Latin Pork & Rice w/ Pigeon Peas is my take on the traditional Arroz con Gandules, a Puerto Rican dish.  It is a combination of rice, pigeon peas and pork cooked in the same pot.  This one pot meal will serve a whole family and only takes about 30 minutes to make.

Arroz con Gandules is one of Puerto Rico’s national dishes.  It’s served for all occasions and holidays and every family has their special twist to it.  

Why Latin Pork & Rice w/ Pigeon Peas?

Living in South Florida most of my life, I am blessed to have access to a bountiful of different Latin and Caribbean dishes.  Between friends from different islands and restaurants, there is a lot to choose from.  

The first time I had Arroz con Gandules was at a friend’s birthday party.  Her step mother was known for this dish and it was absolutely amazing.  Of course, her dish took a lot longer to make than my Latin Pork & Rice w/ Pigeon Peas does but I have to say my dish isn’t too bad.  Actually, it’s quite delicious.

So What are Those Interesting Ingredients?

Living where I do, I do not have a difficult time finding these ingredients.  If your grocery store does not have a Latin section, you may have to find a Latin grocer or go online to find some of these products.

Cubanelle Pepper

Or also known as a Cuban pepper.  This sweet pepper is found in the produce section of your grocery.  It is a very mild pepper and will add a nice flavor to your dish but not any heat.  A good substitution for this pepper would be fresh banana peppers.

Goya Sazon w/ Coriander & Annatto

This seasoning, which can be found in the Latin seasoning aisle, is a combination of coriander, garlic cumin and annatto.  This seasoning will give this dish the Latin flair and the beautiful color.

Annatto is a natural food additive that is an orange-red condiment derived from the achiote tree.

Pigeon Peas

Pigeon Peas or Gandule in Puerto Rico is a legume cultivated in tropical or subtropical regions around the world.

You can buy the dry or canned (which I use in this recipe) and they are an excellent source of protein and nutrients.  You can find Pigeon Peas in the Latin bean section of your grocery store.

What Do You Need to Make Latin Pork & Rice w/ Pigeon Peas.

You will need a dutch oven with lid, food processor, knife, cutting board, measuring cups, measuring spoons, spoon and the following ingredients:

Mama Fawn’s Tips. . . 

•  For a meatless dish, omit the ground pork and heat up 1 tbsp olive oil before adding the rice and seasoning.
• To make it fully vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
• You can find the Goya Sazon in the latin seasoning aisle in your grocery store or Amazon.
• Make sure you remove the seeds of the cubanelle pepper before putting it in the food processor.
• The onion and pepper do not have to be finely chopped since they will be pureed in the food processor.
• You can substitute ground chicken or turkey for the pork if you prefer.
• This is one of those dishes that is best if you have all your ingredients measured and ready to go since it all goes in one pot.
• Pigeon peas can be found in the (latin) bean aisle in your local grocery store.