Wanda Oyola, Thermomix® Independent Consultant in Kissimmee Book a cooking demo
Sweet Sofrito

Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)

Puerto Rico's festive rice with pigeon peas, sofrito, sazón and olives, cooked right in the bowl.

By Wanda Oyola 45 min Easy

Jump to recipe Save on Pinterest

Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.

Golden rice with green pigeon peas and olives in a serving dish.

Arroz con gandules is the rice that shows up at Puerto Rican celebrations, from Christmas Eve dinner to a long Sunday lunch. The golden color comes from sazón with achiote, the deep flavor from sofrito, and the olives and capers leave little salty bites all through the pot.

In the Thermomix® TM7™, the sofrito sautés first, then the rice, gandules and water cook together on reverse at soft speed, so the grains stay whole and the peas don't break. With a batch of homemade sofrito in the freezer, this side dish is ready in about 45 minutes, and most of that time is hands off.

Made in the Thermomix® TM7™

Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)

Makes: About 6 cups

  • Prep10 min
  • Cook35 min
  • Total45 min
  • Serves6

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Place the oil, sofrito and ham (if using) in the mixing bowl and sauté 5 min/120°C (250°F)/reverse/speed 1.
  2. Add the tomato sauce, alcaparrado, sazón and oregano and sauté 2 min/120°C (250°F)/reverse/speed 1.
  3. Add the rice, gandules, water, salt and bay leaf, then stir with the spatula so all the rice sits under the liquid.
  4. Place the simmering basket on the mixing bowl lid instead of the measuring cup and cook 22 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft.
  5. Taste a few grains. If the rice is still firm, cook 3 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft more, adding 50 g (3 tbsp) of hot water if the bowl looks dry.
  6. Transfer the rice to a serving dish with the spatula, remove the bay leaf and fluff it gently with a fork.
  7. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest 5 minutes before serving.

Tips

  • After step 3, taste the liquid with a spoon: it should be a little saltier than a soup, because the rice soaks up the salt as it cooks.
  • Feeding a crowd? Cook two batches instead of doubling. With 300 g of rice the contents stay well under 2 liters and the rice cooks evenly.
  • For a meatless version, skip the ham and use water or vegetable broth. The sofrito and sazón carry plenty of flavor on their own.
  • Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge. Reheat covered in the microwave with a splash of water so the grains stay soft.

More recipes to try