Jamaican Rice and Peas with Cranberry Beans

A pot of Jamaican rice and peas cooked with cranberry beans, showing fluffy separated grains and tender beans.
Jamaican rice and peas made with cranberry beans

I cooked Jamaican rice and peas using a different type of beans, cranberry beans which we actually call “peas” in Jamaica. I used them just for variety, because variety is the spice of life. The cranberry beans taste and look fabulous, just like red kidney peas.

I used a really mature coconut, the one we call “bone dry” in Jamaica, because it has more oil, and the oil is good for giving rice and peas that nice flavour and shine. Watch video here

Cranberry beans in a container

Ingredients

  • 1 pint cranberry beans

  • 2 lbs rice

  • 4 cups water (plus more as needed)

  • 5 pimento seeds

  • 1 clove garlic

  • Small piece of ginger (peeled, washed, crushed — optional)

  • 1 stalk scallion

  • 1 sprig fresh thyme

  • 1 whole hot pepper (stem removed)

  • 1 cup coconut milk

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash the cranberry beans, then add them to a pot with 4 cups of water, pimento seeds, garlic, and ginger.

  2. Bring the pot to a boil on high heat. (I cooked mine on a coal stove, which makes the food taste much better than gas or electric.)

  3. When the peas rise to the top, pour in a cup of room-temperature water to “sink the peas,” as we say in Jamaica.

  4. Add the scallion, thyme, and whole hot pepper. Continue cooking, adding more water whenever needed.

  5. Once the peas are fully cooked, transfer the pot to a gas stove and add the coconut milk.

  6. Add salt to taste and allow the coconut milk to cook for about 5 minutes.

  7. Wash the rice until the water runs clear, then add it to the pot and stir well.

  8. Cover the pot and cook until the water is fully absorbed.

  9. Remove the scallion, thyme, and pepper.

  10. Cover the pot tightly and steam the rice on low heat for about 20 minutes.

  11. Fluff the rice and serve with curry goat, brown stew fish, or just about anything you like

FAQ – Jamaican Rice and Peas with Cranberry Beans

1. Can I use cranberry beans instead of red kidney peas?
Yes, man! Cranberry beans work perfectly. They cook faster, have a creamy texture, and the taste is very similar to red peas. Most people wouldn’t even notice the difference.

2. Do cranberry beans change the colour of the rice?
Cranberry beans give a lighter, natural colour. If you want the rice darker, you can add a drop of browning or let the coconut milk cook down a bit longer for deeper colour.

3. Can I use canned cranberry beans?
Yes, but you won’t get the same flavour. If you use canned beans, reduce the cooking time and use less water. Also add a little extra pimento and thyme to build the flavour that normally comes from boiling the peas.

4. Can I cook this without coconut milk?
You can, but it won’t taste like traditional Jamaican rice and peas. Coconut milk is what gives it the richness, shine, and that classic “Sunday dinner” flavour.

5. What type of coconut is best for rice and peas?
A mature, “bone dry” coconut is the best. It has more oil, and that oil makes the rice soft, shiny, and more flavourful.

6. Can I use rice other than white rice?
Yes. You can use parboiled, brown rice, or jasmine rice. Just adjust the water and cooking time because different rice cooks differently.

7. Why do we pour cold water to ‘sink the peas’?
That’s an old Jamaican technique. When the peas rise during boiling, a cup of room-temperature water brings them back down so they cook evenly and don’t stay hard.

8. How do I avoid mushy rice?
Wash the rice until the water is clear, measure your liquid properly, and steam the rice on low heat at the end instead of boiling it too fast.





 

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