annatto seeds

Every step and ingredient adds something important to this recipe from the Puerto Rican-born chef and writer Reina Gascón-López. Annatto seeds steeped in oil give the rice its signature marigold hue. The banana leaf imparts a subtle tropical aroma to the rice as it cooks. Olives, ham, beer and peppers with their brine offer salt, fat, acid, umami and a bright pop of color. The sheer number of flavors layered into this dish make it a delight to unpack. The most exhilarating layer is the last one: pegao, the crisp, glassy shards of rice at the bottom of the pot. Gandules (pigeon peas) make this version of rice and beans distinctly Caribbean. Ms. Gascón-López prefers to start with dry gandules, which her family sometimes ships to her from Puerto Rico, then flavors the pot with some sofrito, a bay leaf or two and a smoked pork neck. If you have trouble finding dry pigeon peas, they are often labeled as toor at Indian grocery stores.

Arroz Con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice With Pigeon Peas)

banana

neutral oil,

sofrito (recipe below)

manzanilla olives

pigeon peas, drained (reserve 2 1/2 cups cooking liquid, if possible)

Store-bought or homemade adobo spice blend (see Tip), to taste

salt and black pepper

rice

pale, lager-style beer

olive oil

yellow onion, large diced (about 1 cup)

red bell pepper, stem,

green bell pepper, stem,

garlic

cilantro,

scallions,

ají dulce peppers, stemmed and seeded (optional)

store-bought

Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice With Pigeon Peas)

Lay 1 banana leaf (or more, if needed) flat on a large cutting board, then set the lid of a large Dutch oven or similar pot on top. Use a paring knife to trace around the lid, and cut the leaf (or leaves) so that they will fit properly inside the pot. Cover with a clean dishcloth and set aside.

In a small saucepan, cook the neutral oil and annatto seeds over medium heat, allowing the seeds to infuse the oil. After 2 to 3 minutes, when the oil begins to bubble and the seeds start to crackle, turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool completely. Pour the cool oil through a fine-mesh strainer, reserving seeds for another round of infusing, if desired.

Make the sofrito: Use a food processor or high-speed blender to pulse the onion, red and green bell peppers, cubanelle pepper, garlic, cilantro, scallions, ají dulce peppers (if using) and culantro (if using), adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed to achieve a smooth, salsa-like consistency. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon sazón and set aside. (The sofrito makes about 2 cups. Refrigerate it for up to 5 days or portion it into ice cube trays or plastic containers, and freeze up to 6 months.)

Set the large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons annatto oil and the ham or fatback. Sauté until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 6 minutes. Add 1/4 cup sofrito, the olives and 1 tablespoon sazón, stirring until sofrito is fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Next, add pigeon peas and sauté for another 3 minutes. Season with adobo, salt and black pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to medium. Add rice, stirring until grains are all coated, seasoned and starting to toast. If there isn’t enough oil to generously coat all of the rice and peas in the pot, add the remaining tablespoon of annatto oil. This will help form a delicious golden bottom crust called pegao.

Once the rice is toasted, stir in the beer and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the reserved pigeon-pea liquid (or 2 1/2 cups water) and roasted red pepper brine. Taste the cooking liquid and adjust salt as needed; it should be pleasantly salty.

Gently stir rice, then spread about half the thinly sliced roasted red pepper over the rice. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover rice with prepared banana leaves, then cover pot with its lid and cook for 22 minutes.

Once the time has passed, remove the lid, open the banana leaves and gently fold the rice onto itself from the outside in to form a mound in the center of the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, replace banana leaves and lid and continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes to allow pegao to form at the bottom of the pot.

To serve, spoon rice atop a platter layered with fresh banana leaves. Garnish with remaining sliced roasted peppers. Use a metal spatula to scrape pegao out of the pot and serve on a separate plate. Be careful, because everyone will fight over it!

Puerto Rico is famous for its fritters, and alcapurrias are among the most coveted. Imagine a tamale made of green banana and root vegetable masa that is stuffed with savory meat or seafood, and then deep fried. You typically get them from the kioskos, roadside stands along Puerto Rico’s beaches and highways, particularly in Loíza, a town on the northeastern coast that is the island’s African heart</span>. At home, they’re often made over the holidays, as many hands make light work. The flavor is unmistakable: earthy green banana and taro cut by savory <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022007-sofrito">sofrito</a>, briny capers and delicate crab meat. The filling, often called a salmorejo, is usually made from local land crabs, but commercially available lump crab is a fitting substitute. This recipe is adapted from one by María Dolores “Lula” de Jesús, the 84-year-old owner of El Burén de Lula in Loíza, who is considered by many to be a madrina, or godmother, of this and other dishes with African origins.

Alcapurrias de Jueyes (Crab-Stuffed Fritters)

vegetable oil

Kosher salt

white yautia (taro root)

green bananas

annatto oil

sofrito

drained capers, chopped

kosher salt,

crab meat (about 2 cups)

Vegetable oil, as needed (about 4 cups)

sauce,

Prepare the annatto oil: In a small saucepan, heat oil and annatto seeds over medium-high. Once the mixture comes to a rolling simmer, remove saucepan from stove, stir to combine, then let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer oil to a heat-safe container, straining out seeds through a fine-mesh sieve, and set aside. (Makes 3/4 cup.) You’ll use this oil in three separate steps to come.

