Creativity with rice, is one of the best descriptions I have for this artesian side dish in the puerto rican cuisine. Its more found in restaurants on the west side of the island, its flavor varies in the ingredients the cook will sauté before adding the rice.
Also in other towns they call it Arroz Apastelao, the first time I heard this I thought they mix the traditional pasteles with the rice, but no it wasn’t like that, and its not that I haven’t try it because its a great combination of texture with rice, but it was the Mamposteao rice I already knew. One of the most important components in this dish I for me is bacon and cilantro.
Some chefs add pieces of maduritos or other texture change ingredients to make it more interesting and unique. Some use black beans or pink beans, but no matter which kind of grain the chef use the zen on this dish is the sofrito. Some of the restaurants that I can tell “its a most” to taste are De Lirious, Eclipse and Piñeiros Latin Cuisine, but you ‘ll be the judge! so try it and enjoy.
