ISO authentic Puerto Rican rice/beans dish

[Katie H]

Hey, y'all! My new husband, Glenn, was talking about a dish he had while he was in the service (many moons ago). He said he really, really loved it and would like to enjoy it again. The best he could describe it was that it was a bean dish that consisted of a spicy sauce and was served over rice. There was some sort meat, ham perhaps, that was part of the sauce.

I would love to prepare this for him and I hope one of our Puerto Rican members can provide me with a good recipe.

Thanks all!!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Miss Katie check out the importance of pigeon peas in the Puerto Rican food ways..

Rice With Pigeon Peas - Arroz Con Gandules - 380444 - Recipezaar

 

[Katie H]

Thanks, Uncle Bob. It's a good start, except Glenn says the beans were served over cooked rice. Although the recipe does sound pretty good.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Maybe it was a black bean dish....Sounds like the sauce/seasoning is the key however....

 

[Katie H]

No, not black beans. That was my first thought, too, but Glenn says, "No." Yes, I agree. I think the seasoning is the key.

 

[ChefJune]

There are two traditional seasoning mixtures used in Puerto Rican cooking that I'm aware of, Sofrito and Adobo. Both come already prepared in jars. Goya Foods has lots of food items tailored to Latin American tastes. In my neighborhood grocery there is a whole aisle of Goya products. Those flavors probably have something to do with what you are looking for.