Cookbook:Jamaican Rice and Peas

Ingredients

 * 3 cups dried red peas (kidney beans) or gungo peas (pigeon peas)
 * 8 cups water
 * ½ tbsp salt
 * 2 cloves garlic, crushed
 * 2 cups coconut milk or 1 packet coconut powder
 * 1 Scotch bonnet pepper
 * 1 bunch scallions or 1 small white onion, chopped
 * 1 tbsp thyme
 * ¼ cup margarine
 * 2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
 * 2 tbsp seasoning salt
 * 1 tbsp chicken seasoning (optional)
 * 1 ½ lb white or brown rice, rinsed and drained

Procedure

 * 1) Wash peas with clean water. Place them in a pot with the water, salt, and garlic. Stir and leave to soak overnight.
 * 2) Transfer the entire pot of soaked peas and liquid to the stovetop. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peas become tender (about 20 minutes). Add more hot water if the level drops too low.
 * 3) Lower the heat, then add the coconut milk, scotch bonnet pepper, scallion, thyme, margarine, all-purpose seasoning, seasoning salt, and chicken seasoning. Stir well.
 * 4) Cover and boil over medium heat for 10 minutes.
 * 5) Stir in the rice until evenly distributed. Cover, lower heat, and boil until the rice is soft and liquid is boiled out (about 10–15 minutes).
 * 6) Serve and enjoy!

Notes, tips, and variations

 * The scotch bonnet pepper is extremely spicy, so it can be placed in the pot whole or finely chopped; it all depends on who it is being cooked for and your preferences.
 * This dish can be eaten alone or with main dishes such as fried chicken, stewed pork, curried chicken, stewed beef, etc.

__INDEX__ __NEWSECTIONLINK__