Jamaican Rice and Peas

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g rice (fragrant rice or basmati rice)
• 100 g kidney beans, dried
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 small pepper(s), yellow, Jamaican
• 1 thick spring onion(s)
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 8 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 25 minutes; Total time approx. 10 hours 40 minutes

Rice and chickpeas – national dish of Jamaica

It’s best to soak the red beans overnight, or for a few hours. Then rinse them and cook over medium heat for about 2 hours until tender, tasting them occasionally. When the beans are tender, pour the cooking water into a container and keep it for a while. Then put the rice in a medium-sized pot, add the coconut milk and the cooking water from the beans, and cook until the rice and beans are covered with about 3-4 cm of liquid. (They say you need 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of rice, so add more water if necessary.) Then lightly press the previously washed spring onion with a fork and add it whole, along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Now carefully add the whole bell pepper, including the stem, being careful not to break it. Be careful when stirring; it must not break, or you won’t be able to eat all the rice. So simmer just for the delicate flavor. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring the bottom and sides thoroughly with a fork every now and then. When there is no more liquid in the pot and the rice is not quite cooked through, carefully remove the Jamaican peppercorns and place a plastic bag (freezer bag) between the pot and lid. Steam over the lowest heat until it is cooked to your liking. The spring onions can be removed last. A very flavorful side dish. Note: I use a freezer bag. It’s the perfect size if you cut open one side. It can withstand the heat without any problems. I learned this tip from my grandmother in Jamaica. Cooking perfect rice without a rice cooker is sometimes impossible. Too much water, and it becomes mushy; too little water, and it is too hard; adding more water doesn’t work either, otherwise the rice becomes mushy and sticky, but sometimes still hard. It is especially difficult when cooking with coconut milk, as it is very prone to burning when simmering. The plastic bag between the top of the pot and the lid keeps it airtight, and you can cook it on the lowest heat. Simply by sealing it airtight with a plastic bag, the rice always turns out perfectly.