Recipe: Luzon Style Rice

Luzon-Style Rice (Arroz a la Luzonia or Biringe)
Servings 4-6

3 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 3-pound chicken, boiled and cut into serving pieces
1 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 cup pork, boiled for 15 minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup ham, cubed into 1/4-inch pieces
1 piece chorizo de Bilbao or pepperoni, sliced into 1/8-inch pieces
2 cups uncooked rice, washed and drained (glutinous rice is preferable)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons salt
2 twelve-ounce cans coconut milk (available in Oriental stores)
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 cup sweet peas
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

In a stockpot, heat oil and saute garlic until brown and onion until transparent. Add chicken, shrimp, pork, ham, chorizos de Bilbao or pepperoni and bring to a boil. Add rice, bay leaf, salt, coconut milk and paprika. Stir mixture to prevent it from sticking to bottom of pan. Lower heat, cover and simmer till meat and rice are tender. This takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Add peas and cook for another 3 minutes. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs.