Moro de guandules con coco (Rice, pigeon peas and coconut)

December 26, 2010

Moro de guandules con coco (Rice, pigeon peas and coconut)

I was 12, and I fell in love. It was all new to me and I was smitten: I ate moro de guandules con coco for the first time.

It was my first trip to Samaná, and I remember with a smile the horror on my brother’s face when he found out that the food contained coconut. Madness! Coconut doesn’t belong in savory dishes!

Or does it?

Moro de guandules con coco (Rice, pigeon peas and coconut)

But let’s take a second to talk about guandules (pigeon peas).

With the possible exception of Puerto Rico (where it’s called gandules) no other nation seems to appreciate this legume like Dominicans do. It is found, fresh, dried and canned in every supermarket, market and corner store, it’s smoky taste well-loved by Dominicans of all walk sof life. And while beans (red kidney, cramberry or pinto) are king here, pigeon peas are a special treat. There is not a corner of our Republic where guandules is not known.

Moro de guandules con coco (Rice, pigeon peas and coconut)

But in Samaná somebody (or possibly several somebodies) had a struck of genius: to combine pigeon peas with coconut. This is possibly a natural progression from the fact that Samaná is covered from corner to corner with coconut groves. Coconut in all its incarnations are enjoyed in the beautiful bay. From Samaná we also received the gifts of guandules con coco, pescado con coco, pan de coco and several other dishes containing the fruit from the noble tree.

Moro de guandules con coco (Rice, pigeon peas and coconut)

This dish is full of flavor and the buttery goodness of coconut. It is an obligatory addition to any special meal Dominican-style. It is also part of our traditional Dominican Christmas dinner.

Aunt Clara

Moro de guandules con coco (Rice, pigeon peas and coconut)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 6 porciones

Moro de guandules con coco (Rice, pigeon peas and coconut)

This delicious dish hailing from the beautiful Samana has been adopted by the whole country as a favorite and an indispensable part of the Christmas' Eve dinner.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of rice
  • 3 cups of boiled green pigeon peas
  • 2 cups of coconut milk
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons of oil
  • 4 teaspoons of tomato paste (optional)
  • 1/4 cup of chopped green peppers
  • 1 pinch of oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon mashed garlic
  • 1/8 cup of capers (optional)
  • 1/4 cup of chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon of finely chopped coriander/cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon of thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 12 pitted olives cut into halves

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in an iron pot and add the cilantro, celery, capers, garlic, olives, thyme, peppers, oregano and salt.
  2. Stir while adding the tomato paste.
  3. Add the peas, also while stirring.
  4. Once well heated, add the water and coconut milk and bring to a boil.
  5. Add the rice and stir regularly removing as much as you can of the rice that sticks to the bottom.
  6. When all the water has evaporated cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over very low heat.
  7. Wait 15 minutes, uncover, add the remaining oil and stir.
  8. Move the rice from the bottom to the top so it cooks uniformly.
  9. Cover again and wait another 5 minutes.
  10. The rice should be firm but tender inside.
  11. If necessary, cover and leave another 5 minutes on very low heat.
http://www.dominicancooking.com/513-moro-de-guandules-con-coco-rice-pigeon-peas-and-coconut.html

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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }

1 calypso January 8, 2011 at 3:44 AM

you forgot to put olives in the ingredients. i love the new look. keep up the good work :) happy new year!

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2 Aunt Clara January 8, 2011 at 6:29 PM

Glad you like the new look. It's all about you guys. :)

Thanks for the note about the olives. Some people don't like olives, so I guess I glossed over that one, I added it to the list of ingredients now.

Reply

3 pja143 March 22, 2011 at 4:26 PM

Hi, I made this recipe and it came out great. Just a note, peppers and celery are listed in the ingredient list, but not in the preparation instructions.

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4 Miguel June 1, 2011 at 3:21 PM

@pja peppers and celery are considered one of the spices. but u can make it without them.

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5 Joan Miller July 29, 2011 at 11:00 AM

This recipe is so delicious!!! The spices are just right, my guest's loved it! Thank you!

Reply

6 Arlene January 22, 2012 at 5:54 AM

I am dominican and had never had (or made) this with coco. I made this for my mom, hubby and siblings…it was a hit along with your pollo con wasakaka, the piananos (appetizer) and the sopa de pescado (this soup came out so god that my mom even took some home! we are soup lovers) Thanks so much for posting all these recipes, Aunt Clara!

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7 Heart March 7, 2012 at 3:00 PM

When do I add the pigeon peas?

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8 Aunt Clara March 7, 2012 at 3:11 PM

Sorry, my bad. I just copied the recipe to the new Google-friendly format and must have left something behind.

ETA, sorry, there was no error. You missed step 3.

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9 genesis April 23, 2012 at 8:00 PM

me encanta el moro de guandule con coco

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10 Jazmin July 31, 2012 at 5:48 PM

When should the celery, garlic and peppers be added?

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11 Aunt Clara July 31, 2012 at 6:25 PM

Step 1. Thanks for asking!

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12 CW August 17, 2012 at 10:49 AM

Rice and peas is found throughout the Caribbean from Jamaica to Barbados. It is one of the national dishes of Barbados. Nearly every backyard garden has a tree. The recipe for Barbados rice and peas does not traditionally contain olives, capers nor coconut unlike Jamaican rice and peas, since these ingredients were not readily found on the island.

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13 Aleho August 26, 2012 at 6:01 AM

Oh my god, this is divine!
Sorry God, but I can’t find other words to describe this wholeness and harmony of flavours. From now on I will consider this to be the flavour Queen of all moro dishes.

Thank you Aunt Clara for sharing this. You’re an Angel!

Reply

14 Aunt Clara August 28, 2012 at 10:45 AM

Yes, divine it is.

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15 Yami August 30, 2012 at 12:50 AM

Great recipe! Love how you incorporated the beautiful samana bay as a background of many coconut dishes, Ive visited and the people,beaches and their way of cooking with coconut is truly amazing, it makes the Dominican Republic proud.

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