Jamaican Rice And Peas - An Authentic And Easy Side Dish
Jamaican rice and peas are a simple recipe to prepare. As the name suggests, it contains red kidney peas and rice, mixed with a variety of authentic Jamaican flavors including coconut, pimento peppers, Scotch bonnets, and thyme.
Ingredients
- 2 cups canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 5 cups water
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 cups fresh coconut milk
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 2 scallion stalks (green onions), chopped
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 Scotch bonnet peppers, pierced or habanero pepper
- 4 Pimento seeds, crushed
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 tbsp Maggi all-purpose seasoning
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 4 cups white rice, washed or any long grain white rice
Instructions
Cooking the beans
- To start, rinse the canned kidney beans twice to remove any dirt.
- Once rinsed, place them in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water and the garlic cloves.
- Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Check the progress often and give the beans a stir to prevent them from burning.
- Once the first 2 cups of water have evaporated, add the remaining water and allow the beans to cook until they become tender.
Create the flavored base
- Once the beans have become tender, gently stir in the coconut milk. Make sure it's mixed in well.
- Then, add the sliced onion, chopped scallions, fresh thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper, pimento seeds, margarine, Maggi seasoning, salt, and pepper. Again, give the ingredients a good stir.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and leave it to cook for 20 minutes. Stir it often to prevent it from burning. Remember to scrape the sides and base so the flavors are completely blended.
- Finally, add the sugar and boil the mixture for 10 minutes.
Cooking the rice
- Once the rice mixture is the same color as the beans and has a thick stew-like consistency, it's time to add the washed white rice.
- The rice should be 1 inch below the liquid line. So, if there isn't enough water, add a little bit more. Make sure to stir the ingredients well to check the water level before adding more.
- Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to medium. Allow the rice to simmer. Keep an eye on the mixture to prevent it from burning.
- Once all of the liquid has evaporated, lower the heat to the lowest possible setting. Leave it to steam until the rice is tender while stirring occasionally.
- Serve your Jamaican rice and peas immediately with your main dish and an accompanying sauce. You can serve it as a main dish or a side.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 portionCalories: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 93gProtein: 12gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 640mgPotassium: 514mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 191IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 5mg
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