Let's prepare this wonderful Sancocho de guandules (pigeon pea stew) and enjoy an unforgettable combination of Dominican ingredients and flavors. You won't be able to resist this creamy pigeon peas soup with flavorful pork. It's perfect for the cooler days of the year.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Dec 19, 2012
Why we ❤️ it
Do you have leftover Chicharrones from another meal? Is your refrigerator full of leftover Puerco asado from your Christmas Eve celebration? Let me tell you what to do: make a delicious and super simple sancocho de guandules that you'll love.
And if you don't have chicharrón or roast pork, don't worry, I'll give you other options that are just as delicious.
What's sancocho de guandules?
Sancocho de guandules is a stew made from pigeon peas (guandules in the Dominican Republic, and gandules in Puerto Rico) to which vegetables, herbs, meat, and spices are added. The result is a rich, very tasty, and very nutritious soup.
This stew is not the only legume soup in our cuisine. Sopión or Sancocho de habichuelas (which also borrows its name from Sancocho, our national stew) is similar to this one. Another similar broth is Chambre or Chapea, which can be made with pigeon peas and beans, or with pigeon peas alone.
Guandules and sancocho de guandules.
Serving suggestions
This sancocho de guandules goes perfect with white rice and a few slices of avocado, but I liked it without the rice, so go with your preference.
If you like spicy food, add a dash of our traditional homemade Agrio de naranja.
Top tips
- Type of guandules: For this recipe, I used canned pigeon peas, but you can prepare it with dry pigeon peas that have been boiled beforehand (see how to boil them) or with green, freshly shelled pigeon peas.
If you use green pigeon peas, add them as indicated in the recipe, but keep adding a little water until they are soft. This takes about 30 minutes longer. - Meat: In my opinion, pork is the best meat for this stew. Puerco asado roast pork or Chicharrones pork rinds give it a more special flavor. Another option is to use smoked pork chops cut into pieces (that fit on a spoon).
You can also use pork Carne frita, or raw cubed boneless pork. - Plantains: In Sancocho de habichuelas we use ripe plantains, but these don't work as well in this broth. I prefer to use "acojolado" plantains (between ripe and green), and if I don't have any, I use green plantains. You can use whichever you prefer.
About this recipe
It's the day after Christmas Eve. The house looks like a battlefield, it's a mess everywhere. And there are tons of leftovers. Some will go in the freezer: the tomb of the forgotten food. Don't worry, this recipe is your exit plan.
This hearty pigeon peas stew made with guandules and either leftover pork roast or chicharrón (pork cracklings) is a great dish to serve during the cool (or cold, depending on where you live) days of winter.
Now you don't have to wait weeks or months to dispose of some of your Christmas Eve dinner leftovers.
Video
Recipe
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Sancocho de Guandules [Video+Recipe] Pigeon Peas & Pork Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds chicharrón (fried pork rind), or roast pork (see tips), cut into small pieces
- 3 cups guandules (pigeon peas), boiled or canned (plus the liquid in which they were boiled, separated)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), (or more, to taste)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, or more, to taste
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups auyama (kabocha squash), diced
- 1 plantain, see tips, peeled and sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Instructions
1. Cook the meat
Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat.Add the pork rinds and cook until heated through.⚠️ If using raw pork (see tips), cook while stirring until well browned.
2. Cook the pigeon peas
- Add the pigeon peas and sauté while stirring until heated through.Season with garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook, stirring, until the garlic releases its aroma (one to two minutes).Add the plantains and pumpkin.
3. Cook the vegetables
- Add three tablespoons of the liquid in which the pigeon peas were boiled (or from the can). Cook, covered, for 3 minutes.Add more liquid from boiling the pigeon peas, adding water if necessary to make 8 cups. Cover.
4. Boil
- Boil covered until the plantains are soft.Mash some of the pigeon peas and pumpkin with a potato masher.When the broth is as thick as you like, taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
5. Serve
Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.Serve (see recipe suggestions).
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More recipes with guandules
If you are looking for recipes with guandules with a real criollo flavor, you can find them in our collection. Start with the Guandules guisados that we love so much, the delicious Chambre de guandules stew (which some confuse with this sancocho) and the wonderful Moro de guandules rice.
For the Christmas holidays, don't miss this spectacular Dominican-style turkey stuffed with pigeon pea moro rice.
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