Puerto Rican Rice (Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn)

Puerto Rican Rice (Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn) or Arroz Amarillo con Maiz is the perfect side dish.  Pair it up with pork, chicken, steak, fish and you will have the ultimate perfect meal!

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Puerto Rican Rice or in this case Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn (Arroz Amarillo con Maiz) is absolutely one of my favorite side dishes to make because it goes with practically any meat!  Especially perfect and delicious with fried or baked pork chops, fried fish or steak.

Of course you can serve this rice with chicken or delicious juicy lamb chops too but whenever I make Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn, I tend to lean towards pork, fish or steak.

In case you don’t already know from my previous rice dishes, we Puerto Ricans love our rice!

As for me, it certainly doesn’t have to be Puerto Rice rice either!  Give me Spanish, Mexican or any South, Central American rice dish and I’m a happy camper!

So you can pretty much guarantee that if you ever just showed up at my home, I will either be making a pot of rice over the stove or will already have leftover rice in the refrigerator to serve YOU!

I just love my rice!

List of Ingredients for Puerto Rican Rice-Puerto Rican Yellow Rice

To make Puerto Rican yellow rice, you will need a few ingredients.

• Medium grain rice, I use Goya brand (you could also use long grain rice)
• Can of yellow corn
• Pork fat or cubed ham steak
• Sofrito
• Tomato paste
• Pimiento stuffed olives
• Chicken bouillon
• Bay leaf, oregano, sazon, salt and oil
• Water or chicken broth
• Red pimientos and fresh cilantro for topping (optional)

How to Make Puerto Rican Rice-Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn

1. Rinse two cups of white rice several times until water runs clear.

This removes the talc coating (peril) that preserves the rice.

1. In a caldero or dutch oven pot over medium heat, add two tablespoons of vegetable oil and saute cubed pork fat until golden brown.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of Puerto Rican sofrito and stir together with pork fat and oil.  Cook for two to four minutes.
3. Add sazon packet, tomato paste, chicken bouillon, oregano and bay leaf to pot.  Stir.

Note:  Key to making any Puerto Rican rice is to use a “caldero” or a cooking cauldron.  A caldero is made of cast iron and allows the rice to cook uniform and also creates a crispy bottom layer to caldero known as “pegao.”  Do not use a non stick saucepan to make Puerto Rican rice as it will not cook the same at all.  If you do not have a caldero, use a dutch oven instead.

1. Add three cups of water or chicken broth and salt to taste.
2. Add can of corn (with liquid from can) and olives.  Stir.
3. Cook until liquid starts to bubble.
4. Add rice to pot.

You will know you have the perfect amount of water or broth when you can lay and sit a large spoon on top of rice and spoon is covered with just enough liquid but you can still see it.  (You can still see spoon through water)

Note:  If spoon sinks completely and you cannot see spoon, you have added too much water, remove some if necessary otherwise your rice will come out clumpy and sticky.

1. Cook rice uncovered over medium heat until water evaporates.  Then and only then, turn rice with the large spoon and lower eat.  Cover pot immediately!!!
2. Cook for 15 minutes.

NOTE:  This is VERY IMPORTANT, DO NOT UNCOVER RICE for 15 minutes or the rice will stun and not cook properly.  It will stay hard!!!  DO NOT UNCOVER!!!

1. After 15 minutes of cooking the rice, uncover and stir rice again.
2. Cook for another 15 minutes on the lower heat.  Again DO NOT UNCOVER for the next 15 minutes!
3. After the 15 minutes, take off lid and stir again.  Rice is done now.

Rice should be grainy and fluffy, not wet and mushy.  Top rice with red pimientos and cilantro if you like.

Serve rice with pork, chicken, steak, fish or whatever other meat you like.

What to Serve Puerto Rican Rice With

Baked Pork Chops (pork chops you see in this recipe)

Chuletas de Puerco en Salsa (Pork Chops Braised in a Fresh Tomato Salsa)

Slow Cooker Ribs

Pollo Guisado (Puerto Rican Chicken Stew)

Bistec a la Mexicana (Mexican Sliced Beef Strips)

Easy Delicious Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo)

I served this round of yellow rice with corn with my delicious juicy baked pork chops and fried plantains but another perfect side in addition to pork chops would have been garlic tostones (green garlic plantains).

For More Delicious Rice Dishes, You Will Also Love These

Puerto Rican Rice and Beans (Arroz con Habichuelas)

Morisqueta (White Rice with Beans in Savory Tomato Sauce with Onions, Garlic and Serrano Peppers)

Cilantro Lime Rice

Arroz Mamposteao (Dirty Rice with Beans)

Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)

BONUS:  These Habichuelas Guisadas (Puerto Rican Beans) accompany these rice dishes very well too!

📖 Recipe

Puerto Rican Rice (Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn)

Puerto Rican Rice (Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn) or Arroz Amarillo con Maiz is the perfect side dish.  Pair it up with pork, chicken, steak, fish and you will have the ultimate perfect meal!

4.60 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 286kcal

Author: Catherine Arena

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups medium grain rice I use Goya brand
• ▢ 1 can of corn reserve liquid from corn
• ▢ 3 tablespoon Puerto Rican sofrito
• ▢ couple pieces of pork fat cubed
• ▢ 1 packet of Goya sazon with Annatto I use Goya brand
• ▢ 1 heaping tsp tomato paste
• ▢ 2 tablespoon pimento stuffed olives
• ▢ 1-2 chicken bouillon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon oregano
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 2 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• ▢ red pimientos and fresh cilantro for topping optional
• ▢ water or chicken broth
• ▢ salt to taste

Instructions

• Rinse two cups of white rice several times until water runs clear.

  This removes the talc coating (peril) that preserves the rice.
• In a caldero or dutch oven pot over medium heat, add two tablespoons of vegetable oil and saute cubed pork fat until golden brown.
• Add 3 tablespoons of Puerto Rican sofrito and stir together with pork fat and oil. Cook for two to four minutes.
• Add sazon packet, tomato paste, chicken bouillon, oregano and bay leaf to pot. Stir.
• Add three cups of water or chicken broth and salt to taste.
• Add can of corn (with liquid from can) and olives. Stir.

  Cook until liquid starts to bubble.
• Add rice to pot.
  

  Note:  You will know you have the perfect amount of water or broth when you can lay and sit a large spoon on top of rice and spoon is covered with just enough liquid but you can still see it.  (You can still see spoon through water)

  If spoon sinks completely and you cannot see spoon, you have added too much water, remove some if necessary otherwise your rice will come out clumpy and sticky.
• Cook rice uncovered over medium heat until water evaporates.  Then and only then, turn rice with the large spoon and lower eat.  Cover pot immediately!!!

  Cook for 15 minutes.

  NOTE:  This is VERY IMPORTANT, DO NOT UNCOVER RICE for 15 minutes or the rice will stun and not cook properly.  It will stay hard!!!  DO NOT UNCOVER!!!
  
• After 15 minutes of cooking the rice, uncover and stir rice again.

  Cook for another 15 minutes on the lower heat.  Again DO NOT UNCOVER for the next 15 minutes!
• After the 15 minutes, take off lid and stir again. Rice is done now.Top rice with red pimientos and cilantro if you like.
  

Notes

Note:  Key to making any Puerto Rican rice is to use a “caldero” or a cooking cauldron.  A caldero is made of cast iron and allows the rice to cook uniform and also creates a crispy bottom layer to caldero known as “pegao.”  Do not use a non stick saucepan to make Puerto Rican rice as it will not cook the same at all.  If you do not have a caldero, use a dutch oven instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 5g | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 3.3mg

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