This simple side is a staple for many Jamaican families and a great compliment to any Caribbean dish.
Rice and Peas is an important side dish in every Jamaican household. Seen at nearly every Sunday meal, and a few other times during the week, this is comfort food at its best.
Gungo Peas
The term "peas" in the title of this recipe refers to gungo beans (also known as "pigeon peas", "cow peas", and "Congo peas"). These beans are not what we think of when we say peas: for most green peas or sugar snap peas come to mind. It's worth noting that fresh gungo beans should be used when in season, or you may substitute dried gungo or red beans.
Gungo peas are a main staple crop in India, parts of Africa, and parts of Latin America. This hearty legume, in combination with cereals, such as barley or oats, can make up a nutritious base for a human diet.
Coconut Milk
This recipe calls for unsweetened coconut milk. You can purchase a can of unsweetened coconut milk, but the quality will be much greater if you prepare your own.
Do not confuse the liquid inside of the coconut for milk. While you can use this water for making coconut milk, it is not the same thing.
To prepare coconut milk, crack open a coconut and extract the white flesh. Grate the flesh with a cheese grater and place the grated coconut into cheese cloth.
Run hot water over the coconut 2 cups at a time and squeeze the liquid out into a bowl. This white liquid is coconut milk.
Rice and Peas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can of gungo peas (pigeon peas), substitute red beans in off-season
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 2 cups of long grain rice
- 3 green onions, chopped with some of the green tops reserved for garnish
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper pricked with a fork (or substitute habenero)
- water
- Small cube of salt pork (optional)
Procedure
- If your beans are dried, wash them, soak over night, then boil for 2 hours until soft.
- When the beans are tender, stir in coconut milk and the remaining ingredients. This is the part of the recipe where you can add your salt pork for added flavor. You can leave this out to keep this a vegetarian side as well though.
- Add water until it is a half an inch over the top of the rice. Cook over medium heat stirring once or twice until rice is well cooked.
- Serve with chopped green onion tops and sliced lime for garnish
This side dish is a great accompaniment to other Jamaican classics such as Jerk Chicken or a not so Jamaican, but quite tasty, Tequila Shrimp (as pictured).
