Best Puerto Rican Steamed Rice Recipes

PUERTO RICAN WHITE RICE

Steps:

• Stir rice and water into a medium pot with lid. Bring to a boil.
• Add salt and oil. Keep mixture at a gentle boil until rice is dry (it will not be tender). Use a mixing spoon to form a heap with the rice in the center of the pot.
• Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.
• Remove lid every 5 minutes to stir and sample rice. Rice will form a crust on the bottom of the pot if not stirred often.
• When rice is steamed to your liking, stir one last time to fluff; serve.

BASIC PUERTO RICAN RICE RECIPE

Steps:

• Rinse and drain rice, set to the side.
• Warm oil in a caldero over medium high heat.
• Add salted pork and cook for about two minutes before adding in sofrito and onions or chopped vegetables, except for garlic.
• Cook vegetables until softened, about 4 minutes, occasionally stirring.
• Add in garlic and cook for thirty seconds before adding in tomato sauce, seasonings, and cilantro.
• Let sauce come to a bubble and stir in rice.
• Stir rice occasionally for two minutes for the rice to absorb the sofrito sauce.
• Allow to cook about a minute, stirring occasionally before adding in the rice.
• Pour in chicken broth or water with chicken bullion.
• Bring the liquid to a boil and then lower to a steady simmer (think medium).
• Cook uncovered for 12-14 minutes not stirring until the water levels evaporate to where you see the top of the rice and it the rice looks like craters.
• Stir once and cover.
• Lower heat to low. DO NOT UNCOVER!
• Cook rice for twenty minutes. DO NOT TOUCH OR UNCOVER!
• After 20 minutes DO NOT UNCOVER YET, remove pot from heat and let it steam for about 15 minutes before uncovering.
• Uncover and gently fluff with a fork before serving.

PUERTO RICAN RICE AND BEANS (ARROZ CON GANDULES)

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.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (PUERTO RICAN RICE AND PIGEON PEAS)

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.

PUERTO RICAN RICE AND BEANS

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.

FILIPINO STEAMED RICE, CEBU STYLE

Steps:

• Mix pork belly with cooking wine, oyster sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator, at least 20 minutes.
• Heat vegetable oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the pork pieces; fry until browned, about 6 minutes. Pour in water, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Cover with a lid and bring stew to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until pork becomes tender and water is reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
• Cut shrimp into 3/4-inch pieces. Mix cornstarch and water together in a bowl.
• Bring stew to a boil. Add the shrimp and peas; cook until shrimp changes color, about 2 minutes. Quickly stir in the cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir until gravy is thickened, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Saute garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to high. Add rice; cook, breaking up the rice with a spatula, until loosened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add oyster sauce and soy sauce. Cook and stir until rice is fluffy and heated through, about 3 minutes. Add remaining sesame oil.
• Divide fried rice between 3 or 4 bowls. Portion the pork and shrimp stew equally over the rice.

CARNE GUISADA III

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine tomato sauce, sofrito sauce, sazon seasoning, adobo seasoning, oregano, and salt. Simmer over medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add meat, and cook until evenly browned. Stir in just enough water to cover meat. Cover, and simmer for about 1 hour. Add potatoes, and cook for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.