pigeon peas

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.

Arroz Con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice With Pigeon Peas)

banana

neutral oil,

annatto seeds

sofrito (recipe below)

manzanilla olives

pigeon peas, drained (reserve 2 1/2 cups cooking liquid, if possible)

Store-bought or homemade adobo spice blend (see Tip), to taste

salt and black pepper

rice

pale, lager-style beer

olive oil

yellow onion, large diced (about 1 cup)

red bell pepper, stem,

green bell pepper, stem,

garlic

cilantro,

scallions,

ají dulce peppers, stemmed and seeded (optional)

store-bought

Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice With Pigeon Peas)

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!

Good cooks need good eaters, and preparing food for people I care about brings me tremendous joy. This dish is among those I’ve shared with others, and one that I share here in honor of my dear friend <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/business/media/liyna-anwar-dies.html">Liyna Anwar</a>, who died a year ago. We were colleagues, and, because she was Muslim and ate strictly halal, I often brought her vegetarian dishes to sample. This was among her favorites: a deeply earthy dish that is sumptuous and nourishing. Green plantains are finely grated, mixed with simple spices, formed into balls with a spoon, and then dunked directly into simmering pigeon peas; the natural starch of the plantains sets up without added flour. Liyna once prepared this dish alongside me, delighting in the experience of forming the buoyant dumplings. The memory of her happiness blends now with my own memories of eating it.

Gandules con Bolitas de Plátano (Pigeon Peas With Plantain Dumplings)

sofrito

vegetable stock

bay leaves

salt

cumin

garlic powder

ground annatto or sweet paprika

kosher salt,

white rice,

avocado,

Prepare the gandules: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add sofrito and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mixture darkens. Add gandules, vegetable stock, bay leaves and salt, and increase heat to high. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

While gandules are cooking, prepare the plantain dumplings: Grate or blend plantains in a food processor until smooth or shred them finely on a box grater. Put grated plantains in a medium bowl and add cumin, garlic powder, annatto and salt. Mix well with a fork to incorporate. The mixture will be thick and a little sticky, but the natural starch of the plantain will set up quickly.

Return the gandules to a rolling simmer. Standing over the pot, scoop out about 1 tablespoon of plantain masa and put directly into the pot. The dumplings will rise immediately to the top. Repeat with the remaining masa, careful to avoid putting fresh dumplings on top of others, until you’ve used up all of the plantain masa, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking to one another.

Once all the plantain dumplings have been added, lower heat and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring gently a few times. Remove from heat, and adjust salt to taste. Serve as a soup, accompanied by white rice, with avocado slices on the side.

This easy sambar is packed with vegetables and topped with a 'tarka' of fried onions with spices. Sambar is vegan and gluten-free, and is traditionally served over rice or with dosas or idlis in Tamil Nadu.

This meal, if served as six portions, provides 192kcal, 5g protein, 16g carbohydrate (of which 5.5g sugars), 11g fat (of which 1.5g saturates), 4g fibre and 1.3g salt.

Sambar

grams/3½oz toor dal

onion,

grams/3½oz carrots,

pumpkin

grams/3½oz green beans,

tomato,

1½ tsp ground turmeric

sugar

milliliters/2fl oz vegetable oil

chana dal

tsp fenugreek seeds

coriander seeds

Kashmiri chillies with seeds

curry leaves

tsp asafoetida

vegetable oil

tsp black mustard seeds

fenugreek seeds

Coconut-infused rice and gungo (pigeon) peas are kissed with scallions, thyme, Scotch bonnet, and allspice. It is the perfect easy and complementary side dish to make for dinner tonight!

Jamaican Rice and Gungo Peas (Pigeon Peas) 

c parboiled rice

(15 oz.) can dried pigeon/gunga peas, undrained

(13-15 coconut milk

tsp salt

pimento seeds (allspice berries)

water

scallion stalk, bruised

thyme

Scotch bonnet pepper

Season the rice and peas. In a large...

Season the rice and peas. In a large pot, add the rice, peas, milk, salt, pimento, pepper sauce (if desired), and water. Stir well to combine.

Add the aromatics. Place the onion, scallion, thyme,...

Add the aromatics. Place the onion, scallion, thyme, and scotch bonnet pepper on top of the rice mixture (to be easily removed after cooking).

Cook it. Cover the pot with a lid...

