If you love Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules, you’ll adore Arroz con Gandules Apastelado! Shredded green plantains elevate this classic dish to new heights of flavor.
If you love and mastered regular arroz con gandules, it’s time to take this classic and iconic rice dish to new heights! Arroz con gandules apastelado, also known as arroz apastelado, offers an elevated dish that’s earthier, richer and I must say outshines its well loved counterpart.
It’s the same dish with the added bonus of shredded or blended green plantain. This simple addition infuses the rice in such a delicious manner that makes it irresistible!
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Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Bursting with Flavor – Adding green plantains creates a rice dish that’s earthy and deeply satisfying.
- Perfect for Any Occasion – Whether you make this rice dish for the holidays or as a weeknight side dish, this recipe is one everyone will love.
- Simple to Make – Adding green plantains doesn’t add a ton of extra fuss to this dish, which means you can enjoy this dish without complicated steps. It’s straightforward with minimal effort but produces big results.
Ingredients
- Medium Grain Rice – Although, I prefer to use medium grain rice, you can also use long grain rice.
- Green Plantains – Use green unripen plantains, the same you would use to make dishes like garlic tostones (fried garlic green plantains) and arañitas (fried green plantain fritters).
- Sazón – Use sazón with annatto (achiote) for flavor and coloring.
- Gandules – Use canned or frozen gandules.
- Ham Steak and Tocino – Cut the ham steak and tocino (pork fat back) into small cubes for distributed flavor throughout the rice.
- Sofrito – Sofrito is the the base seasoning to many Puerto Rican dishes and a require ingredient for arroz apastelado.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetarian Version – For a vegetarian version, simply omit the ham steak and pork fat back.
- Gandules – If you cannot find gandules, you can try this dish with black eye peas, black beans or red beans.
Instructions
Step 1: Over medium heat, add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to a caldero or dutch oven pot and heat through. Add the tocino and ham (Image 1) and cook for a few minutes.
Step 2: Add the sofrito, sazon, chicken bouillon, oregano, bay leaves, garlic, olives and stir well (Image 2). Cook for about two minutes.
Step 3: Add the can of gandules including the water they came in (Image 3) followed by the water (Image 4) and stir. Allow the water to come to a low boil.
Step 4: Using a food processor with the grating disk attached, grate the plantain (Image 5). Then remove the shredded plantain and grating disk. Attach the chopping blade and return the shredded plantain to the bowl. Blend until a puree forms (Image 6). Note: You could also use a box grater on the finest side.
Step 5: Add the plantain to the pot and stir (Image 7 & 8).
Step 6: Add the rinsed rice (Image 9) and stir. Season with salt to taste. Check to make sure there’s enough water to cook the rice. Tip: You will know you have added enough water when a large spoon, placed on top of the rice, is nearly fully submerged by the water (Image 10).
Step 7: Increase the heat to medium-high and let the water almost completely evaporate (Image 11), about five minutes.
Step 8: Using a pair of scissors, cut one to two pieces of plantain leaves to about a 10×10 size. Cut off the “rough” membrane of plantain leaves, then rinse the pieces with soapy water and wipe dry (Image 12). Set aside.
Step 9: Stir the rice gently with a large spoon and cover the top of the rice with the plantain leaves. Then cover the pot immediately with a lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Tip: When stirring the rice, do not stir so hard that the “pegao” (crispy rice) forming at the bottom of the pan gets distributed into the rest of the rice.
Let the rice cook for fifteen minutes on medium low heat without disturbing it.
Note: Once you’ve stirred the rice and covered the pot, resist the urge to remove the lid until it’s time to check and stir again. Lifting the lid will disrupt the cooking process, causing the rice to stay undercooked and grainy.
After fifteen minutes, remove the lid and stir the rice again (Image 14). Cover the pot again and continue cooking for another fifteen minutes.
After fifteen minutes, remove the lid and give the rice a final stir. The rice is done (Image 15). Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top for garnishing and extra flavor.
Expert Tips
- Pot: Always use a caldero or Dutch oven when making Puerto Rican rice, it makes all the difference!
