A hearty one-pot rice dish with shredded dried beef, onions, garlic, and peppers — the fuel of southern Brazilian cattle drovers, robust and deeply savory from the sun-dried beef.
Ingredients
400g carne seca (dried beef), soaked overnight and shredded
3 cups long-grain rice
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4.5 cups hot water
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper
2 bay leaves
Instructions
1Soak dried beef overnight, changing water 2-3 times. Boil for 20 minutes, drain, and shred into small pieces.
3Add shredded dried beef and cook for 5 minutes until slightly browned.
4Add peppers and tomatoes, cook for 3 minutes.
5Add rice and stir for 2 minutes to toast the grains.
6Pour in hot water, add bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
7Reduce heat, cover tightly, and cook for 18-20 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in parsley and serve.
Did You Know?
Arroz carreteiro literally means "wagoner's rice" because it was cooked by the carreteiros — ox-cart drivers who transported goods across the southern Brazilian grasslands and needed a filling one-pot meal.