Place the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Shake sieve to remove excess water from rice.

Place rice in a large saucepan with a tightly fitting lid and add water. Stir in the onion, salt, Bijol seasoning, paprika, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and simmer. After cooking for 10 minutes, gently stir the peas into the rice. Cook until all the water is evaporated and the rice is tender, approximately 20 minutes longer. Serve garnished with pimento slices.

Ingredients:

 2 cups long grain rice
 4-2/3 cups water
 1/2 small onion, minced
 1 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon *Bijol Coloring and Seasoning Condiment
 1/8 teaspoon paprika
 black pepper to taste
 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
 1 (4 ounce) jar sliced pimento peppers, for garnish

Note:
Bijol is also know as "achiote" or "annotto" powder and it is used for coloring rice. It is used to replace the very expensive saffron in many recipes. Bijol does not really duplicate the saffron flavor, but it does have a unique flavor all its own that is unmistakable in Cuban dishes.