- Lid: Resist the urge to lift the lid while the rice is cooking. Lifting the lid will disrupt the cooking process and cause the rice to not cook properly.
- Plantains: Use only firm green plantains for this recipe. No ripe plantains as they are too sweet and will alter the taste.
- Peeling: To peel plantains easier, you can cut the ends off, score the plantain lengthwise and soak in warm water for a few minutes before peeling.
- Prevent Browning: To keep plantains from browning, grate and puree right before adding to the dish.
- Plantain Leaves: If you cannot find plantain leaves, no worries, you can skip them altogether. Although the plantain leaves add flavor to the rice, the most flavor comes from the green plantain mixed in with the rice.
Recipe FAQs
Arroz Apastelado is a variation of Arroz con Gandules, made with the addition of shredded or blended green plantains which gives the dish a richer flavor.
Yes! Prepare in advance and reheat it over the stove on medium-low for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
No, ripe plantains are too sweet and soft and will alter the taste.
Store the leftovers in the pot or in an airtight container and consume within 4 days of cooking.
Yes! Store leftovers in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as desired.
What to Serve Arroz con Gandules Apastelado with
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📖 Recipe
Arroz con Gandules Apastelado
Equipment
- Caldero cast aluminum pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 4 cups medium grain rice rinsed until water runs clear
- 1 15.5 oz can of pigeon peas reserve liquid from can
- 3 tablespoon sofrito
- 1 cup smoked ham hock cubed (optional)
- 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 or 4 teaspoons garlic puree
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 4 tablespoon pimiento stuffed olives
- 4 tablespoon oil
- salt to taste I use a little more than ½ a tablespoon
- 1 large plantain or 2 small plantains peeled and shredded
- plantain leaves 2-4 pieces
- 3½ cups water
Toppings
- handful fresh cilantro rinsed and chopped
- red pepper pimientos strips in brine optional
Instructions
- Over medium heat, add the of vegetable oil to a caldero or dutch oven pot and heat through.
- Add the tocino, ham steak and the ham hock (if using). Cook for a few minutes until slightly browned.
- Add the sofrito, sazon, chicken bouillon, oregano, bay leaves, garlic, olives and stir well. Cook for about two minutes.
- Add the can of gandules including the water they came in followed by the water and stir. Allow the water to come to a low boil.
- Using a food processor with the grating disk attached, grate the plantain. Then remove the shredded plantain and grating disk. Attach the chopping blade and return the shredded plantain to the bowl. Blend until a puree forms. Note: You could also use a box grater on the finest side.
- Add the plantain to the pot and stir.
- Add the rinsed rice and stir. Season with salt to taste. Check to make sure there's enough water to cook the rice. Tip: You will know you have added enough water when a large spoon, placed on top of the rice, is nearly fully submerged by the water when the spoon is laid on top. Note: If using long grain rice, you will need to add an additional cup of water. (If doing the spoon test, the spoon will now be fully submerged in water.)
- Increase the heat to medium-high and let the water almost completely evaporate, about five minutes.
- Using a pair of scissors, cut one to two pieces of plantain leaves to about a 10×10 size. Cut off the "rough" membrane of plantain leaves, then rinse the pieces with soapy water and wipe dry. Set aside.
- Stir the rice gently with a large spoon and cover the top of the rice with the plantain leaves. Then cover the pot immediately with a lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Tip: When stirring the rice, do not stir so hard that the "pegao" (crispy rice) forming at the bottom of the pan gets distributed into the rest of the rice. Let the rice cook for fifteen minutes on medium-low heat without disturbing it.Note: Once you've stirred the rice and covered the pot, resist the urge to remove the lid until it's time to check and stir again. Lifting the lid will disrupt the cooking process, causing the rice to stay undercooked and grainy.
- After fifteen minutes, remove the lid and stir the rice again. Cover the pot again and continue cooking for another fifteen minutes.
- After fifteen minutes, remove the lid and give the rice a final stir. The rice is done. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top for garnishing and extra flavor. Could also top with a few pieces of the pimiento strips for presentation and flavor.
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