As in many others, rice is an everyday food in my culture and some people even like it for breakfast; I definitely am a rice lover, so I will eat anything with rice any time of the day. This recipe was inspired by typical Brazilian rice, which is served just as much as white rice. Arroz Brasileiro, aka Brazilian rice, is sautéed with garlic, onions, or both. Generally, a Brazilian rice recipe for a side dish is prepared like this regardless of type. Sauté a couple of cloves of minced garlic, or your BFF in Brazilian cuisine, Brazilian Sofrito, in a bit of oil, add in the rice, season with salt, cover with water, let it cook, and enjoy!
When people want a smokey flavor added to their dish, they usually first think of bacon, but if you want to take it to the next level, smoked pork belly is definitely the way to go to give it a nice different flavor. Even though both are basically the same thing, the taste is totally different, and it DOES make a difference. When cooking rice, the liquid ratio is crucial for puffy and loose grain rice; nobody wants mushy wet rice unless it is called for, like making granitos (a Puerto Rican rice fritter). This guide can help you achieve adequately cooked rice. If you would like to infuse this recipe is very simple, just substitute the oil for infused oil and the butter for infused butter.
I have served this cooked all together and with the pork on top, and both ways are delicious. If you want to make this variation, then fry the pork all the way, take it out, and top the rice with it when you are ready to serve. That’s how I always plate Arroz con tocino. This rice pairs perfectly with chicken breast or pork loin.
Dry (unwashed) rice = 1:1.5 – You’ll need 1.5 or 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid for each dry, unwashed rice cup.
Washed rice = 1:1.25 – You’ll need 1.25 or 1 1/4 cups of cooking liquid for each cup of washed rice.
Ingredients:
2 cups of white rice (you can use jasmine, basmati, or any long-grain rice, but I always use Calrose medium grain rice)
20-25 oz of corn (I love corn, so I use 25 oz)
2 tbsp butter
smoked pork belly (this is to you like, can omit it if vegetarian)
3 big cloves of garlic minced
3 cups of water
salt
5 oz smoked pork belly (cubed)
1 tbsp neutral (flavorless) oil
Method:
In a pot at medium-hi heat, put the pork belly in with a splash of water to help render the fat. Once it is all heated up and the pork renders some fat, let all the water evaporate and add the oil, lightly frying the pork halfway. Only halfway, or you will get dark bits in the white rice if you fry it all the way; unless you want to make a variation and fry it all the way, take it out and serve it crunchy on top of the rice.
When the pork starts to get some color, turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and corn, then add the rice, and once you cook it all for another minute (you want to heat and cover every grain in the oil (this helps the grain to stay fluffy and separated). Add the water and butter and let bring to a boil.
When some of the water evaporates (you can see all the rice bubbling, which means it is halfway done), with a spoon, turn the rice (from bottom to top), cover, and cook with the lid on until the grain is tender and cooked thoroughly.
Serve and enjoy!
Tips:
Are you burning your rice?
- The heat might be too high.
- Pan might have been too big for the amount of rice you’re cooking. I usually go for a 2-quart pan to make one cup of dry rice. So, when I double the recipe, I double the size of the pan as well – 2 cups of dry rice, 4-qt pan, and so on. That’s important because using a too big pan for not enough rice means more surface to distribute heat and less rice volume. This makes the water evaporate too quickly, which may lead to burned rice (sometimes undercooked AND burned).
Is your rice undercooked?
- This can happen if the lid of your pan doesn’t “close” correctly, or maybe you didn’t resist, and you took a little peak here and there, interrupting the cooking process by letting out all the vapor that is needed to cook the rice.
- Maybe, you lost track of time and thought the rice rested covered for 10 mins, but perhaps it was less than that? Seriously, set a timer! This always helps when you haven’t mastered the skill or get anxious and open the lid ahead of time.
- Maybe, instead of simmering, the liquid was boiling, causing it to evaporate faster than the rice could absorb it and cook thoroughly. This trick can help and give you the last chance to save your rice. If any of these worked, finish cooking it and feed your puppy a nice homecooked meal! LOL
- The Solution: Just put the pan back on the stove over medium heat and add just enough liquid to create a little steam again, like 2-3 Tbsps of liquid, and start back over at step 5. Be sure not to skip the 10 mins steam rest and no peaking; letting the steam out will cut the cooking process and ruin your rice; trust the process!
The author shall not be liable for any damage or injury alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the information provided here. Neither is responsible for any allergic reaction or adverse reaction to any ingredient (including infusions). No legal, nutritional, or medical advice is intended with this information, and under no circumstances should any infused product be given to children without professional medical guidance.