What Is a Typical Dinner in Puerto Rico?

What Is a Typical Dinner in Puerto Rico?

by | | Blog, Healthy Puerto Rican Foods, Holistic Health & Wellness

Puerto Rico is known for it’s delicious and flavorful food. Typically a Puerto Rican dinner consists of rice, beans, meats, and stews. Mainly cooked in a heavy kettle or caldero. One of the most popular dinners includes beefsteaks, or in other words “bistec”. The beef is marinated in adobo, a mix of salt, garlic, black pepper, and oregano. Then it’s stir fried with onions, and peppers. It is mainly served with white rice, and bean stew, with a side of lettuce, tomatoes, and a slice of avocado. Puerto Rican dinners are super yummy, and the good news is, most dinners are Gluten-Free Puerto Rican Recipes.

Let’s have a look at the detailed cuisine of Puerto Rico and healthy Puerto Rican dinner recipes!


Appetizers and soups in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican meals usually begin with hot and sizzling appetizers. A few of them are sweet cornmeal aka sorullitos, empanadillas, alcapurrias, and fresh cod fritters. Among the favorites are the empanadillas which are demilune shaped turnovers filled with beef, chicken, cheese, and/or delicious seafood. 

For soups, asopao and sopa de platano are some of the most popular soups of Puerto Rican origin. A perfect way to start a savory dinner is to begin with healthy Puerto Rican soups. They are a powerhouse of nutrition with fiber, minerals, proteins, vitamins, and antioxidants. The asopao is made like a chicken soup with rice instead of noodles, and a sopa de platanos is made with plantains. Both are very hearty soups and work great when following a Gluten-Free diet. 

Asopao can also be called Sopón. You may find it called; Sopón de Pollo con Arroz. It is a rice-chicken recipe that tastes different in every restaurant you visit.

Sopón de garbanzos con patas de cerdo is among the most authentic variations. It’s a soup made with pork feet and chickpeas. It is definitely a unique recipe found in only some restaurants. 


What is the best food to eat in Puerto Rico?

The best Puerto Rican Foods are Tostones, Arroz Con Gandules and Mofongo.

a. Tostones:

Puerto Rico is famous for its tostones. This dish is a plantain appetizer or side dish, that is known for being fried twice. The fried plantains aka tostones are paired with mayo-ketchup, a sauce made with mayonnaise, ketchup, garlic, and hot sauce.

b. Arroz con gandules:

Considered a national dish of the island, Arroz con gandules is an authentic Puerto Rican recipe. The recipe starts with white rice with added pigeon peas, olives, tomato sauce, sazón, and sofrito. Sofrito is a kitchen foundation consisting of onions,  peppers, cilantro, and garlic. Some add plantain leaves on top of the caldero as it cooks to add extra flavor, and make the rice taste like a “pastel”, a Puerto Rican tamale made during the holidays made with green bananas and yautia. 

c. Mofongo:

While cooking Puerto Rican paleo recipes, you can make mofongo which is mashed plantains. A paleo mofongo recipe includes green plantains, garlic, and salt. The seasoning and filling have beef, chicken, vegetables, or shrimp. Mofongo relleno is one of the most popular dishes in restaurants around the island. 

A few of the other best foods are Alcapurrias, Empanadillas, and Rellenos de Papa as appetizers, and Pernil, Pastelon, Pasteles… So many good choices in Puerto Rican cuisine.  You’ll want to try it all!

DIY Puerto Rican Adobo

What are the typical Puerto Rican ingredients?

The aroma of cuisines in Puerto Rico comes from a mixture of Adobo and Sofrito herbs and spices. It brings a distinctive flavor and color to most indigenous foods. A DIY Puerto Rican adobo marinade can be made with a blend of oregano, black pepper, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar. Sofrito is a blend of onions, peppers, garlic, culantro or cilantro, blended with a bit of oil. Add Sazón or achiote (annatto seeds), to give rice, soup, and stews it’s shiny yellow color. 

