Ingredients
- 2 2 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 2 2 tablespoons sofrito
- 4 4 4 oz. tomato sauce
- 1 1 1 packet Sazon (the orange Goya packet - con culantro y achiote)
- 1 1 1 can green pigeon peas - gandules verdes
- 1 1 1 small green pepper - chopped (optional)
- 1 1 1 cup rice - rinsed
- 1 1 1 cup water
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the pan over high and add oil. Add sofrito and stir for a minute. Add tomato sauce and stir again. Toss in Sazon, beans and pepper, if using. Now is the time to add other things like olives or ham. Stir in rice and water and cook, stirring often, until the water has almost evaporated completely. Once the rice is dry enough, mound it all in the center of the pot. Turn the heat down as low as possible and put the lid on firmly.
Leave the rice this way until done, about 20 minutes. Do NOT remove the lid to check every 5 minutes or the heat will escape and it will take forever. When the rice is done it's not fluffy like white rice, it's very al dente and oftentimes a lot of it will stick to the bottom of the pot. This is totally normal! Scrape it up, if you like and serve it. It definitely shouldn't be burned at all, though, so make sure your flame is turned as low as you can get it.