Jamaican Rice and Peas Recipe
Seasoned with garlic, ginger, and thyme, Jamaican Rice and Peas is a uniquely irresistible rice dish made with coconut milk, allspice berries, and kidney beans.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 377kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion - diced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger - grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme - chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 Scotch Bonnet chile - (or Habanero), diced *
- 1.75 cups water - or low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
- Fresh lime juice - for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Saute the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until soft and translucent, stirring often to prevent burning. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic, ginger, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, ground allspice, and Scotch bonnet chile (or habanero). Mix well to combine. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the water and coconut milk. Add the water (or chicken broth) and coconut milk to the pot. Mix to combine and bring just to a boil.
- Add the rice. Stir in the rice, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook the rice until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, checking every 5 minutes and gently fluffing with a fork as it cooks.
- Remove from heat and add the beans. Remove pot from heat and gently stir in the drained and rinsed kidney beans. Cover and allow rice to rest for an additional 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- For this recipe, I use 3.5 cups of liquid to cook 2 cups of rice. This is intentional as I have learned over the years that an exact 1:2 rice to liquid ratio almost always results in mushy rice.
- The Scotch bonnet chile (or Habanero) is entirely optional. If you are sensitive to spicy foods, you're probably better off leaving it out.
- Ground allspice plays a key roll in the overall flavor of this rice dish. You don't need to add much, as a little goes a long way, but it adds amazing flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 603mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 3.8mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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