Rice and Peas
Jamaica's "peas" are red kidney beans, cooked first with coconut milk, scotch bonnet, thyme, scallion and garlic, then rice goes in the pot to absorb that flavoured liquid. Long-grain rice tinted faint pink, scented with thyme and just-perceptible scotch bonnet heat. The Sunday-lunch staple, eats with anything.
Overview
Soaked kidney beans simmer with coconut milk, scallion, thyme, garlic, allspice and a whole scotch bonnet (left whole, never pierced). Once tender, rice goes in with stock to top up. The pot is covered; the rice steam-absorbs the bean broth; the scotch bonnet stays whole and is removed before serving.
Ingredients
- 200 g dried red kidney beans (soaked overnight)
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 litre water
- 4 spring onions (whole, ends trimmed)
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 6 allspice berries (or 1 teaspoon ground)
- 1 scotch bonnet chilli (whole, unpierced)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Black pepper
- 500 g long-grain white rice (rinsed)
Method
Stage 1 - Cook the beans
- Drain the soaked beans.
- Put in a large pot with the coconut milk, water, spring onions, thyme, garlic, allspice and the whole scotch bonnet.
- Bring to the boil; reduce to a steady simmer.
- Cook 45-50 minutes until the beans are tender. Top up with hot water if it threatens to dry out.
Stage 2 - Add the rice
- Add the salt and the rice. Top up with hot water if needed so the liquid sits 2 cm above the rice.
- Stir once; bring to the boil.
Stage 3 - Steam-cook
- Reduce the heat to lowest; cover tightly.
- Cook 20-22 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Off the heat, rest covered 10 minutes.
Stage 4 - Finish
- Carefully fish out and discard the whole scotch bonnet, the spring onions, and the thyme stems.
- Fluff the rice with a fork. Taste; adjust salt.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Pile onto plates alongside curried vegetables, fried plantain or grilled food.
Notes
- Don't pierce the scotch bonnet: Whole and intact, it perfumes the pot without making it eye-watering. A pierced one releases its full heat.
- Soak the beans: Cuts the cooking time and gives a creamier texture.
- Coconut cream: For a richer version, replace 200 ml of the water with extra coconut cream. Common in restaurant builds.
Storage
- Keeps 4 days refrigerated; reheats well in a pan with a splash of water.
- Freezes 3 months.
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