Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes! Once cooled, place leftovers in an airtight storage container and store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze this rice by storing in the freezer for up to 2 months. The rice reheats well, add the rice to a bowl with a cube of ice, cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through to your liking (discard the ice cube after).

What is adobo and sazón and where can I find them?

For ease, most grocery stores in the US that have an ethnic or international section of their grocery store will carry adobo and sazón. Some stores will carry different brands, so choose what you prefer. I personally like using the adobo and sazón from Loisa or Pisqueya .

My rice is not cooked, how can I fix it?

If your rice didn’t steam through all the way it likely happened because your stove top burner runs a little hotter, which is totally okay. Add 3-4 tbsp of water, cover with a tight lid, and cook on the lowest heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the rice to continue steaming off the stove top. This should help finish off the rice.

Moro de Guandules con Coco

Name: Moro de Guandules con Coco
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Dominican
Ingredients: 1-2 tbsp avocado oil; 1/2 small yellow onion, diced; 1/2 small green bell pepper, diced; 1/2 small red bell pepper, diced; 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced; 1 small bunch cilantro, minced well; 2 tsp sazón; 1/2 tsp adobo; 3 tbsp Spanish olives, halved (optional); 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 vegetable bouillon cube or 2 tsp vegetable bouillon paste; 1, 15 oz can of guandules, rinsed and drained; 1 1/2 cups full-fat canned coconut milk; 2 1/2 cups water; 3 cups Jasmine rice, rinsed; Kosher salt

Description

Moro de Guandules con Coco is a mix of rice, guandules and coconut milk that results in a delicious and buttery seasoned rice that is perfect for any special occasion.

Ingredients

Scale

1–2 tbsp avocado oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 small green bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced
1 small bunch cilantro, minced well
2 tsp sazón
1/2 tsp adobo
3 tbsp Spanish olives, halved (optional)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 vegetable bouillon cube or 2 tsp vegetable bouillon paste
1, 15 oz can of guandules, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups full-fat canned coconut milk
2 1/2 cups water
3 cups Jasmine rice, rinsed
Kosher salt

For serving: baked plantains, avocado slices, or hot sauce

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Instructions

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium low heat. Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, and minced cilantro ends then sauté for about a minute until fragrant.
Stir in the sazón, adobo, olives, tomato paste and bouillon and continue to sauté until evenly mixed.
Pour in the guandules then stir well into the mixture. Taste the broth and if you feel it needs more salt, add a generous pinch. Once everything is well heated pour in the coconut milk and water then stir well and bring everything to a boil.
Stir in the rice and simmer over medium low heat, making sure to stir regularly to help prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Now, wait until most of the liquid is evaporated. The rice should look glossy at this point. Add the remaining cilantro then cover with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat to low.
Steam the rice covered for 30 minutes, then remove the pot from heat. Keep the lid on and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Fluff your rice with a spoon, then serve and enjoy.

Notes

When rinsing your rice, make sure to drain it well before adding to the pot. This will help keep the amount of liquid in the pot more controlled, which will prevent your rice from getting mushy.

Adjust salt to taste. I encourage you to taste your broth before adding the rice. This will give you an initial indication of how you want to adjust your salt. Different brands of bouillon will yield different amounts of sodium and flavor, so use the highest quality when possible . Add additional salt to taste as this will impact the flavor the most. The salt helps to bring out the flavors in your spices.

Make sure you cover your pot tightly. You want a tight fitting lid over your pot of rice to help promote steaming.

The Concón. This is just what we Dominicans call the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot. To us, this is one of the best parts of the pot. Do note, we don’t want to burn our rice, the bottom should be crispy, and nicely golden brown. This is best achieved when using a very wide pot.

Use the amount of oil that feels right to you. There is fat in the coconut milk, so I primarily just use enough oil to coat the bottom of my pan to help properly sauté the elements of our sazón. If you feel that anything is burning or sticking, you may just need more oil.

Olives are optional. Maybe not to me, but if you don’t like olives, leaving them out is totally okay.