Best 9 Pigeon Pea Rice Arroz Con Gandules Recipes

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Arroz con gandules, also known as pigeon pea rice, is a traditional dish from Puerto Rico that combines the flavors of savory rice, tender pigeon peas, and a variety of aromatic spices. This delightful dish is a staple in Puerto Rican cuisine and can be found in many homes as a comforting and flavorful meal. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a beginner in the kitchen, this article will guide you in creating the most delicious arroz con gandules using simple, easy-to-follow recipes. Discover the secret ingredients and techniques that make this dish so irresistible, and embark on a culinary journey that will transport your taste buds to the vibrant streets of Puerto Rico.

Here are our top 9 tried and tested recipes!

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 (PIGEON PEAS RICE)



Arroz con Gandules (Pigeon Peas Rice) image

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

1/2 cup red onion (, chopped)
1/2 cup green bell pepper (, chopped)
3 cloves garlic (, minced)
2 tablespoons cilantro
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 cubes chicken bouillon ((caldo de pollo))
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon adobo
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon alcaparrado
15 oz can gandules verdes ((green pigeon peas), with liquid)
2 cups water
3 cups rice

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)



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.

PIGEON PEA RICE: ARROZ CON GANDULES



Pigeon Pea Rice: Arroz con Gandules image

Provided by Ingrid Hoffmann

Categories     side-dish

Time 1h20m

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 strips bacon, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
2 cups long-grain white rice
1 (10-ounce) can chopped tomatoes and green chiles
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch achiote powder, optional
1 (15-ounce) can green pigeon peas (gandules), rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups water
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

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 (PUERTO RICAN RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)



Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice With Pigeon Peas) image

Every step and ingredient adds something important to this recipe from the Puerto Rican-born chef and writer Reina Gascón-López. Annatto seeds steeped in oil give the rice its signature marigold hue. The banana leaf imparts a subtle tropical aroma to the rice as it cooks. Olives, ham, beer and peppers with their brine offer salt, fat, acid, umami and a bright pop of color. The sheer number of flavors layered into this dish make it a delight to unpack. The most exhilarating layer is the last one: pegao, the crisp, glassy shards of rice at the bottom of the pot. Gandules (pigeon peas) make this version of rice and beans distinctly Caribbean. Ms. Gascón-López prefers to start with dry gandules, which her family sometimes ships to her from Puerto Rico, then flavors the pot with some sofrito, a bay leaf or two and a smoked pork neck. If you have trouble finding dry pigeon peas, they are often labeled as toor at Indian grocery stores.

Provided by Samin Nosrat

Categories     dinner, grains and rice, vegetables, main course

Time 1h30m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 24

Fresh or thawed frozen banana leaves, washed and wiped for steaming and serving
1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola
2 teaspoons annatto seeds
1 1/2 ounces ham or pork fatback, small diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup sofrito (recipe below)
2 tablespoons sliced manzanilla olives
1 tablespoon store-bought or homemade sazón spice blend with achiote (see Tip)
1 1/2 cups cooked pigeon peas, drained (reserve 2 1/2 cups cooking liquid, if possible)
Store-bought or homemade adobo spice blend (see Tip), to taste
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups medium-grain or jasmine rice
1/2 cup pale, lager-style beer
1 jarred roasted red pepper, thinly sliced, plus 3 tablespoons brine
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, large diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 medium red bell pepper, stem, ribs and seeds removed, then large diced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, stem, ribs and seeds removed, then large diced
1/2 large cubanelle or Italian frying pepper, stemmed and seeded, then large diced
5 garlic cloves
1 loosely packed cup cilantro, roughly chopped
3 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 1/2 ají dulce peppers, stemmed and seeded (optional)
1/4 loosely packed cup roughly chopped culantro (optional)
3/4 teaspoon store-bought or homemade sazón spice blend with achiote (see Tip)

Steps:

