Jamaican Cookery

This is one of the main dish most if not all Jamaicans prepared on Sundays and sometimes on Wednesdays. Rice and peas is also called, 'Jamaican coat of arms.'

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Use extra red peas (red kidney beans) to get a deep red-coloured rice and peas.

Ingredients

1 cup red peas

1 cup coconut milk

1 stalk scallion

Piece of fresh green thyme

1 whole green hot pepper

1 clove garlic

Salt to taste

1 tbsp. butter or margarine

2 lbs. rice (brown or white)

Water

Method

6 pimento

Small piece of ginger (peeled)

step1

Add 2 cups water in a medium-size cast iron pot. Add the peas, ginger, pimento and garlic. Cover the pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 cups water (to sink the peas, because it rises to the top). Boil the peas until it partially cooked. Put the scallion, thyme and whole hot pepper into the pot. Continue cooking the peas until soft.

The water in the pot should boil until reduce to about 1 cup. Add the coconut milk, butter and salt. Stir, boil the coconut milk for 2 minutes.

step3

Wash the rice twice. add it to the pot and stir. The water in the pot should be 1 finger joint above the rice (about 1-inch). Cover the pot, lower the heat and cook the rice.

step4

If the rice grains are hard, it means the rice is not properly cooked. Pour sparingly a small amount of water over the rice, then cover the rice with a piece of foil paper. Remove from heat and serve.