A Puerto Rican Sazón Recipe is a mixture of ingredients. They are a delicious mix of Spanish, African, Taino, and American influences. You can add achiote (annatto seeds), coriander, cumin, and garlic. Everyone makes it a bit different, but there are many store bought sazóns that are healthy and delicious. Just make sure to get the ones made with pure ingredients, without artificial colors and ingredients (check out our own healthy blends at the shop Healthy Rican, made by Nutrition Dork).

Make a Homemade Sazón Seasoning Mix by combining annatto, garlic, and salt to start. You can also include cumin, black pepper, coriander, and oregano for a flavorful sazón mix. 


Main Dishes in Puerto Rico

There are a variety of main dishes in Puerto Rico. From rice and beans, to root vegetables and fish, and plantains in various recipes. The food in Puerto Rico is always enticing, distinct, and bold. The people enjoy tasty yet easy Puerto Rican recipes. As they grow a diverse range of vegetables, the island is famous for chayote, a pear-shaped vegetable also known as a christophine plant. Along with berenjena (eggplant), and various squashes like calabaza.
Puerto Rican Sazon Recipe

What are the two typical dishes in Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rico has a history of savory dishes. Two of the traditional dishes are pasteles and Arroz con dulce. Especially during the holidays. Pasteles are made with green plantains and are generally filled with pork. Can also be made with added yuca or yautia, and chicken. In flavor and texture, many people believe that they are like tamales. Arroz Con Dulce is a coconut rice pudding made of coconut milk, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and cloves. Garnished with cinnamon sticks & raisins and served as a dessert.


Is Puerto Rican food spicy

Puerto Rican food is spicy, but not hot. It is a combination of spices and herbs which makes the food very flavorful and savory. Most of the food dishes include sofrito, adobo, and sazón as seasonings staples.


Desserts and Drinks in Puerto Rico?

The most popular dessert in Puerto Rico is flan, a caramel custard, made with various milks, condensed milk, and eggs. Flan can be made in various flavors like vanilla, cheese, coconut, and even nutella. 

There are various sweets like guava cake, orange layer cake, and banana cupcakes.

The most popular dessert ingredient is coconut. You can taste a wide variety of tasty desserts with it. Many serve it as coconut flan, coconut cream, and candied coconut rice. You can also find coconut in popular drinks like piña colada, and coquito (a coconut eggnog for the holidays).

Gluten-free Puerto Rican Recipes

Rum is the national drink. Puerto Rico is its leading producer. A few others that go on the list are coquito, black coffee, and beer (Cerveza).

While the food is spicy (in a delicious not hot way), the people are famous for having a sweet tooth. Right from Puerto Rican Breakfasts to Desserts, the food is worth admiring.


What is Puerto Rican ice cream called?

The Puerto Rican ice cream is called helado del país. It comes in various fruit flavors that are indigenous to the island. Some of the flavors are coconut, pineapple, guava, and passion fruit. 

A piragua is another type of “ice cream”. It is not really ice cream, but more like a snow cone as it is a shaved ice cone in the shape of a pyramid, with a fruity syrup on top. The syrup comes in different flavors. They include raspberry, pineapple, coconut, guava, or tamarind.

Piragua is a blend of Spanish words pirámide ("pyramid") and agua ("water").


What drink is Puerto Rico known for?

Puerto Rico is famous for Pina colada, a famous rum-based cocktail.

It is an easy Puerto Rican recipe as it is a proportionate combination of coconut cream, pineapple juice, ice, and rum.


Dinner Etiquette in Puerto Rico

You say "Buen provecho" (enjoy your meal) when you visit a restaurant. At lunch, you say “Buenos dias.” And, it is “Buenas tardes” during dinner.

Puerto Ricans are friendly. You are expected to greet and smile even when you do not know the people sitting at the next table.


