. 7. After letting the rice rest for about a half hour, remove the lid. Fluff and stir the rice, then serve warm with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 257 calories, Carbohydrate 25 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 16 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 12 grams fat, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 12 grams protein, SaturatedFat 1 grams saturated fat, ServingSize 1, Sodium 1265 milligrams sodium, Sugar 1 grams sugar, TransFat 0 grams trans fat, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams unsaturated fat

ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE AND PIGEON PEAS)



Arroz Con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas) image

This is a traditional Christmas Eve dish from Puerto Rico. Most people add the alcaparrado (olives and capers) at the beginning of cooking. I think this makes the dish taste "funny." I stir in the olives and capers at the end of cooking which I think makes for a cleaner flavor. This recipe is based on one by Daisy martinez. Look at recipe #244296 for the achiote (annatto) oil and recipe #444676 for the sofrito, or use your favorite or get store-bought. This recipe makes a lot.

Provided by threeovens

Categories     Long Grain Rice

Time 35m

Yield 10-15 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 11

1/2 cup achiote oil (Achiote Oil)
1 cup sofrito sauce (Sofrito (Daisy Martinez))
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 lbs pork neck bones
15 ounces pigeon peas, rinsed and drained
6 cups long grain rice
8 cups beef broth
1 banana leaf (optional)
3 tablespoons alcaparrado or 3 tablespoons pimento-stuffed green olives, coarsely chopped

Steps:

  • Heat achiote oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat until it ripples; stir in sofrito and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
  • Cook until sofrito reduces and starts sizzling, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the neck bones, peas, and rice until everything is lightly covered with oil.
  • Add enough broth to cover rice and bones by the width of two fingers.
  • Cover with a banana leaf, if using, folding as necessary to fit into the pot.
  • Bring to a boil and let cook until the level of broth reaches the level of the rice (it will look like numerous volcanos).
  • Remove leaf, add in olives, give a good stir, replace leaf, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
  • Remove leaf and fluff with fork; serve hot.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 565, Fat 2.1, SaturatedFat 0.3, Cholesterol 0.6, Sodium 2565, Carbohydrate 116, Fiber 8, Sugar 0.1, Protein 18.8

Tips:

  • Use high-quality jasmine rice for the best flavor and texture.
  • Soak the pigeon peas overnight or for at least 4 hours before cooking to reduce cooking time.
  • Use a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to cook the rice and pigeon peas evenly.
  • Add a bay leaf and a few cloves of garlic to the cooking liquid for extra flavor.
  • Cook the rice and pigeon peas until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
  • Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
  • Serve the rice and pigeon peas with your favorite Puerto Rican dishes, such as stewed chicken, pork, or fish.

Conclusion:

Arroz con gandules is a delicious and easy-to-make Puerto Rican dish that is perfect for any occasion. With its combination of savory rice, tender pigeon peas, and flavorful sofrito, this dish is sure to please everyone at the table. So next time you're looking for a simple yet satisfying meal, give arroz con gandules a try!

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