Rice and Peas
Rice and Peas is a staple for any Jamaican dinner. My Dad would make a huge pot of Rice and Peas on Sundays, and we would eat it with most of our meals the rest of the week. The rice and peas actually start to taste better every day as the seasonings continue to marinate in this fabulous dish. Enjoy.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups of rice
- 1 can of tinned or 1 cup of fresh red peas (either kidney beans or pigeon peas)
- 5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 uncut scotch bonnet pepper (1 jalapeno pepper may be used as a substitute)
- 3 Scallion (spring onions may be used as a substitute)
- 1 tin (or one cup) of coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (2 teaspoons of dried thyme may be used as a substitute)
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
- Drain juice from beans, add coconut milk + sufficient water to make 5 cups of cooking liquid.
- Put beans, “cooking liquid” and garlic in a pot and bring to the boil, simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add scallions, thyme, and black pepper and salt to taste, simmer for a further 2 minutes.
- Add scotch bonnet pepper (as this is not cut up it will not make the rice spicy, it will just add a subtle Jamaican flavour).
- Add rice and let boil uncovered for 20 minutes (or until all liquid has been absorbed if this is sooner). Remove scotch bonnet pepper then serve.
If you have any modifications to make this recipe more delicious then feel free to leave a comment.
no real jamaican use can pea to make rice and pea
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Real Jamaicans DO use canned peas to make rice and peas because living in America we cannot afford maids anymore. Using the reconstituted dried peas IS tastier but I’ll take canned peas in my rice & peas over none at all.
Five cups of liquid to 2 cups of uncooked rice is too much liquid, it should be four cups of liquid for a moist result OR 3 3/4 cups for a more fluffy consistency. Once the liquid begins to boil rapidly cover the pot and reduce the heat to very low. The flavor of the dish will be more intense if the pot is covered during the entire cooking period.
Thank you for your great website.
Who gives a hoot if he/she uses freah or canned beans for rice and peas, just cook the dish and make it yours. why does every one have to be so critical with food, love it, and let others love it as well.
well said
i am white and i am cooking this for my boyfriend who is black and for some friends , have u any good tips for me , i am a bit nervous about this dish xx
Arlene J. You are a God! I tried it your way and i must say it turned out wonderful. Thanks again.
Andrew
Thank you, thank you…. my adopted son is Jamaican and I’m doing my best to introduce him to Jamaican food and culture.
I like to have both canned and dried beans of all kinds on hand. Canned are handy, but it’s nice to personalize the flavor of the beans as well. For this recipe I add garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and a Tb of coconut oil to the cooking beans. I also make enough for at least 2 recipes to make it worth the extra time and effort. It’s cheaper, and they freeze well. (The water/bean ratio is on every package of dried beans.)
Don’t forget to add a table spoon of margarine. Over time we have all found better, smarter ways of doing things. Gone are the days when you would soak the peas overnight. I myself, tend to boil my peas with just enough water to cover it on a high heat. My granny would probably be turning over in her grave, as she was one of those who use to grater the fresh coconut. All comments a valid, but that is just like saying hand washing is better than having a washing machine. Lets all get real, what don’t kill will fatten.
Ok, I made this meal last night. It came out tooo sweet. I used on can of coconut milk and I used the juice from the can of kidney bean. I tripple the recipe, so I can have it for the whole week. I hate to throw it away and make another pot of Rice & Peas.
Did I do something wrong? Did I use too much coconut milk?
@ Karima, in the future do not use the juice from the kidney peas, just use the coconut milk and add more water if required. No need to throw away your rice & peas, enjoy it just the same and next time just do it differently and the water to rice ratio is key 1 3/4:1 . You can never use too much coconut milk. Arlene got it right.