  • Lay 1 banana leaf (or more, if needed) flat on a large cutting board, then set the lid of a large Dutch oven or similar pot on top. Use a paring knife to trace around the lid, and cut the leaf (or leaves) so that they will fit properly inside the pot. Cover with a clean dishcloth and set aside.
  • In a small saucepan, cook the neutral oil and annatto seeds over medium heat, allowing the seeds to infuse the oil. After 2 to 3 minutes, when the oil begins to bubble and the seeds start to crackle, turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool completely. Pour the cool oil through a fine-mesh strainer, reserving seeds for another round of infusing, if desired.
  • Make the sofrito: Use a food processor or high-speed blender to pulse the onion, red and green bell peppers, cubanelle pepper, garlic, cilantro, scallions, ají dulce peppers (if using) and culantro (if using), adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed to achieve a smooth, salsa-like consistency. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon sazón and set aside. (The sofrito makes about 2 cups. Refrigerate it for up to 5 days or portion it into ice cube trays or plastic containers, and freeze up to 6 months.)
  • Set the large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons annatto oil and the ham or fatback. Sauté until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 6 minutes. Add 1/4 cup sofrito, the olives and 1 tablespoon sazón, stirring until sofrito is fragrant, about 3 minutes.
  • Next, add pigeon peas and sauté for another 3 minutes. Season with adobo, salt and black pepper to taste.
  • Reduce heat to medium. Add rice, stirring until grains are all coated, seasoned and starting to toast. If there isn't enough oil to generously coat all of the rice and peas in the pot, add the remaining tablespoon of annatto oil. This will help form a delicious golden bottom crust called pegao.
  • Once the rice is toasted, stir in the beer and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the reserved pigeon-pea liquid (or 2 1/2 cups water) and roasted red pepper brine. Taste the cooking liquid and adjust salt as needed; it should be pleasantly salty.
  • Gently stir rice, then spread about half the thinly sliced roasted red pepper over the rice. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover rice with prepared banana leaves, then cover pot with its lid and cook for 22 minutes.
  • Once the time has passed, remove the lid, open the banana leaves and gently fold the rice onto itself from the outside in to form a mound in the center of the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, replace banana leaves and lid and continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes to allow pegao to form at the bottom of the pot.
  • To serve, spoon rice atop a platter layered with fresh banana leaves. Garnish with remaining sliced roasted peppers. Use a metal spatula to scrape pegao out of the pot and serve on a separate plate. Be careful, because everyone will fight over it!

ARROZ CON GANDULES RECIPE BY TASTY



Arroz Con Gandules Recipe by Tasty image

A traditional Puerto Rican dish, arroz con gandules is rice cooked with green pigeon peas. This orange-hued dish is full of flavor from the herby, peppery sofrito and pairs nicely with stewed chicken, pork, or red beans. Don't worry if the bottom layer burns a bit as you finish cooking the rice--this crispy layer is called pegao and is one of the best parts of the dish!

Provided by Tikeyah Whittle

Categories     Sides

Time 1h15m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

½ small bunch fresh cilantro
½ small bunch culantro
¼ white onion, roughly chopped
¼ red bell pepper, roughly chopped
¼ green bell pepper, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup canola oil
10 pimento-stuffed spanish olives, thinly sliced into rounds
1 tomato sauce
2 teaspoons dried adobo seasoning
2 packets Sazón with culantro and achiote seasoning
1 can pigeon peas, drained
3 cups water
3 ⅓ cups medium grain white rice

Steps:

  • To the bowl of a food processor, add the cilantro, culantro, onion, red and green bell peppers and garlic. Pulse until combined. Add the cumin and oregano and pulse a few more times to incorporate. The sofrito should have the consistency of a tapenade.
  • Heat ¼ cup of canola oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the sofrito and fry, stirring constantly, until deepened in color but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the olives, tomato sauce, adobo seasoning, Sazón seasoning, pigeon peas, and water, and stir to combine.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the rice. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is fully evaporated and the rice around the edges of the pot looks dry.
  • Stir, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook the rice for another 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the rice is tender and fluffy.
  • Serve the arroz con gandules warm alongside dishes of your choice.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 647 calories, Carbohydrate 48 grams, Fat 50 grams, Fiber 11 grams, Protein 7 grams, Sugar 6 grams

ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE AND PIGEON PEAS)



Arroz Con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas) image

This recipe starts with fresh pigeon peas and I am translating it from Spanish. It comes from an old cookbook, originally published in 1954 called "Cocina Criolla" by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli who was born in 1912. So I suppose she would know Puerto Rican cooking if anyone does!