What time is dinner in Puerto Rico?

People prefer to consume dinner late in Puerto Rico. Many of the restaurants do not open before 6 in the evening. Until 7, it is usually a person or two. Yet it gets crowded after 8:00 p.m.


Do you tip waiters in Puerto Rico?

In Puerto Rico, tipping is the usual etiquette. It is like most other parts of the U.S. Also, it is an essential source of income.

Fifteen percent of the bill is the average after you have enjoyed a great meal. It is not mandatory to tip in bars. But, you can still tip with $1 per drink.


Takeaway

Puerto Rican Dinner draws influences from American, Taino, Spanish and African cooking. The typical dishes comprise a variety of exotic blends. It reflects the colorful culture. The tropical ingredients make the perfect culinary diversity. Visit Nutrition Dork for healthy Puerto Rican dinner recipes.
Sancocho

Sancocho

by | | Blog, Healthy Puerto Rican Foods, Recipes

Sancocho is a popular stew in many Latin countries and the recipe varies from place to place.  The base of it is really similar as the stew consists of chicken and a variety of root vegetables like yuca (cassava) and yautia (malanga). Some also add either green bananas or green plantains. I will share the Puerto Rican version of sancocho, as it's the one I'm most familiar with. It's the perfect meal for the colder weather that is approaching soon. Plus, it's a really healthy stew as root vegetables are gluten-free, low-glycemic, and high in fibers and minerals. 


Ingredients: 

(5-6 servings)

· 2 yuca/cassava roots (peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces)

. 2 malanga roots (peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces)

. 2 green bananas, or green plantains (peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces)

· 2 or 3 corn on the cob cut into 1- or 2-inch pieces

· 2 or 3 large carrots (peeled and chopped)

· Optional: celery root (chopped)

· 2  lbs of chicken thighs cut into pieces (with or without bone)

· Cooking oil of choice

· 4 tbsp of sofrito (blended onions, peppers, cilantro and garlic) You can find a recipe on my blog; nutritiondork.com/blog  

· 2 tbsp of stuffed green olives

· 1 tbsp of sazón (seasoning made with annatto). Recipe on my blog or can purchase at healthyrican.com

· 2 cups of organic tomato sauce

· 2 cups of chicken broth

 

Directions: 

· Boil the chicken in about 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Do not drain.

· In a separate large pot (big enough to fit all the ingredients), add the oil, sofrito, olives and sazón. Stir fry for a minute or so.

· Add the tomato sauce and stir.

· Add all the root vegetables including the green bananas, plantains, carrots and corn.

· Add in the boiled chicken and broth until everything is covered.

· Cook until all the root vegetables are cooked (soft enough to stick a fork in them) and the liquid has a thick consistency. 

. Serve and sprinkle cilantro on top if desired. 

· Can be served with rice or on its own as a hearty soup. Enjoy!!

 

Made with Love, 

Mayra Luz Colón 

Founder of Nutrition Dork LLC &

the Healthy Rican Brand

 

Connect with me on social media @nutritiondork & @healthyrican

What are Puerto Rican Spices?

What are Puerto Rican Spices?

by | | Blog, Healthy Puerto Rican Foods, Nutrition Dork Blog

Puerto Spices include bay leaves, oregano, basil, and cilantro. It also includes parsley, garlic, culantro, and Caribbean thyme. Sofrito is the primary ingredient in making the food palatable. With that, Sazón, Recao (aka culantro), Achiote (aka annatto), and Adobo are some of the dry seasoning mixes. They add flavor to rice dishes, soups, fish, meats, stews, and poultry. These items give the dishes a much stronger taste. 

Let us deep dive into Best Healthier Versions of Puerto Rican Recipes.

1. What spices are used in Puerto Rican cooking?

Puerto Rican cooking is quite simple. Yet it involves using the correct variety of spices. Sofrito, Sazón, Adobo and Cuban Oregano are a few to name.

