Rice with Pigeon Peas and Pork Spareribs – Instant Pot

Rice with Pigeon Peas and Pork Spareribs is usually prepared in a cauldron and served during the Christmas Holidays, beginning with the month of November through January!  However, I will be using the Instant Pot pressure cooker to prepare this dish.  In addition, the three (3) Instant Pot cooking programs selected for our Rice with Pigeon Peas and Pork Spareribs are:  searing, sautéing and pressure cooking.

Regardless of whether the vegetables are being sautéed in a cauldron or pressure cooker, I certainly love how the tropical aroma permeates the air throughout the kitchen.  This is definitely, of course, due to all the Caribbean herbs, vegetables and spices added to this dish.  Therefore, this basic recipe will produce a delicious and flavorful rice and pork combination meal.  Furthermore, when you pressure cook the pork spareribs, you will definitely notice how juicy and tender the pork meat separates from the bones.

Note:  Read your  “Instant Pot User Manual” in its entirety before operating your pressure cooker.

A Little Bit of Food History!

Pigeon Peas!

The Pigeon Peas were brought to the Island from West Africa.  Besides the Caribbean condiments, I feel the pigeon peas also provide a unique taste to the Instant Pot Rice with Pigeon Peas and Pork Spareribs.

Pork Meat!

In 1512, the Spaniards brought the cows, pigs, bulls, oxen and rams to Puerto Rico.  Evidently, the animals had a difficult time adjusting to the tropical climate and environment.   Consequently, many of the animals were not able to procreate because they became sterile due to the new environmental conditions.  However, the pigs did not have any problems adapting to the tropical climate, food and environment.  Most importantly, they were able to reproduce in the humid tropical regions throughout the island.  As a result, pork meat became our preferred choice of meat in the Puerto Rican culture due to the abundance of piggies on the island!

Let’s Start Preparing the Marinade for the Pork Spareribs!

In a bowl, add 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon lite salt (or to taste).   Mix all the ingredients until well blended.

Pour the marinade over 1½ pounds of pork spareribs that have been rinsed.  Then coat the ribs entirely with the marinade, using your hands.  After that, cover with lid and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

We Can Begin Searing the Pork Spareribs!

Once you remove the ribs from the refrigerator, let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes for the meat to relax.  This will certainly allow the meat’s natural moisture to reabsorb into the muscle and not remain between the meat’s fibers.

Firstly, turn the power on by pressing the Cancel Button and then select the sauté program.  We want to sear the pork spareribs on Normal Temperature, which is automatically selected.  The Normal mode is for searing.

Secondly, press the “Minus” button to change the time to 8 minutes.  The status Icon indicates that the unit is heating.   Once when the word “HOT” appears on the LCD screen, it means that the searing temperature has been reached.  After that, we can add the pork spareribs to the inner pot.

Thirdly, place the pork spareribs into the inner pot with the entire marinade.  Meanwhile, sear the ribs on one side for approximately 4 minutes.

Lastly, turn the ribs with tongs to the other side and continue searing.

When the word OFF appears on the LCD screen, the ribs are done searing for 8 minutes.

Once the steam has dissipated and with the ribs still inside the inner pot, pour one cup of water.  The next step is to pressure cook the ribs for 25 minutes.

Let’s Cook the Pork Spareribs Under Pressure!

Before we cook the pork spareribs under pressure, close the lid into lock position.

Most importantly, turn the steam release handle to Sealing position.

Firstly, press the Cancel button to turn on the pressure cooker and then select the Pressure Cook manual program.  In addition, we want to cook the pork spareribs on High Pressure, which is automatically selected. 

Secondly, let’s set the cooking time for 25 minutes by pressing the “plus” button to increase the time.  ON means that the cooking unit is heating and pressure is building up with the heat.  Furthermore, when the cooking unit is completely pressurized, the cooking cycle will start counting down based on the time setting we selected.  We selected 25 minutes to cook the pork spareribs. 

Thirdly, the pressure cooker will automatically switch to the “Keep Warm” function after cooking the pork spareribs for 25 minutes.   Conversely, it will start counting up.   We need to count up for 10 minutes to obtain the 10-minute natural release process.  After the unit has naturally released the pressure for 10 minutes, press the cancel button.  Lastly, we are ready to release the remaining pressure.

Carefully turn the Steam Release Handle to Venting Position for a Quick Release. 

When the pressure is completely released from the unit, the float valve drops down.  Then we can remove the lid from the pressure cooker.

The pork spareribs look very tender with plenty of cooking liquid. 

Remove the ribs from the inner pot and place on a plate.  Since we want to reserve the cooking liquid, pour it into a bowl and set aside. 

Let’s Rinse the Rice!

