Apr 19, 20203 min read

My Noni's Puerto Rican Rice

Updated: Aug 22

I was so fortunate to grow up with a grandmother that was passionate about showing love to her family through her homemade meals. "Are you hungry?" was as common of a question as "How are you?" to my grandmother. She would always serve me a plate of food regardless if I was hungry or not. My grandmother (otherwise known to me as ‘Noni’) paired her rice with her infamous Puerto Rican dishes. I was blessed to be in her presence while she cooked.

I would watch her hand twist and pound away at her wooden mortar as she made her homemade sofrito, the smell of fresh peppers, garlic, spices and cilantro consumed the air. The loud, abrasive pounding of her caldero to free the rice that stuck to her spatula would echo throughout her kitchen walls.

The smells and the noises from Noni’s kitchen are as present today as they were twenty-something years ago when I watched her dance to salsa music in her kitchen as she joyfully cooked when I was a kid.

To her, everything was by taste and not so much by measuring everything out exactly. My recipe below is a reference guide, but by all means, make it your own by adding a bit more of this or a bit more of that to your liking.

This recipe may not be exactly how she made her rice because unfortunately I never got the exact recipe. Also, I didn't make my own homemade sofrito this go around and like I mentioned, Noni didn't believe in measuring spices, but this is as close as it's going to get by knowing her flavor.

. : I n g r e d i e n t s : .

3 cups medium, long or extra long grain white rice, rinsed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 heaping tablespoons sofrito (homemade is the best but it's not always easy to find all the necessary ingredients. I substituted for Goya's Recaito Culantro cooking base, it's just as good!)
4 ounces tomato sauce
1 can (15 ounces) gandules (pigeon peas), partially drained
2 heaping tablespoons alcaparrado (I usually use Goya pitted alcaparrado olives)
1 packet Sazón with Achiote (I use Goya brand)
1/2 packet ham flavoring (I use Goya brand Jamón)
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground oregano
Salt and pepper to taste (start off with 2 teaspoons of salt)
4-6 cups hot water (I start with 4 cups and gradually add 1/2 cup at a time if needed)
1 medium caldero (or 6 qt pot with lid). I highly recommend investing in a caldero if you don't have one because I swear it's magic!

*Most of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store in the International aisle, however you may have to shop a local supermercado for some of the Adobo products.

. : I n s t r u c t i o n s : .

- 1 . Rinse the rice well in cold water, drain and set aside.

- 2 . Mix all the spices into one bowl and set aside.

- 3 . In a medium caldero (or large pot about 6 quarts or so), heat oil and sauté sofrito until softened. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 3 minutes.

- 4 . Stir in gandules, alcaparrado, bowl of the spices and 4 cups of water. Taste test and adjust seasonings according to your liking, adding additional salt 1 teaspoon at a time. Your broth should be heavily seasoned and on the salty side. It should be flavorful!

- 5 . Bring to a rapid boil, then add rice and stir. Carefully mound rice towards the center of pot, top with foil and cover with lid. Set timer for 20 minutes.

- 6 . Here’s where it can get a little tricky. You may need to add more water to ensure rice is covered by 1 inch of water. I suggest only adding ½ to 1 cup of water to avoid mushy/runny rice. Avoid scrapping rice at the bottom of the caldero so you can get that delicious, infamous pegao (crunchy rice).

- 7 . Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Stir by folding rice from the bottom up. Cook for another 20-30 minutes, testing after first 20 minutes to see if rice is tender and cooked through.