Portions (4 - 5 persons)
Ingredients:
2 cups rice (short grain or long grain).
4 ½ cups water
¼ cup oil (to taste)
1 cup diced ham
1 ½ envelope of culantro and achiote seasoning
1 teaspoon adobo
½ teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
3 cilantro or recao strips
¼ teaspoon bell pepper powder
2 tablespoons salt
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste or tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) pigeon peas, drained and rinsed
½ cup sofrito
½ chopped red bell pepper (optional)
½ chopped onion (optional)
1 individual green guineo, grated (optional)
Let's prepare this delicious rice!
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the ham, sofrito and tomato sauce, you can add the onion, garlic and bell bell pepper for 5 to 8 minutes or until the ham begins to brown and the onions are tender. Add seasoning, adobo and pepper powder. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until seasonings begin to release their odor. Add the rice and pigeon peas along with the cilantro or recao until covered by the remaining ingredients. Add the olives to taste, remember that it is optional, cook for 2 minutes. Then, add the water, stir everything, let stand until the water dries and lower the heat, wait 10 minutes to stir again! Wait about 15 minutes more to check the cooking time again, once the tender rice is ready, remember that you can substitute the canned pigeon peas for tender or frozen ones! And another delicious thing, you can cover with banana leaves and on top of the ramp of the pot that gives more typical flavor to the rice!