Puerto Rican Rice Recipes

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!

Steps:

• Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add pork and saute until browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and heat until fragrant. Add gandules, recaito, sazon seasoning, and olives. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Add rice to the pot and stir to coat. Add 1 1/2 cans' worth of water; bring to a boil and cover. Simmer until rice has absorbed most of the liquid and formed a "crust" on the bottom, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir mixture near the top, avoiding the crust, after 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Made by Goya brand and can be found in the Spanish/Latin section of your grocery store Cook white rice as instructions on package of rice say to (5 minute rice is perfectly fine).
• make sure when you are done cooking to let excess water out of rice.
• In saucepan, heat oil on low-medium heat and put in the ham, salted pork, or Canadian bacon.
• once it starts to sizzle, add the garlic powder and Adobo seasoning.
• Then add the Sofrito and Sazon con Azafran seasoning, stir.
• Next add red beans (drain most of liquid, just a little bit is needed to pull the sauce together).
• Mix and serve.
• (in Puerto Rico, it is traditional to serve rice and beans with almost every meal, but mainly with pork chops (cooked with a little sofrito and adobo seasoning) on the side).
• Enjoy (a wonderful recipe straight from the island).

Steps:

• ***NOTES***.
• Have all of the ingredients ready to add to your pan before you start.
• For the annato oil, in a small saucepan, heat 1/4 Cup of oil or lard over low heat until it is hot. Add 3 Tbls. of Annato Seeds, and stir, for one minute. Let this cool, stirring occasionally, while you gather your ingredients. Strain when it is cool.
• Preheat a non-stick pan or wok, over high heat for one minute.
• Add to your pan the Annato oil, heat for 30 seconds.
• Add the pork, and toss this in the hot oil for 30-45 seconds.
• Add the pigeon peas, the olives, and the peppers, toss for 45 seconds - 1 minute.
• Add the rice, garlic, Adobo, and the black pepper.Toss and mix, coating all of the rice w/the oil, and breaking up any clumps of rice. Continue tossing it until it is heated through.
• Plate it up, and garnish with a fresh sprig of Cilantro.
• This rice is very hearty, and if you want to make this a meal, just add some extra pork, fry up a few tostones, and get a tub of potato salad from the Deli!

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized caldero or nonstick pan. Stir in sofrito, garlic, sazon, and adobo; cook for 4 minutes, making sure not to burn garlic. Stir in rice until coated well; pour in chicken broth and water and stir once more.
• Bring mixture to a boil and cook over medium-high heat until all liquid has been absorbed and rice looks like it has little holes throughout, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in peas and cilantro gently from bottom to top, once or twice only. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat and let rice sit, uncovered, for 10 minutes more.