Annatto rice

White rice is a staple in many parts of the world, indistinguishable from one place to the next. What gets people’s attention is when it is presented differently, as with pusô/ketupat, in which it is cooked in a pouch of woven palm fronds, or, in the case of hineksa’ aga’ga’, the traditional rice dish of the Chamorro of the Mariana Islands, colored with annatto, hence known as “red” rice.

You can very well see that my version is more orangey than red (and prefer it that way). I used a pod’s worth of annatto seeds, stirred and smushed in a bit of warm water. I also made another pot (the one in the background) using a teaspoon and a half of store-bought powdered annatto (Mama Sita brand), and the color was identical.

To make, I used a claypot and the measuring cup that came with our rice cooker (henceforth “cup”). I filled the cup with four-fifths ordinary white rice and a fifth of glutinous rice (also white). The mixture was rinsed and drained until the water was no longer opaque (about three to four times), then topped with water and left to soak for half an hour. You can leave out soaking the rice, but that will entail using more water during cooking; my claypot could not accommodate that much liquid without most of it boiling out of the vessel, and so the extra step. You can use a rice cooker, but I find that rice cooks better in a claypot. How can I be so sure? From the quality of the dukót/tutong, that is, the crust that forms at the bottom, which my father likes so much.

To cook, I rendered the fat from five rashers of coarsely chopped bacon — not enough to crisp them up, but just so that I would not end up with oily rice. Most of the fat I poured out of the pot, leaving about a teaspoonful, then added minced red onion (medium bulb) and sautéed for half a minute. Next came the drained rice, also briefly sautéed with the bacon and onion before being topped with a cup of annatto-colored water seasoned with a pinch or two of salt, depending on the bacon. Finally, a teaspoon of liquid hickory smoke (optional).

Lid on, the rice cooked for 15 minutes over low heat (you may have to lift the cover from time to time to prevent too much steam from building up and causing the water to flow over the sides of the pot). Then I poured in a teaspoon or two of water (to prevent the crust from drying out too much) and cooked for another 5 minutes.

According to Wikipedia, red rice is served by the Chamorro on red-letter days, but I learn from other sources that it has also made its way into the Mariana Islands’ fast-food scene: KFC serves it with its meals in its Guam franchise, the dish is that popular. Our pusô is much better. I’m biased, of course, but I hope the Colonel’s listening.