Name: Arroz clavado (Chocó rice with longaniza, ripe plantain and white cheese)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 570 g long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained; 1.42 L water, hot; 500 g Colombian pork longaniza, commercially prepared and refrigerated, cut into 8 pieces; 250 g white costeño-style cheese, cut into 8 thick pieces; 450 g ripe plantain, about 2 medium, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes; 30 ml neutral vegetable oil; 300 g yellow onions, about 2 medium, peeled and finely chopped; 100 g scallions, about 4 stalks, finely sliced; 6 g garlic, about 2 cloves, minced; 150 g ripe tomato, 1 medium, finely chopped; 1 g ground achiote (bija), about 1/2 teaspoon; 1 g ground black pepper, or to taste; 0 g salt at the start; taste the sausage and cheese before adding any

Chocó rice with browned pork longaniza, ripe plantain cubes and softened white cheese.

Region Chocó, northern Pacific region of Colombia

Category Everyday main rice dish with longaniza, ripe plantain and white cheese

Yield 8 portions

Prep time 25 minutes

Soaking time None; optional brief soak for very salty cheese

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Arroz clavado (Chocó rice with longaniza, ripe plantain and white cheese)

A Chocó main dish of rice cooked with Colombian sausage, sweet plantain and pieces of white cheese that soften into the grains.

Arroz clavado is documented in Chocó, on Colombia’s northern Pacific coast. The name is associated with the way pieces of cheese are tucked into the rice as it cooks: once steam holes appear, the cheese is set into the grains, covered and left to soften. The Colombian Ministry of Culture’s Gran Libro de la Cocina Colombiana records an eight-serving version with longaniza, white cheese, rice, onion, scallion, garlic, tomato and achiote. The national traditional-cuisine inventory also lists ripe plantain in the dish; another record includes egg. Recipes differ, so this version explains its choices rather than claiming one fixed formula.

Here, pork longaniza browns first and flavors the pot. Onion, scallion, garlic and tomato make a quick sofrito, while cubes of ripe plantain add a sweet note to the savory sausage and cheese. The rice stays a little moist, as in the Ministry’s detailed recipe, and the cheese softens in large pieces instead of disappearing into a uniform sauce. It is a hearty one-pot meal with distinct textures in each spoonful.

The measured base below follows the Ministry’s eight-portion recipe, with metric quantities rounded for a home kitchen. The 450 g of ripe plantain is a declared adaptation drawn from the official inventory; it is not in that particular printed formula. Egg is named in a separate inventory variation and is omitted here. Use refrigerated, commercially prepared longaniza and follow its package directions. Do not try to cure or smoke sausage at home for this recipe.

Longaniza and costeño-style cheese can both be salty. The recipe holds back added salt until the end, and a very salty cheese can be soaked briefly in cold water before it is cut. The sausage should be browned and fully cooked; a thermometer gives a more reliable check than color alone. Serve the rice hot, while the cheese is soft and the grains remain moist.

Ingredients

Arroz clavado

570 g long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
1.42 L water, hot
500 g Colombian pork longaniza, commercially prepared and refrigerated, cut into 8 pieces
250 g white costeño-style cheese, cut into 8 thick pieces
450 g ripe plantain, about 2 medium, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
30 ml neutral vegetable oil
300 g yellow onions, about 2 medium, peeled and finely chopped
100 g scallions, about 4 stalks, finely sliced
6 g garlic, about 2 cloves, minced
150 g ripe tomato, 1 medium, finely chopped
1 g ground achiote (bija), about 1/2 teaspoon
1 g ground black pepper, or to taste
0 g salt at the start; taste the sausage and cheese before adding any

