White Rice

(Arroz Blanco)

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The white rice is considered a staple in our native Puerto Rican cookery.  We consume white rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is usually accompanied with stews beans, soups and stews.  Furthermore,  we traditionally use a cast-aluminum cauldron as our cooking vessel for our white or yellow rice.  The Spanish term for our cooking vessel is caldero.  However, I prefer to use a stainless steel caldero instead of the cast aluminum pot.

When using a caldero, a crispy golden crust of rice known as pegao will form at the bottom of the pan.  Sometimes we prefer the pegao with stewed beans than the regular cooked white rice.

This is our “Pegao” – a crispy golden crust of rice.

A Little Bit of Food History!

The Spaniards brought the Asian rice (Oryza Sativa) to the island but they were not interested in cultivating the rice since their main goal was to mine for gold and precious metals.  However, when the Spaniards brought the slaves to Puerto Rico, the slaves brought with them the African rice (Oryza Glaberrima).  The Africans populated in the Northern coast of the island near the wetlands similar to their environment in West Africa.   As a result, the Africans are believed to have cultivated the rice in Puerto Rico.

Listing the Ingredients for Cooking the Rice!

The ingredients that you will need to cook the white rice are 3½ cups water, 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1½ teaspoons Lite salt (or to taste) and 3 cups long-grain white rice.    

White Rice Description!

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

Rinse and drain the rice with cold water.   Initially, the water will be cloudy due to the surface starch.  However, when the water runs clear, the rice has been rinsed.  This is optional due to personal preference.

Cooking the White Rice!

There are two traditional common methods for cooking rice in our culture.  One method is to boil water and then add the salt, lard and rice.  The other method is to fry the rice in salted pork and then you add the water.  Very little salt or no salt is added due to the high salt content in the salted pork.

For this recipe, I will be boiling the water along with extra virgin olive oil and adding lite salt – a much healthier version!

Pour 3½ cups of water into a “caldero” and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Bring the water to a boil.

Add the salt and rice.  Stir rice well into liquid.  

Once the water starts to boil again, immediately reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, approximately 15 minutes.

Remove lid after 15 minutes of cooking.  The rice has absorbed all the liquid.  We are now ready to turn the rice.

Turning the White Rice!

White Rice

Gently turn the rice by inserting a spoon to the bottom inside edge of the saucepan.

White Rice

Bring the bottom rice to the top.  

White Rice

Continue this process until all the bottom rice is brought to the top.  

White Rice

After turning the rice, I normally spread the rice evenly on top.  Cover with lid and simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Serving the White Rice!

White Rice

Fluff the rice with a fork after 30 minutes of cooking.  If the rice is not tender, I sprinkle some water on top of the rice and cover with lid.  Simmer for another 10 minutes.   

White Rice

The white rice is tender and fluffy.  We normally serve the white rice with stewed meat, fish and beans.

White Rice

One of our specialty is to serve the rice with Stewed Red Kidney Beans.

Click on the button below to watch my YouTube Video on How to Make White Rice!

Recipe and Nutritional Facts!

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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White Rice


  • Author: Aida's Kitchen®
  • Prep Time: 5 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 Minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x

Description

What I enjoy the most about cooked white rice in our culture is that it can be served with a variety of stewed beans, stewed meats and stewed fish.


Scale

Ingredients

  •  cups water
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups long-grain white rice
  • 1½ teaspoons salt (low sodium) or to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring 3½ cups of water and olive oil to a boil in a saucepan.
  2. Add salt and rice.  Stir rice well into liquid.
  3. When the liquid starts to boil again, immediately reduce heat to a simmer.
  4. Cover saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
  5. Remove lid and gently turn the rice by inserting a spoon to the bottom inside edge of the saucepan – bringing the bottom rice to the top.  Continue this process until the bottom rice is brought to the top.
  6. Cover saucepan with lid and simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.
  7. Serve white rice with your favorite stewed beans.

Notes

If the rice is not tender, sprinkle water on top of rice and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

For those individuals that are expert in cooking white rice, use 3 cups of water.   Otherwise, use 3½ cups of water.

  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Boiling
  • Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Keywords: White Rice, Arroz Blanco

Nutritional Facts Disclaimer

 

Category: Recipes, Rice and Beans, Vegan and Vegetarian
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