Rice and Peas

Making Rice and Peas

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Drain the soaked beans, cover with 1.2 litres fresh water, and boil for 45 to 60 minutes until tender but not collapsing. Keep all the cooking liquid.

   Mark done Start 45 min timer

2. Measure the bean liquid and top it up with water to 550 ml.

   Mark done

3. Return the beans and their liquid to the pot and add the coconut milk, spring onions, thyme, garlic, allspice, salt, pepper and butter (or coconut oil).

   Mark done

4. Bring to a boil and let it bubble for 3 minutes so the flavours meet.

   Mark done Start 3 min timer

5. Add the rinsed rice and stir once. The liquid should sit about 1 cm above the rice.

   Mark done

6. Sit the whole scotch bonnet on top. Do not pierce it.

   Mark done

7. Bring back to a boil, then turn the heat to its lowest, cover tightly, and cook 20 minutes without lifting the lid.

   Mark done

8. Take the pot off the heat and rest, still covered, for 10 minutes.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

9. Lift out the scotch bonnet, spring onions and thyme stalks carefully.

   Mark done

10. Fluff with a fork and serve.

    Mark done

Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.

Tips for Making Rice and Peas

• Cook the beans from dried and keep the liquid. That liquid is the recipe.
• Whole scotch bonnet, never pierced, out before it splits.
• Do not lift the lid during the twenty minutes.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• If coconut is a problem, a cooking cream (dairy or plant-based) can stand in for the coconut milk in a sauce; the dish will lose the coconut flavour and taste noticeably different.
• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What Goes With Rice and Peas

• Jerk chicken
• Fried plantain
• A cold Red Stripe

Keeping and Reheating

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water, covered.

Questions About Rice and Peas

Rice and Peas Nutrition

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

Vegan when made with coconut oil rather than butter.

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Your own rating out of 5

5 stars★ 4 stars★ 3 stars★ 2 stars★ 1 star★

Your note

Save note

Private to you: notes and ratings are saved in this browser only, are never sent anywhere, and other readers cannot see them.