Method

Rinse the rice and prepare the cheese Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear, then drain it well. Cut the cheese into 8 thick pieces. If it tastes very salty, soak the pieces briefly in cold water, then drain and pat dry. Keep the cheese refrigerated while you prepare the other ingredients.
Brown the longaniza Heat the oil in a heavy, lidded pot over medium heat. Add the longaniza pieces and brown them on several sides, turning as needed. If the sausage is sold raw, cook it through to at least 71°C at the center, measured with a clean food thermometer. Transfer the pieces to a clean plate, leaving the flavorful fat in the pot.
Cook the sofrito and plantain Add the onions and scallions to the pot and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic, tomato, achiote and black pepper; cook for another 3–4 minutes until the tomato releases its juice. Add the plantain cubes and turn them in the sofrito for about 3 minutes. Keep the mixture moist and fragrant rather than letting it scorch.
Toast the rice and add water Stir in the drained rice and toast it in the sofrito for 2 minutes, moving it gently so the grains are coated without breaking. Pour in the hot water and return the browned longaniza to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cook uncovered over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Stir once or twice early on, then leave the rice mostly undisturbed as the liquid level drops.
Tuck in the cheese When most of the water has been absorbed and small steam holes appear across the rice, nestle the 8 cheese pieces into the surface, spacing them through the pot. Do not bury them at the bottom. Cover and lower the heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the rice is tender and the cheese has softened. If the rice is still firm and dry, add a small splash of hot water and continue covered over low heat.
Rest, taste and serve Turn off the heat and let the pot stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Taste a spoonful before adding salt; the sausage and cheese may season the rice sufficiently. Gently loosen the rice around the cheese without breaking the pieces. Serve hot and slightly moist, making sure each portion includes sausage, plantain and softened cheese.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

These rounded estimates use generic composition proxies for the listed rice, pork sausage, white cheese, ripe plantain and vegetables, divided into 8 portions. Longaniza and costeño-style cheese vary widely in fat and sodium, so product labels can change the result substantially. This is an estimate, not a laboratory analysis.

Practical guidance

Choose the sausage: Buy refrigerated, commercially prepared pork longaniza from a reliable shop. “Longaniza” varies by maker and may be sold raw or ready to eat; follow its label, and fully cook any raw sausage. Never rely on browning alone to establish safe doneness. This recipe does not provide home curing or smoking instructions. Manage the salt: Costeño-style cheese and sausage can contribute substantial sodium. Taste the cheese before cooking. If it is very salty, a brief cold-water soak can temper it; drain and dry it before adding. Do not salt the sofrito at the start, and season only after the rice and cheese are cooked. Keep the rice tender: The source version is meant to remain a little moist. Rice brands, pot width and heat output affect absorption, so watch the grains and steam holes rather than relying only on the clock. If the rice needs more time after the water is absorbed, add hot water a little at a time and keep the pot covered. Understand the variation: The detailed Ministry recipe uses longaniza and white cheese but not ripe plantain or egg. The inventory lists plantain, and one of its records also names egg. This adaptation includes measured plantain and leaves egg out; use those distinctions when comparing versions. Allergens and diet: This dish contains milk from the cheese and pork from the sausage. Check sausage and cheese labels for other ingredients or cross-contact warnings, including wheat or soy. It is not vegetarian, dairy-free or suitable for people avoiding pork.

Final notes

Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the air is hotter than 32°C. Use within 3–4 days and reheat the rice to at least 74°C throughout. Store promptly because cooked rice and sausage are perishable. If the cheese or sausage package gives stricter storage instructions, follow those directions. Remember 1: Hold back salt until you taste the finished rice; the sausage and cheese may already be salty. Remember 2: Add the cheese when steam holes form, then cover the pot so it softens into the rice.

Nutrition per serving

Serving basis: 1 of 8 portions
Calories: 700 kcal
Carbohydrates: 80 g
Protein: 22 g
Fat: 30 g
Fibre: 3 g
Sodium: 1100 mg

Arroz clavado (Chocó rice with longaniza, ripe plantain and white cheese)

Ingredients

Arroz clavado

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Practical guidance

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

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