Cook it. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Next, reduce the heat to a slow boil and cook for 8 minutes. Lastly, reduce the heat to low, allowing the rice to steam for an additional 12 minutes, until tender. Turn off the heat and leave the rice on the stove, covered, to continue steaming for about 10 minutes. (If the rice is not yet tender, add a little more water and continue steaming until the desired texture is achieved).

Fluff it. Remove the onions, thyme, and pepper...

Fluff it. Remove the onions, thyme, and pepper (if desired). Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHCFSnbEdtM

Coconut-infused rice and pigeon peas (aka gunga/gungo peas) are kissed the aroma of onions, scallions, thyme, Scotch bonnet, and allspice. It is the perfect complementary side dish to your main dish for dinner or holiday celebrations.

Full Recipe: https://quisinequeenb.com/jamaican-rice-and-pigeon-peas-coconut-rice-gungo-peas/

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Music:  "Love" by Ketsa. Abundance, 2021. MP4 (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/abundance/love)

Jamaican Rice and Pigeon Peas (Coconut Rice & Gungo Peas)

Creamy, hearty, and flavorful, this Vegan Arroz con Guandules is a classic Puerto Rican dish. Perfect as a side, but also delicious enough for a main! 

Vegan Arroz con Guandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)

tbsp Neutral Cooking Oil (can sub with Water

½ Yellow Onion, diced

¼ each Red, Yellow, Green Peppers

Garlic, minced

tbsp Tomato Paste

Vegan Chicken-Flavored Bouillon

tsp Capers

Bay Leaves

tsp Salt-Free Seasoning Blend*

tsp Cumin

½ tbsp Badia’s Sazon Tropical

tsp Goya’s Sazon con Azafran

tbsp Tamari

15.5 oz can Guandules Secos,

13.5 oz Can Full-Fat Coconut Milk

White Rice

Cilantro,

Black Pepper and Oregano, to taste (Optional)

First, add the cooking oil to a medium pot and raise to medium-high heat. Add the Onion, diced Bell Peppers, ½ of the bunch of chopped Cilantro, Bay Leaves, and Garlic to the pot. Sauté until the Onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to cook everything; plastic and metal affect the final flavor of the dish!

Add the Vegan Chicken-Flavored Bouillon and Tomato Paste to the pot and use the spoon to “mash” them into the Vegetables. Sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Then, add the Capers, entire can of Guandules Secos, Tamari, Cumin, and Sazon con Azafran. Sauté until the spices are fragrant and evenly distributed, about 3 minutes.

Add ½ of the remaining Cilantro to the pot along with the can of Coconut Milk and remaining spices, then bring everything to a simmer over high heat.

Rinse the Rice under cold water, then immediately add it to the simmering mixture. Once a few grains of rice start to float to the top of the mixture, add the rest of the Cilantro, mix well, and cover. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork, serve, and enjoy! Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

This looks so yummy!! If I may, Pigeon Peas in spanish is spelled GANDULES.
Going to try this recipe tomorrow. Thank you for posting it.

Your recipe sounds great! I should poinjt out that Debbie's is statement is correct; the only correct translation and hence spelling of pigeon peas in Spanish is GANDULES, no other variation. Thank=s for posting such a delicious recipe. I have made this many times; in  its original version from Puerto Rico.

@Jess, when the water starts to evaporate and it s at the same level as the rice (or slightly below) you cover it and put it on the lowest setting. Do not open the lid. The steam is what finishes the cooking. If you find it is still not done, leave the lid on another 5 minutes with the flame off. Glad you can please your Dominican MIL! My cousin who is a great cook and grew up in PR taught me how to make her arroz con gandules. Love it!

Hi! I’m actually puertorriqueña, norm and raised. I have always lived there. Anyway I have never seen any arroz con gandules with cilantro in Puerto Rico, so if you don’t like cilantro, you don’t have to use it baches el arroz con gandules típico doesn’t have it.

Hey Caitlin, This sounds like a great vegan alternative to our traditional Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Could I make a slight correction about Sofrito? It is not sautéed peppers and onions.  It is actually a blend made in a food processor of cilantro, culantro (two main herbs in the recipe), peppers (green, red, yellow, and/ or Puerto Rican sweet peppers aka Aji Dulce), onions, and fresh garlic cloves (some people add Parsley and Olive oil). It is then stored in a jar, sometimes frozen into ice cubes and then used as a base for many of our dishes.

Wow. Super impressed with this dish.  The flavor is unique, and you can easily swap veggies in/out.  Thank you!