The Authentic Puerto Rican Sofrito Recipe is a blend of different herbs and vegetables. It includes onion, peppers, garlic, sweet aji peppers, recao or cilantro, and a bit of olive oil. 

Blended from Spanish and Mexican cuisine, Sazón refers to a colorful seasoned salt. The Puerto Rican Sazón Recipe is simple. The homemade Sazón seasoning mix includes achiote, coriander, garlic, and salt. 

Puerto Rican Adobo is another dry seasoning mix which is always used in every Puerto Rican dish. You can make your DIY Puerto Rican Adobo by blending salt, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, and turmeric. 

Cuban Oregano, a succulent leafy herb, is also a key element in Puerto Rican cooking.

Find my personal DIY Adobo and Sazón on the BLOG. 

Is Puerto Rican food spicy?

Puerto Rican food is well seasoned, but not as spicy as you think. It is not hot, just very flavorful, and it all depends on how much your taste buds can handle. Most people trying Puerto Rican foods for the 1st time say they enjoy it, and would like to try more. 

Many of the food items consist of common herbs and spices, including basil, parsley, and bay leaves. This makes the dish more flavorful, seasoned, and delicious. You can add to many of your own Puerto Rican Paleo Recipes by adding vegetables, fish, meat, or sausage.

Best Healthier Versions of Puerto Rican Recipes

2. What sauce is served with many Puerto Rican dishes?

Mojito isleño is a famous Puerto Rican hot sauce. It contains olives, olive oil, tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, bell peppers, and vinegar. It gets an extra flavor from spices and fresh herbs. Mojito isleño is a chunky topping added on a variety of fish and shellfish.

Ajilimójili is another famous sauce with many elements. A few of them are garlic, coriander, white vinegar, hot chili peppers, olive oil, salt and lime juice. For its preparation, blend all the ingredients to make a smooth purée. 

Puerto Rico is famous for another hot sauce known as Pique Criollo. It consists of hot chili peppers and vinegar combined with various herbs and olive oil. 

Another popular sauce that became popular in the 90’s is mayo-ketchup. It is a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, garlic, and a bit of hot sauce. This sauce is typically served with plantain dishes. 

What is a common side dish in Puerto Rico?

Guanimes is one of the most common side dishes in Puerto Rico during lunch time. It’s a cornmeal masa, which includes a side of bean stew, seafood like “bacalao”, meat and a few other items. 

“Arroz y habichuelas” (rice and beans) and “Pastelón” (plantain lasagna) are other mouth-watering side dishes. Arroz y habichuelas contains rice and beans with ham or bacon, tomato purée, sazón, and sofrito. Pastelón includes sliced plantains, and is layered using ground meat. It is a delicious, filling side dish. 

You can also enjoy Platáno Frito also known as “amarillos” as a flavorful side dish made up of fried ripe plantains in oil until golden brown.

3. What is the best Puerto Rican food?

The list of the best Puerto Rican food is endless. A few of the must-try dishes include Arañitas, Bistec Encebollado, Asopao and Tripleta.

You can prepare Arañitas by frying shredded plantains. It is a crispy plat du jour served with garlic-based dip known as mayo-ketchup. Bistec encebollado is a flavorful dish. It consists of marinated beef steak with adobo-spiced and onion sauce. The flavors come from marinating the meat well for 10-12 hours. 

Asopao is a blend of a stew and soup. A piquant dish, rice is its key ingredient and can include beef, pigeon peas, chicken, and pork. Tripleta, a sandwich, has a filling of grilled steak, ham and Lechon pork. Place the filling in a loaf of bread and top with ketchup, mayonnaise, fries, lettuce or cabbage, and tomato.

Is Puerto Rican food healthy?

