Cuban Midnight Green Herb Chickpea Rice

About This Recipe

This one-pot rice leans on the same base every good Cuban rice dish starts with - a hard sofrito of onion and garlic - but goes green and herbaceous, with a big handful of parsley and cilantro blended into the cooking liquid so the rice itself turns a pale herbal color as it absorbs it. Chickpeas add substance, turning it into an easy midnight dinner rather than a side dish. Blending the herbs into the stock rather than adding them whole is what gives this dish its distinct color and flavor throughout, instead of just scattering green on top at the end - similar in spirit to how Cuban cooks build depth by cooking aromatics into the liquid the rice absorbs.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1.5 cupslong-grain white rice
• 1 can (15 oz)chickpeas(drained and rinsed)
• 1 cuppacked parsley leaves
• 0.5 cuppacked cilantro leaves
• 3 cupsvegetable or chicken stock
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1onion(diced)
• 5 clovesgarlic(minced, divided)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 1lime(juiced)

Instructions

1. 1

   Blend the herb stock

   Blend the stock with parsley, cilantro and 2 cloves garlic until smooth and green.

2. 2

   Build the sofrito

   Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Cook onion 6-7 minutes until soft, then add remaining garlic and cumin for 1 minute.

3. 3

   Toast the rice

   Add the rice and stir 1-2 minutes to lightly toast the grains in the sofrito.

4. 4

   Add liquid and chickpeas

   Pour in the herb stock, add chickpeas and salt, and bring to a boil.

5. 5

   Cook covered

   Cover, reduce to the lowest heat, and cook 18-20 minutes without lifting the lid, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

   The green color fades a little as it cooks - that's expected, not a sign anything went wrong.

6. 6

   Rest and finish

   Let rest covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork, stir in lime juice, and taste for salt before serving.

Variations

• •

  Add shredded rotisserie chicken after cooking for a heartier one-pot meal.

• •

  Swap chickpeas for black beans for a more classically Cuban pairing.

• •

  Stir in a diced avocado just before serving for extra creaminess.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat with a splash of stock or water, covered, over low heat or in the microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions