How do you cook Puerto Rican rice?
My grandmother used to cook it this way: First you need to “set-up” the basic “oil” and “salt” ingredient. You need either a cast aluminum boiling pan or “caldero” or “olla”. You can search for this online. Slice a few 1/4 sized pieces of salt pork or fat back and fry it. This will set the foundation for the desired taste. Then you place small to medium grain rice (2 cups) and 2 1/2 cups of water. Stir it initially to mix the oil and salt. Leave uncovered and bring this combination to a boil and do no stir again until the water has disappeared. It may be 20 minutes. Stir with a BBQ fork (leave the rice at the bottom of the “caldero” in tact for the famous “crunchy” pegaito. When I say stir, what I mean is a side to in motion, moving the bottom of the rice upward. Go around the “caldero” and cover for 10-15 minutes or until rice is soft. My grandmother used to leave the pieces of fat back or salt pork in, which I didn’t care for. I liked it when she took the fried fat back out and after
