Gandules con Bollos Guisado (Pigeon Peas with Green Banana Dumpling Stew) From Luz Cruz

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add sofrito and sauté, stirring quickly until it starts to brown, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic powder, ground cumin, turmeric, achiote/annatto or paprika, black pepper and salt. Stir until well mixed and fragrant.
2. Add vegetable broth, tomato paste, bay leaves, gandules and increase heat to high. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. While the gandules are cooking, it’s time to prepare the masa for the dumplings. On the smallest side of a grater, grate the bananas. You can also put them in a food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in salt.
4. Once your masa is prepared, bring the gandules up to a rolling boil. Using a tablespoon, scoop out a spoon of masa at a time and drop it in. Alternatively, you can use your hands to roll the masa into balls that are roughly the size of a golf ball (about 1-1 ½ inches in diameter).
5. Stir the mixture so the dumplings don’t stick to each other but do so gently so they keep their form.
6. Once all of the dumplings have been added, lower the heat and cook for 3-5 minutes.
7. Serve over rice or a taro root mash.