Cuban Yellow Rice
from https://www.allrecipes.com/
Yellow rice is a staple in the Caribbean because of its beautiful color and flavor. Being Cuban, our household often served yellow rice. It's traditional to garnish yellow rice with pimentos, but I don't like them so I don't. Serve yellow rice with Cuban-style roast pork, or add cooked chicken pieces while cooking the rice to make Arroz con Pollo.
Cuban Yellow Rice
from https://www.allrecipes.com/
Comment from a reviewer: Having lived in Miami and eaten and cooked delicious Cuban food for over 25 years, I understand the "bland" reviews. First the water to rice ratio is too much. Try cutting down to 1 1/2 cups of water for each cup of rice. Secondly, because the spice and onion were not made into a sofrito, sauteed in a little oil with diced garlic (not included in this recipe) the flavor of the spices is diluted in the water. The sofrito - onion, garlic, red or green bell pepper should be sauteed in the oil before the annato is added. When I make Cuban style yellow rice, I also add a bay leaf to the sofrito. After the veggies have softened, I add the rice to the mixture, stirring for about 2 minutes. That allows it to absorb the flavors of the spices and the yellow color from the annato. Finally, add the water, bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. Take out the bay leaf. Then add the sweet peas at the end. Stir rice before serving. Hope this helps.
FMM: I cut the recipe in 1/2 when copying it here. It originally made 12 cups, which I would never make unless I was having a party. Even for Brian and I, cooking 2 cups of rice is a lot. I will further modify the recipe based on the reviewer's comments.
2 cups long grain rice
4 cups water (3 cups chicken stock)
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoons salt
1/16 teaspoon annatto powder (many recipes use Sazon seasoning = coriander seed, cumin, oregano, annatto)
1/16 teaspoon paprika (not in other recipes)
1 bay leaf
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 (4 ounce) jar sliced pimento peppers, for garnish
Place the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Shake sieve to remove excess water from rice.
Place rice in a large saucepan with a tightly fitting lid and add water. Stir in the onion, salt, annatto powder, paprika, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and simmer. After cooking for 10 minutes, gently stir the peas into the rice. Cook until all the water is evaporated and the rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Serve garnished with pimento slices.
Yield: 6 cups
Tampa-Style Yellow Rice with Cuban-Style Black Beans
from https://www.today.com/
Simple but flavorful rice is definitely a Tampa staple, and of course pairs perfectly with Cuban black beans.
FMM: I found the rice kind of bland. I used 1 cup rice and added 1/4 tsp. each: garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano, powdered annatto (see Sazon Seasonings). It almost had a "dull" taste. Maybe my annatto powder is not fresh enough. See reviewer's comments to the left - may need more onion, bell pepper, bay leaf. I also added about 1/2 can black beans. It was good if I ate it with Jerk Chicken. Maybe fine eaten with the black beans, which I did not make.
Cuban-Style Black Beans
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped Spanish onion
1/2 cup garlic cloves
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 pound dried black beans
2 large dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
salt, to taste
Yellow Rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely diced Spanish onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups white rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Bijol* (yellow food coloring for rice)
2 1/4 cup water
*Bijol is a traditional Latin seasoning, a type of sazón. You can make your own (Latin Seasonings).
For the Cuban-Style Black Beans:
1.In a blender, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, onion, garlic and bell pepper, and blend until finely chopped. Set aside.
2.Put the black beans and bay leaves in a large saucepan and add 8 quarts of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low heat, partially cover the lid and let simmer for 2½ hours or until beans are tender.
3.In a separate skillet on medium-high heat, add the remaining olive oil. Add the blended onion and pepper mixture and sauté until lightly toasted, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the cumin and oregano until fragrant and the spices are slightly toasted.
4.Add the cooked onion and pepper mixture into your pot of beans along with the vinegar and sugar, continue to simmer gently for another hour or so until the beans are tender and the flavors are blended well. Season with salt. Serve hot or let it cool and refrigerate overnight for up to three days.
For the Yellow Rice:
1. In a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Sauté your onions and garlic until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add rice, stir to coat evenly and sauté for 2 minutes. Add salt, Bijol and water, and stir.
4. Lower temperature to medium-low heat and cover and cook for 20 minutes.
5. Lift the lid and fluff the rice with a fork, and serve with black beans.
