Aguadito de Pollo Minus The Pollo

I enjoy the challenge of offering a vegetarian version of dishes I serve that are an equally delicious version of the meal that the carnivores are going to eat instead of completely different plate. I wanted to put Aguadito do Pollo on an upcoming menu and I knew I wanted to feed the vegetarians something that will have the same flavour profile and so I tried a few things. Aguadito de Pollo is a traditional Peruvian meal that is often served for breakfast after a big party aka for a hangover, making it a staple for New Year's Day or after a big wedding or party. Adding tofu was okay but not great and I also didn't feel like the Jackfruit worked - I wanted something that would really add some heartiness and also have the soft texture of the pulled chicken and neither of those options did that for me.

Using a small white bean -either cannellini or navy beans- hit all the right notes. Other than no crispy chicken skin, I didn't feel like I was losing anything by replacing the chicken with white beans. 

My recipe for Aguadito de Pollo needed a vegetarian cousin

I make this in my electric pressure cooker but you could do it on the stove too. If you cook it on the stove, I might reduce the liquid by a cup and just keep an eye and add more broth if you need it. It should be too thick to be a soup but too thin to be a stew. I would also probably used canned beans if I cook on the stove as the cooking times for the beans and rice are so different. If you do use dry, beans on the stove, cook the beans until they are just about done and then add the rice and cook just long enough for the rice to soft.

You can make the black rice if you want it look a bit fancy - it's a very, very green dish and I like the contrast but you can leave it out. Oh, and if you have leftovers, the rice will absorb the liquid so you will have to add more broth to when reheating.

White Beans and Rice - Vegetarian Aguadito de Pollo

Makes approx 2.5 litres/quarts or about 6 servings

2 poblano chilis, seeded and roughly chopped

3 scallions, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 to 2 tbls Aji Amarillo paste (a Peruvian pepper found in many South American stores or online)
2 heaping cups of washed and roughly chopped cilantro
approx 1/4 cup water

*1 cup presoaked white beans
2 tbls canola oil
4 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
2 tsp cumin
3/4 cup  cup of basmati rice
pinch kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
I cup of frozen peas

1 cup snap peas

To serve:
soup
chopped cilantro
lime wedges

**cooked black rice - optional


Throw the poblanos, scallions, garlic, cilantro and a bit of water in the blender and puree. Add just enough water to get it going - 1/4 cup should be about the maximum needed but don't worry if it's a bit more.

You can either pre-soak your beans over night OR do a quick pre-soak in the Instant pot but you want to presoak 1 cup of dried beans and have them ready.

*To Quick Soak the beans min the pressure cooker give them a quick rinse in a strainer, swooshing them around to clean.

Put them in the pot with 4 cups of water and 1 tsp salt.

Bring to a boil with the lid off using the sauté function and then quickly lock in the lid and pressure cook for 2 minutes at high pressure.

When the time is up, do a gradual pressure release, letting off little spurts of steam. If foam

starts coming out the valve, wait 30 seconds and start releasing the steam again until the pin

drops and the pressure is released. Beans tend to foam so you need to be patient when

releasing steam.

Drain the beans under cold water and proceed to the recipe.

Preheat the Instant Pot (or the saute function on your brand of electric pressure cooker) and when it's hot, add the canola oil and scrape the green cilantro puree into the hot oil and cook that , stirring frequently, for about 4 or 5 minutes, until it turns a really deep green. Pour in the four cups of vegetable stock and then pour the 3 cups of water into the blender and give it a good shake so that you don't waste any of that green puree and add that into the pot, mix in the cumin. Put the soaked beans in the pot along with the basmati rice, lock the lid in (make sure the vent is closed) and program it for 10 minutes at High Pressure.

When the time is up, do a quick release, open the lid, add the frozen peas and snap peas, put the lid back on so the peas can heat up in the hot soup for at least five minutes.

To serve, if using the black rice, add a scoop to each bowl, cover with soup, sprinkle a bit more cilantro over the top and some sliced scallions and top each bowl with a couple of lime wedges on the side.

**Cook 1 cup of black rice separately and set it aside. I do this in my rice cooker while the soup is cooking but you can do it before hand ,up to a day in advance. Cook it the same way you would cook basmati rice.