Provided by threeovens

Categories     Rice

Time 1h15m

Yield 6-8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 16

1 lb pigeon peas, picked over and rinsed clean (fresh gandules)
10 cups water, divided
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 ounce bacon, minced
1 ounce ham, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 aji bell peppers, seeded and minced (small sweet pepper that resembles an habanero)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and minced
1 medium tomatoes, minced
3 stems culantro, minced
3 fresh cilantro stems, minced
3 tablespoons achiote oil (Achiote Oil)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 pimento stuffed olives
1/2 teaspoon capers
2 1/4 cups long grain white rice

Steps:

  • Soak pigeon peas overnight in 6 cups of water; drain and discard water.
  • In a large, covered pot, combine peas with 4 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 30 minutes.
  • Season with salt and cook 15 minutes more; drain, reserving 3 cups of the cooking liquid (you may need to add more water to end up with the 3 cups).
  • Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, lightly brown the bacon and ham; add in the remaining sofrito ingredients and saute, over low heat until all the ingredients are tender and the tomatoes break down.
  • Stir in the additional ingredients and combine well; stir in the peas and rice.
  • Add the 3 cups of reserved cooking liquid and let cook, uncovered, until almost dry (it will look like little volcanos are erupting); stir up the rice from the bottom.
  • Cover and turn the heat down to the lowest setting and let cook 30 minutes, turning the rice, from the bottom, once halfway through cooking.
  • NOTE: This is how the dish is supposed to be cooked. I prefer to add the olives after the last turning of the rice for a "cleaner" flavor.

ARROZ CON GANDULES



Arroz con Gandules image

Arroz con gandules is a combination of rice and pigeon peas cooked in the same pot with sofrito. This is Puerto Rico's national dish along with roasted pork. I make a whole pot of arroz con gandules at least once a month just for me. I eat it all week long with nothing but lots of hot sauce. This rice dish is a must for all family events, gatherings or even a day at the beach.

Provided by Food Network

Categories     side-dish

Time 1h

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

3 cups medium-grain rice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sofrito with recao (culantro)
One 15-ounce can gandules (pigeon peas), not drained
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Spanish olives
1 packet sazón con achiote (1 1/2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon adobo
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Steps:

  • Rinse the rice with cold water, drain and set aside.
  • Heat the oil and sofrito in a 6-quart Dutch oven or caldero over medium-high heat, 2 minutes. Stir in the gandules with liquid, tomato sauce, olives, sazón, adobo and black pepper to taste then bring to a simmer. Stir in the rice, add 2 cups water and bring to a boil until the water begins to evaporate. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes.
  • Before serving, fluff the rice and add the cilantro.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS)



Arroz Con Gandules (Rice With Pigeon Peas) image

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

4 ounces salt pork, cut into small cubes
4 ounces cubed ham
3 cups rice
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) can pigeon peas (Gandules)
1 tablespoon food coloring (Bijol)
2 tablespoons capers
10 -15 stuffed green olives
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
salt & pepper
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 head garlic

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

Tips:

  • Soak the pigeon peas overnight: Soaking the pigeon peas overnight helps to soften them and reduce their cooking time.
  • Use fresh ingredients: Fresh ingredients will give your arroz con gandules the best flavor. If you can, use fresh pigeon peas, onion, garlic, and bell pepper.
  • Don't overcook the rice: Arroz con gandules is best when the rice is cooked through but still has a little bite to it. Overcooked rice will be mushy and unappetizing.
  • Add some heat: If you like your food spicy, you can add some chopped jalapeño pepper or cayenne pepper to the rice. You can also serve the rice with a dollop of hot sauce.
  • Garnish with cilantro: Cilantro is a traditional garnish for arroz con gandules. It adds a fresh, citrusy flavor to the dish.

Conclusion:

Arroz con gandules is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is also a great way to use up leftover rice. With its combination of flavors and textures, arroz con gandules is sure to please everyone at your table. So next time you're looking for a new and exciting way to serve rice, give arroz con gandules a try!

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