Arroz Con Gandules Recipe

There’s nothing more quintessentially Puerto Rican than arroz con gandules. It’s part of our national dish (along with Pernil). For holidays, birthdays, baby showers, and more, if there’s a party, this dish will be there. Everyone has a little twist on how they prepare this dish, but here’s my version. This recipe was taught to mw by my mother, and she now says that my recipe is even better than hers!

Gandules (aka pigeon peas) are an exotic ingredient to most folks outside of the Caribbean. Pigeon peas, popular throughout the Caribbean West Indies, are small, oval beans with a nutty flavor. They can be found fresh, frozen, canned or dried. They are a bright green color when fresh. If you can get them fresh or frozen (I’ve found them in Latin food markets), go for it, they’re even more flavorful and nutty.

I’ve actually started growing them in my backyard in Florida, and it’s so easy to do so! Gandules grow quickly and produce large quantities of gandules per plant, so if you plant several, you’ll have enough gandules for the whole neighborhood!

The main components of arroz con gandules is rice and pigeon peas. The key to the delicious flavor of this and many Puerto Rican recipes is aromatic sofrito, which is a blend of green peppers, onion, garlic, sweet Caribbean peppers known as ajis dulces, and recao (or culantro). Sofrito is the most essential ingredient in Puerto Rican cooking. Sazon seasoning & tomato paste gives the rice its distinctly marigold color, and herbs like oregano and bay leaves give an herbaceous essence that’s the finishing touch.

Arroz Con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas)

Prep: 5min

Total: 30min

Ingredients:

• 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

Instruction:

1. 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.
2. Next add in the Sazon, tomato sauce or paste and chicken bouillon. Stir to combine.
3. 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.
4. Once the mixture is boiling, add the rice. Stir the rice to get it submerged and distribute the pigeon peas throughout.
5. 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 (Puerto Rican Rice)

Arroz con gandules – Puerto Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas. Seriously the best rice you’ve ever had!

Prep: 20min

Total: 1h

Serving Size: 1 cup

Nutrition Facts: calories 146 calories, Carbohydrate 20 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 5 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 5 grams fat, Fiber 2 grams fiber, Protein 5 grams protein, Saturated Fat 0 grams saturated fat, servingSize 1 cup, Sodium 426 grams sodium, Sugar 1 grams sugar, Trans Fat 0 grams trans fat, unSaturated Fat 4 grams unsaturated fat

Ingredients:

• 3 cups medium or long grain white rice, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 heaping tablespoons sofrito
• 4 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 can (15 ounces) gandules (pigeon peas), partially drained
• 2 heaping tablespoons alcaparrado
• 1 packet Sazón with Achiote (I use Goya brand)
• 1/2 packet ham flavoring (I use Goya brand Jamón)
• 1 teaspoon adobo
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste (start off with 2 teaspoons of salt)
• 4-6 cups hot water

Instruction:

1. Rinse rice well in water and set aside.
2. In a medium caldero or large pot (about 6 quarts or so), heat oil and sauté sofrito until softened. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in gandules, alcaparrado, all of the spices and 4 cups of water. Taste and readjust seasonings, adding additional salt 1 teaspoon at a time. Broth should be heavily seasoned and on the salty side.
4. Bring to a rapid boil, then add rice and stir. You may need to add more water to ensure rice is covered by 1 inch of water. Reduce heat to a soft boil and let most of the liquid absorb and evaporate, stirring occasionally, very gently, so rice does not turn gummy.
5. Carefully mound rice towards center of pot, top with foil and cover with lid. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Stir by folding rice from the bottom up, but do not disturb bottom of pan. Cook for another 20-30 minutes, testing after 20 to see if rice is tender and cooked through.

Puerto Rican Arroz Con Gandules | Perfect every time | Mari’s Cooking

FAQ

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