This Puerto Rican rice with fresh pigeon peas is a well-seasoned holiday staple featuring sofrito, ham, olives, and capers cooked together until tender and flavorful.
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In a saucepan, add fresh green pigeon peas and cover with water.
Bring the water to a boil. Add salt. Reduce heat to medium. Cover with lid and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until pigeon peas are tender.
Place strainer over a large measuring cup and separate liquid from pigeon peas.
Measure the liquid from the pigeon peas. Add more water to liquid to measure 3½ cups of liquid. Set aside.
In a 5-quart saucepan, add all the ingredients except for the rice and liquid. Stir until all the ingredients are well blended and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour 3½ cups of liquid that we measured earlier into the saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil.
Check if salt content is to your liking before adding rice to the boiling water. Add rice and stir rice well into liquid.
Reduce heat to simmer when the liquid starts to boil again.
Cover saucepan with tight-fitting lid. Simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Turn the rice by inserting a spoon to the bottom inside edge of the saucepan. Bring the bottom rice to the top and continue this process until the rice is turned.
Place a banana leaf over rice (optional). Cover with lid and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is tender.
Remove banana leaf. Serve with roasted pork shoulder (pernil) and pasteles (our version of tamales).
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water over low heat until warmed through.
5-quart saucepan with tight-fitting lid · strainer · large measuring cup
Yes, frozen pigeon peas work well. You may need to adjust cooking time slightly, as they require less time to cook than fresh. Follow the package instructions and use the measured liquid accordingly.
Sofrito is a Puerto Rican base of minced garlic, cilantro, peppers, and olives. The recipe calls for 2–3 tablespoons of prepared sofrito; you can buy it jarred or make your own by blending fresh cilantro, garlic, and peppers.
Turning the rice (bringing bottom rice to the top) ensures even cooking and prevents sticking or burning at the bottom of the pan.
Annatto adds color and mild flavor; you can substitute with a pinch of saffron or turmeric, though the dish will taste slightly different. The recipe specifically uses 2 seasoning envelopes with coriander and annatto.
Cook for 20–30 minutes until the pigeon peas are tender when tested with a fork, then measure the cooking liquid before proceeding.
