Arroz Paisa (Colombian Paisa Rice)
Arroz paisa is the rice dish of Antioquia: rice folded through chorizo, pork belly, pork, sweet plantain and hogao, each fried separately so the fat of one seasons the next. It works with leftover rice and is a meal in itself, served with avocado. Serves six.
Servings: 6
Calories: 929kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice day-old rice works well and separates better
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 5 sausages, sliced Colombian chorizo is closest to the original; beef sausages are a common substitute
- 300 g pork belly, cut into small pieces about 10 oz
- 300 g pork, cubed about 10 oz
- 200 g bacon or salt pork, optional about 7 oz
- ½ cup sweet corn kernels
- 2 large ripe plantains, diced properly ripe: the skin should be mostly black
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup green beans, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ red and green bell pepper, diced
- 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Cumin, achiote colouring, pepper and salt, to taste
Instructions
- Start with the rice. In a large pot, sauté the garlic and two tablespoons of the onion in the oil. Add the rice, sauté for a minute or two, season with salt and pour in the chicken broth. Once the broth has been absorbed, cover the pot and simmer until the rice is cooked. Meanwhile, prepare everything else.
- In a pan, fry the pork belly until crisp. Remove, drain and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.
- In the same fat, fry the pork until it changes colour, then the sausage. Drain and set aside.
- Fry the plantain in the same pan until the edges caramelise, and set aside. If you are using bacon, fry it in a separate pan without oil, drain well and set aside.
- In the bacon pan, with just a little of the fat left, sauté the onion, tomato, bell peppers and green beans to make the hogao. Season with achiote colouring, cumin, pepper and salt, and let it cook down until thick.
- Once everything is ready, combine it all with the rice in a large bowl or pot. Fold it together gently so the rice does not turn to paste.
- Serve with avocado slices.
Notes
Leftover rice works well here, and arguably better than fresh: day-old grains have dried slightly and stay separate when you fold everything through. If you cook rice specially, spread it out and let it cool first.
Nutrition
Calories: 929kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 2449mg | Potassium: 976mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1630IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 4mg