Monday, July 14, 2008

Arroz Con Gandules (Yellow Rice and Pigeon-Peas)

This is a Puerto Rican dish, yellow rice and pigeon-peas cooked together. My mother and me were taught this by a Puerto Rican friend named Lily. There are many versions of it, don't know if this one is the best but it is very delicious in comparison to some I have had. I believe this dish to be very healthy and easy on the stomach yet filling atleast this version.
My grandmother makes her own version of yellow rice and pigeon-peas which is a very "Cubanized" version that I love but today I will show you this one.

Ingredients:

-2 cans 15 oz of Glandules (Green Pigeon Peas) I buy the GOYA brand
-3 cups white-long grain rice (I buy Mahatma brand of rice)
-3 ½ cups water
-2 packets "Sazon Goya Achiote Con Culantro" (look in specialty section of Hispanic store I find it at "Vallarta" or any Cuban store)
-Salt to taste about 3 tsp.
-4 cloves garlic crushed and minced
-1 whole onion finely minced'
-2 medium roma tomatos minced into small cubes
-½ Green Bell Pepper and ½ red Bell Pepper minced or 1 whole of any color.
-1 bunch of cilantro minced
-Extra-Virgin Olive Oil to sautee


Directions:

(1)Wash rice until water runs clear. Put in rice cooker along with 2 Goya Sazon Packets, and 2 Cans of "Gandules" with their liquid and add 3 ½ cups of water and salt to taste, it should be a little salty because rice will absorb most of the salt and rice is bland anyways.


(2)Heat generous amount of olive oil in a pan on medium high. and sautee bell peppers, onion, and garlic on medium high until everything is fragrant and the onions are translucent. Now add tomato and sautee until tomato releases liquid, mix with cilantro and dump into the rice. Mix well.

(3)Close rice cooker and set it to cook until it beeps.

(4)You can adjust this to cook on a stove top instead just bring water with piqeon peas and it's liquid to a boil then proceed. And simmer on low.

I ate some with "Papa Rellena" yesterday :)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been looking for a recipe for a rice cooker, seems like a healthier way to cook. Just wanted to mention that you would be able to use sofrito/recaito instead of all the chopped onions, peppers, cilantro etc and that would cut out some prep time and not skimp on the taste. I also wanted to add that many also use pork/bacon or ham chopped up to give it even more flavor. If no you have none available, goya also sell packets of 'jamon' which are similar to sazon but add ham flavor to what ever your cooking. That is great for the beans we often cook with white rice, stews and soups.

There are a few things I always have in my pantry and they are sofrito, recaito,, sazon, tomato sauce. With that as my base, I can make almost anything.

Anonymous said...

this is a pretty good recipe. Very flavorful, and you get a much better taste than those that suggest pre-made recaito or sofrito as substitutes for fresh veggies/greens. I would cut back the water to 3c, however. Rice tends to get mushy at 3.5. But very flavorful!! and easier in teh rice cooker. thanks!

Nathan said...

Anonymous,
Glad it came out delicious :) sometimes I like to add pieces of fried pork or ham to it :)

beverly said...

I would like to know how you make the relleno de Papa. and also that cucumber salad that accompanied the dish of the arroz junto con gandules, would love to learn how to make it aswell. thanks.

Nathan said...

Beverly,
Hey thx for the comment :) the papa rellena I have it posted on my blog here's the link:

http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2008/07/papas-rellenas-potato-balls-stuffed.html

as far as the salad goes, these salads are super simply, I simply thinly slice cucumber, tomatoes, onions all into thin rounds, and dress them with freshly squeezed lime juice, generous salt, and drizzles of olive oil. If you want a garlic flavor if you don't mind the "stinky" you jus blend the lime juicee, olive oil, sal, and garlic clove to make a vinagret thats what i did on the one in the picture but i really like the simple squeeze of lime, salt, and olive oil. Thx for the visit :)

Anonymous said...

Great I'm gonna try it tnks