Prepare the masa: Fill a large bowl with cold water and a fistful of salt. Peel and chop yautia and green bananas into 1-inch pieces, then soak in the salted water until ready to process.

Cut at least 32 squares of wax paper about 4 to 5 inches each. (Traditionally, banana leaves are used, but, since they can be difficult to source, wax paper is an appropriate substitute.)

Drain yautia and bananas well, then use a clean cloth to dab any excess water. Working in two batches, add half the drained yautia and bananas to the food processor with 1 tablespoon salt, and pulse until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining yautia, bananas and 1 tablespoon salt, processing to the texture of chunky hummus.

Return the first batch of blended yautia and bananas to the food processor, turn it on and gradually pour in 1/2 cup annatto oil, blending the mixture until smooth and dark yellow in color. Taste for salt, then transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate for an hour or more so it can set. (This will make about 9 to 10 cups of masa.)

Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan, bring 3 tablespoons annatto oil to a simmer over medium heat. Add sofrito, capers, sazón and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Lower heat to medium-low and add crab meat, stirring well to incorporate. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until flavors blend and crab has soaked up the seasoning. Adjust salt as needed.

Create an assembly line on a long dining table or counter, preferably atop a cloth or towels you don’t mind getting stained. From left to right, arrange the remaining annatto oil, wax paper squares, masa, crab filling and a large plate or baking sheet. Have a finger bowl with water and a clean towel available in case your hands get messy.

Using a small teaspoon, smear about 1/8 teaspoon of annatto oil in a wide oval shape nearly to the edge of the paper. Add about 2 tablespoons of masa, then spread in a wide oval over the annatto oil, leaving at least a 1/2-inch border of paper uncovered. Add about 2 to 3 teaspoons crab to the center of the masa, taking care not to overfill. Fold the paper in half, creating a half-moon shape, and seal the edge by pressing the masa lightly with your fingers, careful not to let the filling spill out. Stack carefully on a plate or baking sheet, and return to the fridge until ready to fry. (These fry up best when they’ve had time to rest in the refrigerator. If you’d like to prepare these ahead of time, you can refrigerate them for several hours, or store in the freezer for several months. They can be fried directly from the freezer.)

In a deep, heavy-bottomed pan or deep fryer, bring about 2 inches of vegetable oil (at least 4 cups) to a simmer over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. Working in batches, carefully transfer each alcapurria to the simmering oil, sliding it off the paper onto your hand, then carefully dropping in the oil. Gently nudge the alcapurrias with heat-safe tongs to prevent them from sticking. (The filling may burst through the edges, causing oil to splatter, so keep a splatter guard handy, if you have one.) Turn each fritter a few times until evenly dark golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove from oil and drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and cook remaining alcapurrias. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before eating, as they are quite hot. Sprinkle each bite with your hot sauce of choice.

Try this Cansi recipe, a hearty and comforting Ilonggo sour soup with tender beef shanks, unripe jackfruit, batwan, and chilis made extra tasty with annatto seeds.

Cansi - Authentic Ilonggo Recipe

beef shanks

water

tbsp rock salt

onion

lemongrass

salt (to taste)

5-6 pcs batwan

tbsp annatto seeds

unripe jackfruit (sliced)

pcs green chilis

pcs red chilis

Place beef shanks in a pot and add water and salt. Cover and cook over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.

Drain the water from the pot. Rinse the meat and the pot.

Return the meat to the pot and add enough water to cover the meat. Cover and bring to a boil over low heat.

Remove the cover and add onion, lemongrass, and salt to taste. Cover and simmer until beef is fork-tender.

Add the batwan, cover the pot again and cook until soft.

Place annatto seeds in a small fine-mesh sieve/ strainer. Submerge it into the pot and press to release the color.

Add unripe langka and cook until tender. Add chilis and simmer for about 3 mins.

Remove from heat and serve while piping hot.

As a native Bacolodnon Cansi is my favorite ilonggo dish. But I want to know if it’s a typographical error when you mentioned in the second part of the paragraph that it’s a staple in ilocos region, since batuan can only be found in panay areas. Thank you. I always get recipes from your site…🥰

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcxMmU2_O4E

Experience the rich flavors of Kansi, a traditional Ilonggo beef and tamarind soup that's both hearty and tangy. Learn how to make this authentic Filipino dish with our easy-to-follow recipe. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more delicious Filipino recipes...

In this video, you'll learn:

How to prepare beef shanks and bone marrow for the perfect Kansi.
Techniques for simmering the meat to achieve a rich and flavorful broth.
Tips for adding ingredients like tamarind, lemongrass, and jackfruit to enhance the dish.

INGREDIENTS:
1-1.5kg Beef Shanks
5-6 pcs batwan (can also use other souring agent if not available)
3 cups unripe jackfruit
1 medium onion
1 stalk lemongrass
3 green chilis
2 red chilis
1 tbsp rock salt
1 tbsp annatto seeds
6-8 cups water
salt (to taste)

For a complete and printable recipe: https://www.foxyfolksy.com/cansi/

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Top 3 annatto seeds recipes from across the web

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