Best rice and peas recipe

PICTURED: RACHEL VANNI; CULINARY STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

You can’t walk into a self-respecting Jamaican restaurant without seeing rice and peas on the menu. This accompaniment par excellence accompanies all the main dishes of Jamaican cuisine. Soft and chewy, it has a savory creaminess that comes from the use of aromatics like garlic and onion, in addition to coconut milk. It’s a perfect match with classic Jamaican dishes like chicken curry or oxtail stew. It also pairs well with beloved jerk chicken and even vegetable dishes like callaloo (a Jamaican type of sautéed spinach). However you pair it, it makes any Caribbean meal complete.

Authentic Rice and Peas uses beans and not what you would probably think of – green peas – unless of course you use pigeon peas instead of beans, which would be a great option. The beans usually used are kidney beans. If you don’t like kidney beans, black beans also work here. If you prefer to use dried beans, soak them overnight, then boil them in salted water until tender and use 2 cups of cooked beans in this recipe.

Looking for more rice side dishes? Try jollof rice, classic fried rice or French onion rice.

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know in the comments what you think.

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Yields:

6 – 8

portions

Preparation time:

0

hours

20

minutes

Total time:

0

hours

45

minutes

2 tbsp.

neutral or coconut oil

small yellow onion, finely chopped

Scotch bonnet pepper or habanero pepper, seeded and finely chopped

green onions, finely chopped

garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 tsp.

ground allspice or 4 whole dried allspice berries

(15.5 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 bed.

whole coconut milk

1 3/4 tsp.

water or low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

2 tbsp.

kosher salt, and more

1/2 tsp.

freshly ground black pepper, and more

2 bed.

long-grain white rice, rinsed

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In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and butter until the butter melts. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook onion, Scotch Bonnet pepper, green onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, cloves and allspice, stirring occasionally, until tender. onion is translucent and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the beans to the pan and cook, stirring gently to combine, then stir in the milk, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in rice, cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 16 to 20 minutes.
Fluff the rice with a fork. Remove thyme and bay leaves; Season with salt and pepper.

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