Yes, Puerto Rican food can be modified to satisfy your paleo, or plant based needs. You can make healthy low-calorie Puerto Rican food by using non-starchy vegetables. You can use eggplant, okra, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, chayote squash, peppers, asparagus, cauliflower, and so much more. Blend vegetables with rice and beans for a meal high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You can make meals even healthier by using very little hydrogenated oils, and adding more healthy fats like avocado, olives, and frying foods in coconut oil. 

Gluten-Free Puerto Rican Recipes

4. What is a traditional Puerto Rican breakfast?

A traditional Puerto Rican breakfast includes Revoltillo, Cremas and baked goods like bread and “quesitos”.

Revoltillo consists of scrambled eggs mixed with other ingredients of choice. You can find options like onions, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and meats like ham, bacon, and sausages. 

Have a healthy start to your day by eating a bowl of fresh fruits. The Puerto Rican fruit bowl consists of mangoes and papaya. You can also use pineapple, berries, quenepa, and guanabana.

Enjoy Cremas, the most famous Puerto Rican porridge. Add some butter or cinnamon as it may taste a little bland. Some of these include oatmeal, cornmeal, and cream of wheat. 

Quesito is a small pastry with cream cheese and is an excellent companion to a cup of your morning coffee.

What is a typical Puerto Rican lunch?

Some Popular Puerto Rican Lunch Recipes include sizzling hot appetizers like bacalaitos, sorullitos, and empanadillas. Soups are also a great choice. You can also have the mesmerizing Paleo Mofongo Recipe. It is a Gluten-Free Puerto Rican Recipe consisting of green plantains, seasoned with garlic, butter and salt, stuffed with beef, chicken, seafood, or veggies. Arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) is one the most popular chicken dishes during lunch or dinner, paired with a slice of avocado, and a salad, it can be a wholesome healthy meal at any time. 

Easy Puerto Rican Recipes

5. What are some typical Puerto Rican foods?

Some typical Puerto Rican foods include “Lechón Asado”, Alcapurrias, and “Flan de queso”.

The Lechon Asado is a typical traditional Puerto Rican recipe in which an entire pig is doused with spices. A few of these include salt, oregano, pepper, aji dulces, and garlic. The pig is then cooked on a wood charcoal fire. This way you get a crispy texture to the skin. This pig roast is usually done during the Holidays, and special events because it can feed many people. However, if you visit the mountain area on the island, you will find restaurants that serve roasted pig and “pernil” which is very similar. 

Alcapurrias, a local Puerto Rican food, is a fried fritter made with a batter called masa. It consists of green bananas and Xanthosoma (grated yautia), and it is stuffed with chicken, beef, or seafood. 

Flan de queso looks like a combination of caramel custard and cheesecake. With the help of simple ingredients, the traditional Puerto Rican flan is ready to eat! Some of the ingredients include condensed milk, evaporated milk and eggs. You can also add some sugar and cream cheese. Generally, it is vanilla flavored. But, you can try it in chocolate, Nutella, or coconut.

What are the two typical dishes in Puerto Rico?

Bacalaitos and Pan de Mallorca are two typical dishes in Puerto Rico.

Bacalaitos is a salted cod fish fritter. The variety of spices and seasonings make it taste really good. Garnished with tomatoes, onions, and cilantro make it taste even better. This interesting snack is chewy inside and crisp outside, and served with a garlic sauce. 

Pan de Mallorca is also a very common Puerto Rican Breakfast. It is a sweet bread roll topped with sugar powder.

The spices in Puerto Rican recipes are accessible and versatile. With no dietary restrictions, there’s a dish to please each palate. The spices and flavors reflect its diversity. The island is full of heavy and rich food styles. Relieve your cravings for fresh produce, seafood or meat.

Enjoy the amazing flavors of Puerto Rican spices. Nutrition Dork brings you an array of healthy Puerto Rican recipes and seasonings. Get your Healthy Rican Ebook and Spices, with over 35 Naturally Gluten-Free Recipes, now on SALE at the SHOP!