Arroz con Gandules, also known as rice with pigeon peas, is a traditional Puerto Rican dish that combines the flavors of savory rice, tender pigeon peas, and aromatic sofrito. This beloved dish is a staple in Puerto Rican cuisine and holds a special place in the hearts of many. Arroz con Gandules is often served as a main course, accompanied by stewed meats, roasted pork, or fried plantains. The vibrant green pigeon peas add a pop of color and a slightly nutty flavor to the dish, while the sofrito, a flavorful blend of onions, garlic, peppers, and herbs, infuses the rice with a rich and savory taste. This hearty and comforting dish is a true representation of Puerto Rican culinary heritage and is sure to delight taste buds with its authentic and vibrant flavors.
**In this article, you'll find two variations of Arroz con Gandules:**
1. **Traditional Arroz con Gandules:** This classic recipe follows the traditional method of preparing the dish, using fresh or canned pigeon peas, sofrito, and a blend of seasonings. It provides step-by-step instructions to guide you through the process of cooking the rice and infusing it with the delicious flavors of sofrito and pigeon peas.
2. **Vegetarian Arroz con Gandules:** This variation caters to vegetarians and vegans by replacing the traditional meat base with a flavorful combination of sofrito, vegetables, and plant-based protein. It showcases how to create a hearty and satisfying vegetarian version of this beloved Puerto Rican dish, packed with colorful vegetables and a savory sofrito base.
ARROZ CON GANDULES (PUERTO RICAN RICE AND PIGEON PEAS)
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
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 (PIGEON PEAS RICE)
This delicious rice is the side dish of choice at every Dominican and Puerto Rican holiday dinner. Made with pigeon peas and a mixture of Latin seasonings, this popular rice dish is perfect for Nochebuena.
Provided by Vanessa
Categories Side Dish
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a food processor, pulse the onion, bell pepper, garlic and cilantro until all is chopped very small to make the sofrito.
- In a large cast-iron pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute the sofrito mixture, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon cubes, sazon, oregano, adobo, black pepper and alcaparrado for about 2-3 minutes until vegetables begin to release aroma.
- Add the pigeon peas with it's liquid and 2 cups of water. When the water begins to boil, add the rice, stirring occasionally to avoid from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Once the rice has soaked up all the water and begins to dry up, lower the heat to low. Cover and let cook for 25 minutes. Then, stir the rice carefully and cover for an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 375 kcal, Carbohydrate 70 g, Protein 9 g, Fat 6 g, SaturatedFat 4 g, Sodium 100 mg, Fiber 5 g, Sugar 1 g, ServingSize 1 serving
ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)
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
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.
PIGEON PEA RICE: ARROZ CON GANDULES
Provided by Ingrid Hoffmann
Categories side-dish
Time 1h20m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Place a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and bacon. Fry, stirring, until the bacon is crisp. Add the onion and cilantro. Continue to cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the rice, tomatoes, oregano, cumin, salt, achiote, and pigeon peas. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the rice is opaque. Stir in the tomato paste and water and bring to boil. When all the water is absorbed, cover tightly and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until tender. Serve on a decorative platter and garnish with cilantro.
ARROZ CON GANDULES (YELLOW RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)
Provided by Food Network
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In a large saucepan, heat oil and salt pork over medium-high heat. Add sofrito and cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste and mix well, cook for 2 minutes. Add rice and cook 2 minutes being careful not to scorch the rice, turning all the time. Add saffron and gandules and stir constantly. Add liquid, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste and bring everything to a boil. Lower heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Do not disturb. After 15 minutes, check the rice. Stir. Recover. Turn off heat and let steam for 5 minutes more. Serve immediately with pernil asado or alone. The rice should be fluffy and separate. The color should be golden.
- Mix together all ingredients and set aside to let flavors meld together.
ARROZ CON GANDULES (PUERTO RICAN RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)
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)
This is a recipe that my mother-in-law taught me how to make. It is from Puerto Rico and is a traditional dish for many meals. Gandules (or pigeon peas) is a type of bean and can be found in most Spanish or Latin stores; they are distributed and labeled by Goya. Bijol can also be found in Spanish stores, in a small yellow round container. It is a yellow food coloring spice, something like paprika or turmeric. This is a great recipe...everyone who tries it raves about it. It's worth hunting for the ingredients...I guarantee it!
Provided by rdmontes
Categories Long Grain Rice
Time 1h30m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- In a large pot, fry salt pork in olive oil until halfway done; add ham and continue frying.
- Add rice and sauté until rice is browned.
- Add about ¾ cup to 1 cup sofrito (more or less to taste), tomato sauce and canned tomatoes.
- Add gandules (drained and rinsed) and 4 cups of water.
- Add olives and capers, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to taste and bijol (for color).
- Cook uncovered over medium-high heat 10 minutes, then cover, lower heat and continue cooking 15-20 minutes until done.
- Sofrito: Blend 1 Bunch Cilantro, 1 red pepper, 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 1 head garlic in blender until smooth. (Leftover Sofrito can be freezed and used in beans, soups, etc.).
Nutrition Facts : Calories 633.3, Fat 14, SaturatedFat 4.8, Cholesterol 22.3, Sodium 755.1, Carbohydrate 104.7, Fiber 12.2, Sugar 5.6, Protein 22.7
ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)
A simple and flavorful dish from Puerto Rico. Pigeon peas are a tiny green-brown bean usually found in the latin food section. Substitute any small bean (black-eyed peas, etc) for the pigeon peas. Serve with a cabbage and tomato salad and some crispy warm tostones.
Provided by aymeahrens
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 30m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- In a large pot with a lid gently brown ham steak in oil.
- Add sofrito, sazon, boullion cube, olives and undrained pigeon peas.
- Simmer gently to mix flavors.
- Stir in rice and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-high.
- Boil until no visible liquid remains, stirring often to prevent sticking.
- Heap rice and bean mixture into a mound in the center of the pot. Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Stir and check rice for doneness every 5 minutes or so. A crisp rice crust will form on the bottom if the mix is not stirred often. This will add a bit of crunch to the dish but I have found all the men in my family love the crust!
- When rice is tender, stir once again to fluff mixture.
- Serve with sliced of avocado and garnish with additional green olives.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 547.6, Fat 10.5, SaturatedFat 1.5, Cholesterol 0.1, Sodium 137.9, Carbohydrate 94.4, Fiber 11.8, Sugar 0.1, Protein 18.8
Tips:
- Use fresh ingredients: Fresh pigeon peas, bell peppers, and onions will give your dish the best flavor.
- Soak the pigeon peas: Soaking the pigeon peas overnight will help them cook more evenly and reduce the cooking time.
- Use a flavorful broth: Chicken or vegetable broth will add a lot of flavor to the rice. You can also use water, but the rice will be less flavorful.
- Cook the rice in a covered pot: This will help the rice cook evenly and prevent it from drying out.
- Let the rice rest before serving: Letting the rice rest for a few minutes after cooking will help it absorb all of the flavors.
- Serve with your favorite sides: Arroz con gandules is a great main course, but you can also serve it with sides like fried plantains, tostones, or avocado salad.
Conclusion:
Arroz con gandules is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for any occasion. It is a popular dish in Puerto Rican cuisine and is often served with sides like fried plantains, tostones, or avocado salad. With its vibrant flavors and textures, arroz con gandules is sure to be a hit at your next gathering.
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