Asopao de Gandules con Albóndigas de Plátano or Pigeon Pea Stew with Plantain Dumplings is a Puerto Rican recipe that packs a lot of flavor and can be described as “comfort food”.
Butternut or acorn squash can be substituted for calabaza in most recipes and we found that doing so did not significantly alter the authentic flavor of this dish. Before you gather your ingredients, be sure to have sofrito on hand. The sofrito recipe from Cocina Criollacan is prepared with just a few ingredients and a food processor.
Asopao de Gandules ~ Pigeon Pea Stew
A delicious thick hearty soup made with plantain dumplings, pigeon peas and rice. Sure to delight and keep you warm for these cold winter nights.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
Stew
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup onion chopped
- ¼ cup green bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup red bell pepper chopped
- 1 tbsp achiote oil
- 1 tbsp sofrito
- ¼ cup cooked ham chopped
- ½ cup calabaza chopped
- ½ cup rice
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1 can pigeon peas
- 3 cups chicken broth
- Coriander and recao to taste
Planteen Balls
- 1 plantain
- ½ tbsp achiote oil
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- ¼ tsp onion powder
Instructions
Stew
- In a saucepan, over medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic and peppers for 1 minute.
- Add the ham and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the sofrito and tomato sauce, sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the rice, the chicken broth, the pumpkin, the pigeon peas, the cilantro and the recao. Cook for 40 minutes, over medium-low heat, stirring every 5 minutes to avoid sticking to the bottom.
Planteen Balls
- Grate the banana in the smallest part of the guayo.
- Add the other ingredients, incorporating them well until they form a dough.
- Divide the dough into small balls.
- Add the balls to the stew in the middle of its cooking.
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