This is the long grain white rice.  It has a firm and dry texture and separates when cooked, producing a light and fluffy rice.

Rinse and drain 2 cups of long-grain white rice with cold water, using a fine-mesh strainer.  Surprisingly, the water will indeed be cloudy at first because you are basically removing the surface starch.  When the water runs clear, the rice is rinsed.  

Rinsing the rice is usually an individual preference.  However, when using the Instant Pot pressure cooker, I recommend to always rinse the rice.   I also soak the rice for at least 10 minutes after rinsing.

We Can Now Prepare the Tomato-Based Sauce!

Add the following ingredients into a bowl:  ½ teaspoon of Lite Salt (or to taste), 2 tablespoons tomato sauce, 3 sprigs of chopped cilantro, 2 minced garlic cloves, 10 pimiento-stuffed green olives, cut in halves, 2 tablespoons capers, 2 tablespoons of sofrito made with culantro and 1½ seasoning envelopes with Coriander and Annatto.

Click on the link to learn how to make a large batch of Sofrito or click on the link on How to Make Sofrito for a Single Meal.   If you are unable to purchase the seasoning envelopes at your local market, click on the link to prepare your own Special Blend of Seasonings.

Stir all the ingredients until well blended and set aside.

Program the Settings for Sautéing!

Firstly, press the Cancel Button to turn on the power.  Secondly, select the Sauté program and press the Sauté button twice to change the temperature to “Less.”  The Less Mode is for simmering your ingredients.

Thirdly, press the “Minus” button to change the sautéing time to 5 minutes.

When the word “HOT” is displayed on the LCD Screen, the sauté temperature has been reached.  Lastly, we can now add the sautéing ingredients to the inner pot.

Sautéing the Pork Spareribs with Tomato-Based Sauce!

Add the tomato-based sauce into the inner pot and stir.

Place pork spareribs into inner pot and coat them with the tomato-based sauce. 

Sauté the ribs on both sides.

After 5 minutes of sautéing, the Instant Pot will beep several times.  Press the Cancel Button to stop the sautéing process.

Let’s Prepare and Measure the Liquid for the Rice!

Open a can of pigeon peas (15 ounces) and pour the liquid into a large measuring cup.  Set the pigeon peas aside in a bowl.

Fill the measuring cup with the reserved cooking liquid until the liquid measures 2 cups.

We just finished measuring 2 cups of liquid for the rice from the liquid from the canned beans and the cooking liquid released from the pork spareribs.

Add the Remaining Ingredients to the Inner Pot!

Pour the 2 cups of liquid that we just prepared into the inner pot. 

Add the pigeon peas that were set aside in a bowl. 

We are now ready to add 2 cups long-grain white rice.  

Stir rice well into liquid.  

Cooking the Rice with Pigeon Peas and Pork Spareribs under Pressure!

Before we cook this rice dish under pressure, close the lid into lock position.

Most importantly, turn the Steam Release Handle to Sealing position.

Press Cancel button to turn on power.  Select the Pressure Cook button to manually program your settings.  Furthermore, we want to cook the rice at High Pressure, which is automatically selected.

Now we can press the “Minus” button to decrease the cooking time to 5 minutes.   The pressure cooker will start building pressure as it is heating.  When the unit is completely pressurized, the cooking cycle will start counting down based on the time setting we selected.  For this recipe, we selected 5 minutes.

The pressure cooker will automatically switch to the “Keep Warm” function after cooking the rice for 5 minutes.   It will start counting up.   We need to count up for 10 minutes to obtain the 10-minute natural release process.  After the unit has naturally released the pressure for 10 minutes, press the cancel button.  We are ready to release the remaining pressure.

Quick Release Function!

Turn the Steam Release Handle to Venting Position for a Quick Release. 

When the pressure is completely released from the unit, the float valve drops down.  Finally, we can remove the lid from the pressure cooker.

We Are Ready to Stir and Serve the Rice!

 

Once the lid is removed from the pressure cooker, we can check the rice for doneness.

 

Turn the rice with a spoon.  The rice is fluffy and the meat looks tender and juicy.

We can now serve the rice in a bowl.

The Instant Pot Rice with Pigeon Peas and Pork Spareribs is fluffy and thoroughly cooked.  Furthermore, the pork spareribs are very, very tender and juicy with lots of flavors.  This dish can also be served with Steamed Pasteles and Double Fried Green Plantains (tostones)!

Click on the button below to watch my YouTube Video on How to Prepare Instant Pot Rice with Pigeon Peas and Pork Spareribs (Arroz con Gandules y Costillitas de Cerdo con  Olla de Presión)!

Nutritional Facts and Recipe!

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only.  Please refer to our Nutritional Facts Disclaimer for more information.

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