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Arroz con gandules, also known as rice and pigeon peas, is a main staple in this house. We make it at least once a month and I never tire of it. This is my husband’s recipe (he’s from Puerto Rico) and I’m very thankful that he taught me how to make it. He has also allowed me to share it with the world so consider yourselves lucky! The secret to this recipe is using beer in addition to water. You can definitely swap out the beer for chicken broth or water if you need to. However, the beer is what takes this rice to another level.
This arroz con gandules recipe produces a large amount of food and makes great leftovers. We eat it for breakfast with a fried egg and avocado on top or alongside ribs and pork chops. The rice will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days unless you eat it all before then.
Arroz con gandules is a wonderful side dish to my EASY SLOW COOKER PORK CARNITAS or my SLOW COOKER BEEF BARBACOA (Mexican shredded beef). You should check those recipes out if you haven’t done so already!
Instructions
First you will need to sauté the onion and green pepper in a little oil until they become soft. This usually takes about 5 minutes. Adding a little bit of salt will help speed up the process.
After that you add the garlic, ham, sofrito, recaito, capers, olives, gandules and Sazon packet. Stir to combine and then add the beer and water. Let this come up to a boil before you finally add the rice. Put the lid on the pot and turn the burner to simmer. It will take about 25 minutes to cook or when all the liquid is absorbed. Take it off the burner and let it rest.
Let’s talk about pegao for a minute. For those of you that are not familiar with the term it simply means crusty rice. Pegao is not simple though. It is a complex mix of flavor and texture, and you want this on the bottom of your pot. Trust me. By letting the pot rest for a little bit, the pegao will become firmer. When you scoop the arroz con gandules out of the pot make sure to get the pegao too. It’s not burnt rice (unless its black). Its crispy deliciousness that adds a wonderful crunchy texture.
Substitutions
An important detail in this recipe is the type of beer used. We use a Budweiser tall boy can. I would not suggest using any type of IPA or dark lager in this, stick with the basic Domestics. You can totally omit the beer, if necessary, just use 4 cups of water or a mixture of water and chicken stock.
If you can’t find the Goya Recaito or Sofrito in your grocery store, then you can purchase them here. I have used store-bought salsa or picante sauce in place of the Goya sofrito, and it worked well in this recipe. Additionally, you could make your own sofrito in a food processer and use that.
Different meats can be used in this arroz con gandules recipe, or you can omit the meat altogether and make this vegetarian. Salami, Spanish chorizo, bacon and ham are our favorite meats to add to this dish.
You can use any large pot with a tight-fitting lid to make this meal. We use a Caldero which you can purchase here
Check out some of my other delicious recipes!
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ARROZ CON GANDULES
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Cooking oil
- ½ cup Onion diced
- ½ cup Green pepper diced
- 2-4 clove Garlic minced
- ½ cup Diced ham chunks 4 oz
- 1 packet Sazon con achiote
- 4 tbsp Goya Recaito
- 5 tbsp Goya Sofrito
- 2 tbsp Green olives with pimento
- 1 tbsp Capers
- 14 oz Gandules or pigeon peas drained
- 24 oz Beer Budweiser
- 1 cup Water
- 2 cups Long grain rice
Instructions
- In a large pot or a Caldero sauté on medium heat the onion and pepper in 1 tbsp cooking oil. Add a pinch of salt and cook 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, ham chunks and Sazon packet, sauté for 1 minute.
- Add recaito, sofrito, olives, capers, gandules, beer and water. Bring to a boil.
- Add rice and cover with lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated.
Notes
