If you read my column, you know about the impact, especially gastronomically, that the Chinese have had on Puerto Ricans. When you go into a Chinese restaurant in Puerto Rico and order a seemingly innocuous combo plate, what you receive might baffle a Statesider: an entrée, fried rice, and french fries or tostones. Yes, Chinese cooks have figured out Puerto Ricans’ love affair with double starch and meat.
Arroz Chino Boricua
You can also add peas and carrots to this mixture.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup chopped jamonilla (such as Spam)
- 1 pound 16/20-count shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons sofrito
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups Basic White Rice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
Instructions
- Add the canola oil to a sauté pan and place over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the jamonilla and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned, then stir to mix well.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, or until just pink, then add the scallions and sofrito and mix to combine. Add the eggs, let settle for 1 minute, and then scramble them in the pan for about 3 minutes. Add the rice, stir in the soy sauce, and keep the mixture moving for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the shrimp are thoroughly cooked.
- Serve the rice hot.
Notes
Recipe reprinted with permission from Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook by Illyanna Maisonet (Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2022). Photography by Erika P. Rodriguez and Dan Liberti.