Few dishes say “Sunday dinner” in Jamaica quite like a pot of rice and peas. Fragrant, creamy from the coconut milk, and seasoned with the familiar flavours of thyme, scallion, garlic, and Scotch bonnet pepper, Jamaican rice and peas is much more than a simple side dish. For many Jamaicans, it is a taste of home, family, tradition, and togetherness.
Traditionally prepared with red kidney beans (known locally as “peas”), rice, coconut milk, and aromatic seasonings, this beloved dish is often served alongside favourites such as jerk chicken, curry goat, brown stew chicken, or fish.
Although it is especially popular for Sunday and holiday meals, there is no need to wait for a special occasion to enjoy it.
So, let’s get cooking! Here’s a simple Jamaican rice and peas recipe that brings together those classic flavours in a dish the whole family can enjoy. Try it nuh!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb. white rice.
- ¼ lbs. Red Kidney Beans.
- 1 tsp of cooking oil (optional)
- 1 medium-size coconut/coconut milk (powdered/canned).
- Seasonings:
- Scallion (Green onions). A stalk, chopped finely.
- Thyme (a sprig).
- Pimento seeds (3 to 4).
- Scotch Bonnet Pepper (green).
- Salt to taste.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Soak beans for a few hours or overnight (this greatly helps with cooking time).
- Rinse beans and add fresh water for cooking. (You can add a little piece of garlic while the beans cook).
- Add salt to taste.
- Let the beans cook until tender.
- Add coconut milk and seasonings.
- Let it cook until the beans soften.
- Add white rice (after rinsing).
- Continue cooking until the rice is steamed. (Ensure the flame is lowered at this point).
- Serve and enjoy.
A Little Bit More About Jamaican Rice and Peas
Beyond its comforting flavour, rice and peas can also contribute useful nutrients to a balanced meal. The beans provide plant-based protein and dietary fibre, while the rice supplies carbohydrates for energy.
Coconut milk adds richness and flavour, although it also contributes saturated fat and calories, another reason that portion size and the overall meal matter.
And while recipes can vary from household to household, that’s part of what makes Jamaican rice and peas so special. Some cooks swear by soaking the peas overnight; others use canned beans. Some add pimento, while others have their own favourite combination of seasonings. But the goal is usually the same: a pot of beautifully seasoned rice and peas that tastes unmistakably Jamaican.
Notes
If you do not get the chance to soak the beans, you can use a pressure cooker to cook them. You can also add onions as part of the seasonings, as well as butter and sugar. I do not use butter or sugar, but I may add a little olive oil to help with the cooking of the rice.
You will find a few variations to this dish, but this is one of the ways I usually prepare it, give and take adding other seasonings from time to time.
Also, for this meal, the only thing I added afterwards was a drizzle of Italian dressing; I sat down and enjoyed my ‘Sunday Dinner.’ It was Good!
Here are some other Jamaican Recipes to try:
Ingredient Spotlight!
~ Red Kidney Beans~
Red Kidney Beans, which are named due to their resemblance to a human kidney, are a variety of the common bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris). The bean is said to have a very colourful nutritional profile, which includes protein and a small amount of fat, along with folate, iron, phosphorus, and small amounts of other minerals – magnesium, copper, and zinc.
Other nutrients of these little red beans include their vitamin C, E, and K content as well as Thiamin (B1).
Caution: Kidney beans must NEVER be eaten raw or undercooked, as they can be toxic, causing severe nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and even death. As such, always consume them well-cooked (soft). Better yet, soak the beans to help with the cooking time as well as to help release some of the lectin content. Lectins are sugar-binding proteins found in some foods, such as beans, which can inhibit the absorption of nutrients, etc.
To good health!
Chicken Chop Suey – A Health Nut Style