Arroz atollado

Ingredients

The pot

• 400 gmedium-grain rice, rinsed
• 400 gpork ribs or belly, in pieces
• 300 gchicken thighs, in pieces
• 150 gchorizo or longaniza, sliced
• 2large potatoes, in 2 cm cubes
• 1.8 litreschicken stock

Hogao

• 2 tbspoil
• 1large onion, finely chopped
• 4spring onions, sliced
• 3tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tspground cumin
• ½ tspachiote or paprika, for colour
• 1½ tsp salt

To finish

• 1large bunch coriander, chopped
• 2hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• lime wedges

Directions

1. Make the hogao first: cook the onion, spring onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft, add the tomato, cumin and achiote and cook down 10 minutes to a thick, deep-red sofrito. This is the flavour base of the whole dish.
2. Add the pork and chicken to the pot and turn them through the hogao for 5 minutes.
3. Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes until the meats are tender. Skim any heavy fat.
4. Add the potato and the sliced chorizo and cook 8 minutes.
5. Stir in the rinsed rice and simmer uncovered, stirring every few minutes, for 20–25 minutes. Keep it loose: the name means bogged down, and it should end up soupy, somewhere between a risotto and a stew, never dry like a pilaf.
6. Add more hot stock whenever it tightens — the rice keeps drinking as it sits, so err on the wet side.
7. Take off the heat, fold in most of the coriander and rest 5 minutes. Serve in bowls topped with the rest of the coriander, quarters of hard-boiled egg and a lime wedge.

Technique

• Stir it, unlike a pilaf. The starch released is what makes the texture, exactly as in a risotto.
• Medium-grain rice holds up better than long-grain, which goes to mush at this length of cooking.
• It thickens dramatically on standing. Serve it looser than you think it should be.

Substitutions

• Pork belly alone, without chicken, is common and simpler.
• Smoked paprika stands in for achiote for colour, though the flavour is different.

Variations

• A Valle del Cauca version with pork ribs and no chicken.
• Arroz atollado de pollo, made only with chicken, for weeknights.

History

A Valle del Cauca dish whose name means bogged down; cooked in a wide pot for family gatherings along the Cauca river.

Frequently asked questions

What is Arroz atollado?

Arroz atollado is a main from Colombia: soupy rice cooked with pork, chicken, potato and coriander. A Valle del Cauca dish whose name means bogged down; cooked in a wide pot for family gatherings along the Cauca river.

How long does Arroz atollado take to make?

Arroz atollado takes 25 min of preparation and 1 hr 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Arroz atollado?

Yes, within limits. Pork belly alone, without chicken, is common and simpler. Smoked paprika stands in for achiote for colour, though the flavour is different.

What is the most important thing to get right in Arroz atollado?

Make the hogao first: cook the onion, spring onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft, add the tomato, cumin and achiote and cook down 10 minutes to a thick, deep-red sofrito. This is the flavour base of the whole dish.