If you love a regular Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules Receta (Pigeon Peas and Rice Recipe), you will fall in love with Arroz con Gandules Apastelado! Made with shredded green plantains, this already amazing rice dish is taken to a whole other level of deliciousness!
If you have always made regular Arroz con Gandules at home, it’s definitely time to elevate this quintessential Puerto Rican rice dish to the next level.
Arroz con Gandules Apastelado, is worlds beyond it’s sister dish! The flavors are earthier, richer and just much more enhanced than the typical better known, arroz con gandules (pigeon peas and rice).
What is Arroz con Gandules Apastelado?
To understand this particular rice dish, lets first discuss its counterpart, regular arroz con gandules.
Arroz con Gandules is a blend of medium or long grain rice, prepared with sofrito, ham, tocino (pork fat), olives, seasonings and of course gandules or pigeon peas.
Apastelado, refers to cooking this already amazing rice dish with shredded or pureed plantains and steamed with plantain or banana leaves.
The addition of plantains and steaming the rice with plantain leaves incredibly elevates the flavor!
Certainly, once you have made it this way, you may never go back to the regular version!
It is just that much better!
Ingredients
- medium grain rice
- gandules (pigeon peas) in their liquid
- sofrito
- garlic cloves
- ham hock, ham steak and pork fat
- chicken bouillon
- Sazon with Annatto (I use Goya brand)
- dry bay leaf
- olives with pimientos
- fresh cilantro
- 2 green plantains
- vegetable oil
- salt to taste
- plantain or banana leaves, can also use cover pot with aluminum foil.
Toppings (optional)
- handful of fresh cilantro
- red pepper pimientos strips in brine
How to Make Arroz con Gandules Apastelado
- Cube all the meats and set aside.
- Using a pair of scissors, cut a few pieces of leaves to about a 10×10 size.
- Cut off “rough” edge of plantain leaves, then rinse and wipe dry. Set aside.
- Rinse rice to remove starchiness until water runs clear. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a caldero or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add ham, ham hock and pork fat (tocino) cubes and saute for a few minutes until slightly browned.
- Add sofrito, olives, sazon, garlic and bay leaves to pot. Stir and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add the whole can of gandules including the water they come in to the pot. Stir all ingredients together and let cook for a minute.
- Add water, cilantro and salt. Bring to a boil.
- While water is boiling, soften plantain leaves by quickly passing over an open flame or electric stove urn. This will make plantain leaves pliable and easier to top on rice when the time comes.
- Cut the ends off of plantains. Using a knife score the plantain lengthwise, careful not to cut into the flesh.
- Using the tip of your thumb or the tip of the knife, gently pry the skin to lift the skin a little. Then slip your thumb under skin to peel skin off completely.
- Using a grater, shred plantains and add to pot. Stir.
- Add rice and stir again.
- Bring to a boil and allow water to evaporate from rice. (about 5 minutes)
- After water has evaporated, stir rice being careful not to stir so hard as to disturb the “pegao” that has built on the bottom of the pot.
- Lower heat to medium low, cover pot immediately with lid and cook rice for 15 minutes. (Do not lift lid during this time or rice will stun and not cook well)
- After 15 minutes, lift lid and stir rice.
- Using a large spoon, pat rice down to flatten as pictured below.
- Top rice with the plantain leaves and cover pot with lid immediately.
- Cook for another 15-20 minutes.
- Lift lid and carefully remove leaves with a fork or a pair of tongs.
- Stir rice one last time.
- Rice is done and ready to serve. Enjoy!
What to Serve Arroz con Gandules Apastelado with
Arroz con gandules is best served with pernil asado (roast pork shoulder), chuletas fritas (fried pork chops) or ribs.
Ensalada de Papa (Potato Salad)
Ensalada de Coditos (Macaroni Salad)
Tips to Make the Best Arroz Apastelado
- Always use a caldero or dutch oven pot to make any Puerto Rican Rice to produce the best rice possible.
- Do not lift lid of rice pot during cooking process or you will stun rice and it will not cook correctly.
- If you cannot find plantain leaves in your area, simply skip this step or use aluminum foil.
Enjoy the best version of the already delicious Arroz con Gandules Recipe you will ever try!
📖 Recipe
Arroz con Gandules Apastelado
If you love a regular Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules Receta (Pigeon Peas and Rice Recipe), you will fall in love with Arroz con Gandules Apastelado! Made with shredded green plantains, this already amazing rice dish is taken to a whole other level of deliciousness!
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Servings: 12
Calories: 453kcal
Ingredients
- 4 cups medium grain rice rinsed
- 1 15.5 oz can of pigeon peas reserve liquid from can
- 4 tablespoon sofrito
- 1 cup smoked ham hock cubed
- 1 cup steak ham cubed
- ½ cup pork fat (tocino) cubed
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes or packets
- 2 envelopes sazon with annatto
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoon pimiento stuffed olives
- handful fresh cilantro
- 4 tablespoon oil
- salt to taste I use a tablespoon
- 2 plantains peeled and shredded
- plantain leaves 2-4 pieces
Toppings
- additional fresh cilantro chopped
- red pepper pimientos strips in brine
Instructions
- Cube all the meats and set aside.
- Using a pair of scissors, cut a few pieces of leaves to about a 10×10 size.
- Cut off "rough" edge of plantain leaves, then rinse and wipe dry. Set aside.
- Rinse rice to remove starchiness until water runs clear. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a caldero or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add ham, ham hock and pork fat (tocino) cubes and saute for a few minutes until slightly browned.
- Add sofrito, olives, sazon, garlic and bay leaves to pot. Stir and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add the whole can of gandules including the water they come in to the pot. Stir all ingredients together and let cook for a minute.
- Add water, cilantro and salt. Bring to a boil.
- While water is boiling, soften plantain leaves by quickly passing over an open flame or electric stove urn. This will make plantain leaves pliable and easier to top on rice when the time comes.
- Cut the ends off of plantains. Using a knife score the plantain lengthwise, careful not to cut into the flesh.Using the tip of your thumb or the tip of the knife, gently pry the skin to lift the skin a little. Then slip your thumb under skin to peel skin off completely.Using a grater, shred plantains and add to pot. Stir.
- Add rice and stir again.Bring to a boil and allow water to evaporate from rice. (about 5 minutes)
- After water has evaporated, stir rice being careful not to stir so hard as to disturb the "pegao" that has built on the bottom of the pot.
- Lower heat to medium low, cover pot immediately with lid and cook rice for 15 minutes. (Do not lift lid during this time or rice will stun and not cook well)
- After 15 minutes, lift lid and stir rice.
- Using a large spoon, pat rice down to flatten as pictured in post.
- Top rice with the plantain leaves and cover pot with lid immediately.Cook for another 15-20 minutes.
- Lift lid and carefully remove leaves with a fork or a pair of tongs.Stir rice one last time.Rice is done and ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
If you cannot find plantain leaves in your area, you can simply skip this step or use aluminum foil.
Nutrition
Serving: 12g | Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 348mg | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 345IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 4mg
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