Rice And Peas
Ingredients
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- 1 cup dried kidney beans – picked over and rinsed
- 8 cups water
- 3 cloves garlic – crushed
- 1 inch piece ginger – sliced
- 6 berries allspice berries
- 2 cups long-grain white rice – rinsed until water runs clear and drained
- 3 stalks scallions – lightly bruised
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 13 1/2 ounces coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper – left whole (do not cut)
Instructions
1. Soak the dried kidney beans in plenty of cool water for 8–12 hours; drain and rinse.
2. Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until it runs mostly clear; drain well.
3. Combine the soaked beans, water, garlic, ginger, and allspice berries in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the beans are just tender, 60–75 minutes.
4. Uncover and adjust the liquid in the pot: there should be about 1.75 cups of bean cooking liquid remaining. If there is more, ladle some out until 1.75 cups remain; if less, add hot water to reach 1.75 cups. Stir in the coconut milk, scallions, fresh thyme, salt, black pepper, and coconut oil; return to a simmer.
5. Add the rice, stir once to distribute, and place the Scotch bonnet pepper on top. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender with little steam holes on the surface, 18–22 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Lift out the whole pepper and the spent aromatics, fluff the rice gently with a fork, and serve warm.
Rice and peas is a beloved Jamaican staple of fluffy long-grain rice cooked with tender red peas (kidney beans) in fragrant coconut milk. The pot is perfumed with fresh thyme, scallions, and whole allspice (pimento), with the gentle fruitiness of a whole Scotch bonnet pepper left unbroken to season the dish without overwhelming heat. The result is savory, creamy, and aromatic—comforting on its own and a natural partner to jerk, stews, and Sunday roasts.
Rooted in the island’s culinary traditions, the dish reflects West African rice-and-legume cookery adapted to Jamaican ingredients and pantry. In Jamaica, “peas” commonly refers to beans, and cooks alternate between red kidney beans and gungo peas (pigeon peas), especially around Christmas. Coconut milk and pimento are long-standing markers of the style, and the whole pepper-on-top technique is a hallmark that has carried through generations of home cooking and celebratory meals.