Riyenu ~ Chamorro Stuffing

Chamorro stuffing, or Riyenu, is a delicious side dish usually served during special holiday meals, alongside baked turkey, ham, or roast pig.

My mom taught me how to make this a very long time ago, when I was a very young girl.  In fact, this recipe is one of the few I added to a recipe book that I made when I was perhaps 8 or 9 years old.  I remember stacking small pieces of paper and gluing one side to make a spine, then creating a cover out of stiff cardboard and gluing a piece of scrap fabric with blue polka dots on it to make the cover soft and pretty.  Even at that young age, I loved to cook, and I made my very own recipe book, which I still have to this day.

I’ve been asked what makes this a Chamorro stuffing.  Well, I guess it’s the addition of potatoes, pimento and olives, kind of like our Chamorro Potato Salad.

A few optional ingredients that my mom sometimes puts in her Riyenu are finely diced celery and a small jar of sweet pickle relish.  I prefer my stuffing without those two ingredients, so I leave them out.

You don’t need to wait for a holiday to make this yummy stuffing.  Give my recipe a try.  I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Riyenu ~ Chamorro Stuffing

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Ingredients:

  • 2 medium potatoes
  • 1 cup vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 box Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Turkey
  • 2 small jars diced pimento, drained
  • 1 small can chopped black olives, drained
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Peel and dice the potatoes into small pieces, about 1/4 inch square.

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Place the vegetable oil in a shallow frying pan over medium heat.

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Fry the diced potatoes in batches; cook until the potatoes are a very light golden brown and cooked through (use a fork to test for doneness).

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Drain the cooked potatoes on a paper towel-lined plate.  Set aside.

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Brown the ground beef in a medium sized pot.

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Add the contents of the stuffing mix (dried bread pieces and seasoning), the cooked potatoes and onions to the pot.  Stir to combine.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

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Add the pimentos and olives to the pot.

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Stir to combine.  Continue to cook over medium heat for a minute or so, stirring occasionally.

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Add the raisins.  I actually like lots of raisins in my stuffing so I tend to add more than a cup.

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Pour in the evaporated milk.  You can also use vegetable or chicken stock instead of milk.

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Add the melted butter.  Cook for another minute or two.  Taste, then add salt and pepper if needed (the seasoning packet from the stuffing is already quite salty, so you might not need to add more salt).

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Place the stuffing into an oven-safe baking dish.

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Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

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Serve and ENJOY!

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This makes a wonderful side dish, served alongside my smoked/grilled turkey and brown sugar glazed ham.

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ENJOY!

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41 comments

  1. Fran Bell says:

    Is it ok to put this stuffing into a Turkey and your suggestion on “ how to”

    • I’m sure this would be good to stuff into a turkey before roasting, but I actually don’t stuff my turkeys so I can’t give you much advice on this. There are many tips online on cooking a stuffed turkey that you may find helpful.

  2. Jo D Rosario says:

    I’d like to try cooking the Riyenu in a Slow Cooker but, not sure how long to cook it.

  3. Susan says:

    This was really delicious. I did add celery and relish but no raisins and used vegetable broth instead of milk.

  4. Carol says:

    Hi Annie…I’m definitely trying your recipe this Thanksgiving . I’ve been searching the recipe/ingredients close to my mother’s . Since my Mama passed, I’ve been trying to make her turkey stuffing and cannot make it as good as she did. I wish I had noted how she mixed it. I know she uses sweet/sour dill pickles instead of sweet relish only. Making her stuffing during the holidays brings in her spirit, like she’s right next to us. It’s not as good as hers but almost close enough. I am a frequent fan of your blog which is tremendously helpful . Thanks for sharing …Happy Blessed Thanksgiving

  5. Berni Peñaflor says:

    This recipe serves how many? I need to serve 15. Is doubling okay?

  6. Berni says:

    I’d like to make this for Thanksgiving. Is it okay to make this in advance?

  7. Fe Mendiola says:

    Made it again… Now I’m reminded to make for Christmas gathering! Ty and happy Holliday!

  8. Deeann says:

    Made this last Thanksgiving and will be making it again today.Our reyenu stands out compared to other stuffings that I’ve made in the past.THANKS FOR SHARING!

  9. Michele says:

    I keep hearing about chorizo stuffing from Guam. Could do this recipe with ground chorizo instead of beef? I know the green can chorizo we eat is WAAAYYY different than ground chorizo from the store. Any thoughts?

    • Using chorizo in this recipe instead of ground beef would be very tasty. I don’t think the Chorizos Espanot (the one in the green can) will work with this, however. Buy the chorizo that is either sold in bulk (by the pound, and looks like uncooked ground beef) or in the casing (remove the casing). Brown the chorizo as you would the ground beef. You could also use Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage (the uncooked kind, NOT the cooked patties) or Italian sausage.

  10. Luci says:

    I would love to make your stuffing this Thanksgiving but I would need to double the amount. I would be using a 9×13 glass pan. How do I proceed? Thanks, Luci.

  11. It’s a must with Granny Smith Apples,yes indeed also prep up some Apple Pie ❤yummy thanks 4 Sharing. California

  12. Fe Mendiola says:

    I am going to try this come Thanksgiving! I’m sure it will be delicious! Thanks Annie!

  13. Judy says:

    I think most of us prefer the Riyenu that we grew up eating. Since Mom has passed, and I didn’t write down her exact recipe, I’ve been searching the web for it. Hers differs from yours in that she didn’t add Stove Top, raisins or milk. But yours sounds really delicious too. I’m going to try it for this Thanksgiving and see if the Chamorro family approves. Thanks Annie for all the great recipes.

    • You’re welcome, Judy. My mom used to toast her own bread too instead of using stuffing. She’d use whatever we had on hand too. She used milk occasionally, but she also used broth. Drop by again and me know how your family liked it.

  14. Arlene Frazer says:

    This is how I make my stuffing as well except instead of butter I add chicken broth and other ingredients. I add diced fine celery, carrots & green bell peppers. It is really delicious.

  15. Dee says:

    This recipe is sooooo AWESOME! I enjoyed making it.

  16. Flora Mae Castro says:

    Wow! this is exactly how I make my stuffing and my kids really loved! It’s the raisins and potatoes that really made some difference….used to fill in diced apples too.

  17. Lisa says:

    I grew up eating a variety of Chamorro food since my Dad is from Guam, but after visiting Guam this stuffing is the recipe that stands out. I had not tried it before and it is delicious! I can’t wait to serve it to my Norwegian in-laws! Thanks for sharing!

  18. liz says:

    thank-U Ms Annie for this recipe, looking forward to making it for my familia, this holiday.

  19. Amy Zozo says:

    It looks super tasty..

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