Jamaican Rice and Peas
About the Recipe
Just like white rice is the staple in Asian cuisines, "rice and peas" is the standard bearer side dish for Jamaican meals. It is a must that you learn how to make great rice and peas if you plan to entertain any Jamaican family or friends.
I'm lucky. I married into a Jamaican family so I've gotten to learn firsthand from some of the best Jamaican cooks, who are in my family. My wife, her sisters, and aunts are all excellent cooks, and I constantly strive to make the Jamaican dishes to their approval. And also to my father-in-law's approval as well.
They usually look at me funny when they see the rice cooker, but soon forget about it when they start eating. Their method is perfectly fine, but it is a bit more time-consuming and requires a little more attention.
This recipe will be great with other Jamaican dishes such as Brown Stewed Chicken, Oxtails, and Jerk Pork or Chicken.
Even after all that talk about the peas in the dish, the real stars of the show are the thyme, scallion, and scotch bonnet peppers. Don't worry, this is NOT a spicey dish. The peppers steam in the rice and release a nice flavor and you remove them with the scallion and thyme when the cooking is finished. Just be careful not to break them, or you will have a spicy dish.
Variations
Another variation to this dish is using pigeon peas, also known as Gungo peas. This is what I use and that is what this recipe calls for. There are two types you can buy already canned. The dry variety or the green variety. I use the green variety of pigeon peas when I make Rice and Peas.
I prefer the Gungo pea to the kidney bean because I'm not a real fan of the skin texture of the kidney bean. I also think the Pigeon pea has a better flavor. Jamaicans make rice and peas with both types of beans, but you will see that kidney beans are more common, especially in restaurants. My best guess is that it is a personal preference in the home, and product availability in the restaurants.
The difference in the dishes is like our debate about eggs or no eggs in our macaroni and cheese. It just depends on what you like.
Try the pigeon peas in this recipe and then make it with kidney beans, then let me which one you prefer and why in the comments. I'm very interested to know.
To drain the beans or not to drain the beans?
If using the red kidney beans, drain the can liquid and replace it with water before using it.
If using pigeon peas, do not drain, simply put the entire can in the dish. The pigeon peas seem to have less starch in the liquid.
Equipment Needed
You will need a rice cooker to make this traditional or a 2 qt pot for the stovetop.
- 1 pound White Rice (Long grain)
- 1 can Coconut Milk (15oz)
- 1 can Red Kidney Beans (15oz Cans, drained)
- 2 teaspoons Salt (Morton Coarse Kosher Salt)
- 2.5 cups Water
- 2 Each Scotch Bonnet Pepper (Or Habanero Pepper)
- 4 Each Green Onions (Cleaned, whole)
- 8 Sprigs Thyme (Fresh)
- Steamed White Rice in a Pot, Stove Top
Measure long-grain white rice into a mixing bowl.
Under running cold water stir the rice with your hand while the bowl fills with water. Stir continuously in one direction. The water will be very milky.
Pour off this water and repeat this process two additional times. The last time, drain all the water.
This recipe is for a rice cooker but you can cook it in a pot as almost everyone does. I use a cooker so that it is on autopilot and I don't have to worry about messing up one of the event's signature dishes.
In a Rice Cooker
It's pretty simple, place all ingredients in the rice cooker, stir, and hit the white rice button. That's it. In 40 minutes you will have perfect rice and peas. Open the cooker, remove peppers, onions, and thyme, and stir.
To drain the beans or not to drain the beans?
If using the red kidney beans, drain the can liquid and replace it with water before using it.
If using pigeon peas, do not drain, simply put the entire can in the dish. The pigeon peas seem to have less starch in the liquid.
On the Stovetop
Bring water, coconut, and beans or peas to a boil. Add rice, salt, thyme, onions, and peppers. Cover and reduce heat to low.
Cook for 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid, remove peppers, onions, and thyme, and stir.
- Steamed White Rice in a Rice Cooker
When cooking rice in a rice cooker, the liquid-to-rice ratio is different than cooking it in a pot on the stove.
The rice cooker makes use of a 3/4 measuring cup. When you see the markings on the inside of the pot, each mark represents 3/4 of a cup. So if you need to make 4 cups of rice and are using the marker on the pot, you need to add 4 x 3/4C of rice and fill the water to the 4 mark on the pot.
This will give you the proper amount of water to cook the rice. So, this translates into a rice ratio of 3/4 of the mark on the pot. If you are making 4 cups of rice by the marker, then you will need 3 cups of raw dry rice, which is 3/4 of 4. I you want to make 8 cups of rice by the marker, you will need 6 cups of rw dry rice, which is 3/4 of 8.
Measure long-grain white rice into a mixing bowl.
Under running cold water stir the rice with your hand while the bowl fills with water. Stir continuously in one direction. The water will be very milky.
Pour off this water and repeat this process two additional times. The last time, drain all the water.
Fill the pot to the appropriate mark for the amount of rice you are cooking.
Add the salt to the rice cooker and select the setting for white rice.
When the timer goes off, open the rice cooker and fluff the rice with a fork. If serving as an ingredient in a dish such as soup or fried rice, spread it out onto a sheet pan so it will cool faster and stop cooking. Then add the cooled rice to your dish.