After my illness, my life changed, I decided to switch to a vegetarian diet too, your recipes helped me a lot, thanks for the post!

Learn how to make a simple but spectacular basic Indian dal recipe with under 10 ingredients. This dish makes a delicious weeknight meal, is loaded with good nutrition, and it is also gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free and vegan.

The Best Dal Recipe

toor dal ((split pigeon peas/arhar dal/tuvar dal/thuvaram paruppu. Whisk the cooked lentils until creamy))

½ tsp turmeric ((haldi/halad/manjal podi))

tsp black mustard seeds ((rai/sarso/mohri/kadugu))

tsp cumin seeds ((jeera/jeeragam))

tbsp cilantro (((dhaniya/kothimbir/kothamalli. Finely chopped, plus more for garnish))

green chili peppers ((like jalapeno

tomatoes ((finely diced))

Salt

lemon

¼ tsp asafetida ((hing/perungayam))

curry leaves ((kadi patta/karuveppilai))

Cook the lentils until tender. See the FAQs for how to do this in an Instant Pot, a pressure cooker or a pan on the stovetop.

Make the tempering or &quot;tadka&quot;. Heat the oil in a wide saucepan, dutch oven or karahi, then add the mustard and cumin seeds and asafetida, if using. As soon as the mustard seeds sputter, add the cilantro and optional curry leaves and the green chili peppers.

Add the tomatoes. Saute the cilantro and curry leaves for a minute, then stir in the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until they have expressed most of their juices and are very soft.

Stir in the lentils. Add the cooked dal (whisk it first to break down the lentils) to the saucepan and mix it well. Add water to thin out the lentils--I add about a cup. You can make the dal as thick or as thin as you like. A thicker consistency is better with rotis, a thinner consistency works well with rice.

Bring to a boil, cover and cook for five minutes. This gives the flavors a chance to meld.

Add lemon juice. Turn off the heat, then add in the lemon juice and garnish with more cilantro, if you like.

Arroz con Gandules is a traditional Puerto Rican rice dish made with pigeon peas, bacon, and sazón. Often served during holidays and celebrations, this aromatic one-pot meal combines fluffy rice, tender peas, and savory spices for a comforting, authentic taste of Puerto Rican cuisine.

Arroz con Gandules

medium grain white rice (rinced)

chicken stock

tsp sazon (Goya brand)

recaito

onion (small, diced)

bacon (thick, diced)

15.5 oz gandules (1 can (pigeon peas), drained and rinsed)

Tbsp parsley (chopped)

In a 6 qt pan on medium heat sauté onions and bacon in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the gandules and stir quickly for about 3 minutes. Immediately add the sazón, broth, water and rice.

Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cover. Cook for approximately 20-25 minutes. Fluff, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Add salt to taste. (The saltiness of the bacon can vary so I check the salt level at the end.)

This looks amazing and healthy! I love rice, this is so perfect for me!

I have not had this rice dish before, but it looks and sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe share!

This turned out delicious, perfect as a side with enchiladas. It's one of my new favorite rice recipes!

I was trying to meal plan for tomorrow, and I think this needs to happen! This looks so good, thank you so much for sharing :)

A great variation on beans and rice that every culture seems to have one of and they're all delicious. My first time using gandules or sazon, and both will be in my pantry from now on. This is a simple and quick meal that melds some great flavors together and uses up some spare ingredients you probably have on hand. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

We love rice and always look out for different rice recipes, this sounds perfect and thanks for the detailed post.

Amazing dish and looks beautiful, too. It can go so well with other delicious reicpes that I love to make. And I've got to try it with that bistec encebollado!

I'm a big rice eater and this recipe is so helpful. I am always in lookout for different and unique rice preparations. With all the flavors, this is simply the best!

What could be better than beans and rice with bacon?! I love all the flavors in this side dish and love the fact that you gave us a recipe for our own homemade sazon. Can't wait to try this!

I bet it's nearly impossible to find these beans here, but there are some varieties of beans that are locally grown here in Sweden and that could make for a nice fusion version of this recipe. Gona try it out in the colder season, when we eat more beans.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1613245263/hbnh4xd9ewdsw1vn9itq.mp4

If you want a traditional authentic rice dish from Puerto Rico then here is the dish to try. Arroz con gandules is the typical Puerto Rican rice dish with pigeon peas. Bacon, onions and sazon seasoning are also used. The gandules add a nice floral accent.

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