I though I’d throw some of my culture in this week. I LOVE, LOVE Rice and Peas- my Hubby teases my family & I saying they aren’t peas, but beans. Oh well. This isn’t my recipe, since I make it from memory, I’m not good with precise measurement. So, I found a website that has a recipe synonymous to mine. As always, my changes are in blue. I hope you enjoy!

You’ll Need:

3 cups of rice
1 can of tinned or 1 cup of fresh red peas (either kidney beans or pigeon peas)
(I use canned dark red kidney beans, any brand)
5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 uncut scotch bonnet pepper (1 jalapeno pepper may be used as a substitute)
3 Scallion (spring onions may be used as a substitute)
1 tin (or one cup) of coconut milk (I use Goya brand)
1 teaspoon of salt (I live in a no-salt household, it still tastes good without it)
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (2 teaspoons of dried thyme may be used as a substitute)

Get Cooking!

IF you are using fresh peas, wash them. Pour on three cups of water and leave the peas to soak overnight. (If you are using canned peas there is no need to do this)
CRUSH the garlic and add to seven cups of boiling water.
IF you are using fresh peas add them now and boil for 45 minutes. You can test to see if the peas are cooked by crushing them against the lid of the pot. (If they crush easily, you are ready to move on to the next step)
IF you are using canned peas just add them to the pot and move on to the next step.
ADD your coconut milk, rice, salt, black pepper and thyme to the pot.
CRUSH the scallion (do not chop) and add to the pot. Also add the uncut scotch bonnet pepper. *Note- The pepper remains uncut so as to not make the rice spicy, just give it a subtle peppery flavour. (Keep an eye on the pepper so it does not burst, if it does, be prepared for some VERY SPICY rice)
COVER the pot.
THE Rice and Peas should be ready after about 40 minutes (exact cooking time will depend on the brand of rice used).

Finally, Grub On It!

*You can eat it alone, but it is usually served with some sort of meat on the side. My preference is chicken.

You can find the original recipe (from Jamaican Travel and Culture) here. You can also find another Tasty Tuesday from @MySillyBoys here. Happy Eating!

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