Rice and Peas

Method

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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10. Fluff with a fork and serve.

    Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• 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

• For a non-vegan version, double cream can generally stand in for the coconut milk; going the other way, a plant-based cream sold for cooking is the closer match to dairy than tinned coconut milk on its own.
• 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 usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Jerk chicken
• Fried plantain
• A cold Red Stripe

Storage & Reheating

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

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.