Jamaican Style Peas and Rice (Red Beans and Rice)
I love this recipe! My first time making red beans and rice in 2003 and it was perfect! I've never used the pepper and I also used extra seasonings like garlic powder etc. I use the canned beans because dried beans take so long to cook! My kids can't wait that long! :-) This is great with a stew or a curry, like chicken or goat. Whenever I bought a stew or a curry from the Jamaican restaurants back home, they automatically came with this rice. If you eat it on its own, it may seem a bit plain.
I love this recipe! My first time making red beans and rice in 2003 and it was perfect! I've never used the pepper and I also used extra seasonings like garlic powder etc. I use the canned beans because dried beans take so long to cook! My kids can't wait that long! :-) This is great with a stew or a curry, like chicken or goat. Whenever I bought a stew or a curry from the Jamaican restaurants back home, they automatically came with this rice. If you eat it on its own, it may seem a bit plain.
- Carbohydrate 65.9115919562224 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 16.8216480906162 g
- Fiber 5.43209516728623 g
- Protein 9.23691347844988 g
- Saturated Fat 14.4370294279033 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (385g)
- Sodium 184.518650426296 mg
- Sugar 60.4794967889362 g
- Trans Fat 0.931138361656931 g
- Calories 447 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine the kidney beans, garlic, water and salt to taste in a saucepan. Cook, covered over medium heat until tender, about 2 hours.
- Add the coconut milk, pepper to taste, scallion, onion, thyme and whole fresh pepper.
- Bring to a boil, remove the hot pepper. Then add the rice and stir.
- Return to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until all the liquids have been absorbed. Serve hot as a side dish.
- * Can use 16-oz. can cooked beans instead. Drain and combine with water and other ingredients except rice. Boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add rice, boil, reduce heat and cook about 20 minutes or until liquids are absorbed.
Using a shallow saucepan instead of a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven remains the primary error cooks commit with this dish. Thin metal conducts heat unevenly, causing coconut milk sugars to scorch along the perimeter before the starch in the rice gels. Heavy cast iron or thick multi-clad stainless steel distributes heat reliably across the burner base. That thermal stability prevents premature scorching during the extended simmer.
Simmering dried red kidney beans requires roughly two hours of active monitoring to achieve complete tenderness without splitting the skins. Dried legumes demand adequate hydration time and steady medium heat before aromatics enter the pot. Canned beans offer a rapid alternative requiring only five minutes of initial boiling with water and aromatics. That shortcut reduces total active cooking time significantly while maintaining the necessary flavor base.
Keeping the whole fresh hot pepper intact during the boil ensures maximum aromatic infusion without releasing capsaicin oil into the starch. Puncturing the pepper skin causes excessive heat that masks the subtle coconut milk solids and fresh thyme. Removing that pepper entirely prior to adding the dry rice grains keeps the dish balanced and savory. Fresh thyme sprigs should be stripped of woody stems before chopping, or the leaves will create an unpleasant texture.
Measuring precisely two cups of uncooked long-grain rice against two cups of coconut milk and the residual bean liquid creates the exact ratio needed for steam absorption. Covering the pot tightly with a well-fitting lid traps moisture for the entire 25-minute steaming window. Lifting that lid prematurely lets steam escape and leaves the center grains ungelatinized.
