How is Kahala MKT. Celebrating Rice?
Foodland Kahala MKT. celebrates rice this month by featuring specialty rice products, limited-time rice bowls and musubi in the market, and a special 3-course tasting menu with an optional sake pairing at their restaurant, et. al.
They also had 5 rice recipes from around the world, which were featured on their website and displayed in-store. The displays included all the ingredients you needed to make one of the dishes. The 5 dishes were Jambalaya, Bacon and Shrimp Fried Rice, Seafood Paella, Wild Mushroom Risotto, and Arroz Con Gandules.
Which Products Did I Try?
When I saw the specialty rice items that were being promoted for this month, I was immediately excited about the puffed rice that was being made in-house. Puffed rice reminds me of my childhood, when we would buy the rainbow variety from crackseed stores. I picked up the Furikake Arare Puffed Rice and was not disappointed. It was a sweet-salty combo that was addicting. There was also an Indian Curried flavor that I may have to go back and try.
My sweet tooth was also interested in the Huff ‘n Puff Kona Coffee Macadamia Nut Delights, which was essentially more puffed rice in okoshi form (squares). These were crunchy, sweet, and delicious. The coffee flavor was not overpowering, and now I want to try all the flavors that Huff ‘n Puff makes. You can also order okoshi from the Huff ‘n Puff website.
They had these cute “Have a Rice Day!” totes available for purchase, too. Purchases of $75 or more during the promotion came with a complimentary rice paddle.
There were lots of great products from The Rice Factory and Islander Sake available. I would recommend taking some time and exploring all the displays. You may even find a locally made product that you’ve never tried before.
Which Rice Recipe Did I Make?
I decided to try the Arroz con Gandules recipe, which is from Puerto Rico. Below is the exact recipe from the Foodland Kahala MKT. website.
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Canola or Olive Oil
- 1 pk. Achiote Seeds (1.4 oz.)
- 3 cup Short Grain White Rice
- 3 1/4 cup Chicken Broth*
- 1/2 cup Sofrito
- 1/2 cup Pimento Stuffed Olives
- 1 can Pidgeon Peas (GOYA Brand)
- 1/2 lb. Red Bell Pepper, Diced (About 1 Large Bell Pepper)
- 1/2 lb. Sweet Onion, Diced (About 1 Medium Onion)
- 1 bunch Cilantro, Chopped (About 3 oz. – 4 oz., reserve some for garnish
- 1 tbsp. Salt
Instructions
- Heat canola oil in a small sauté pan and then add in achiote seeds. Stir oil until it turns to a deep red color, strain out seeds and reserve oil.
- Heat achiote oil in a saucepot or 12″ sauté pan on medium heat, then add white rice.
- Sauté rice for about 2-3 minutes, ensuring you coat the rice in the achiote oil.
- Remove rice from heat and add into an electric rice cooker (10 cups or higher, cut the recipe in half using a smaller rice cooker).
- In the same saucepot, add chicken broth and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Add broth into rice pot and salt, onions, red bell peppers, cilantro, stuffed olives and gandule peas. Mix and set the rice cooker to cook.
- Once the rice cooker is finished cooking, let the rice rest for 5-10 minutes before fluffing.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
*The only change I made was that I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
This was my first time making Arroz Con Gandules, and it was a fairly easy recipe. It would taste amazing with a variety of accompanying proteins, and I would say it easily makes 5-6 servings.
I think it’s great that Foodland is encouraging customers to try rice recipes from different cultures, as it’s an opportunitiy to discover new ingredients, flavors, and ways of cooking. Let me know in the comments, if you’re a fan of Arroz Con Gandules.
If you’d like more information about Foodland Kahala MKT., check out this post. Mahalo for reading!
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