Oxtail served with rice and peas, cabbage and fry ripe plantains.

 

 

Rice and Peas

 

Rice and Peas is a traditional authentic Jamaican dish. Rice and Peas was mostly cooked as a Sunday meal to complement your meat dish such as curry chicken, brown stew chicken, oxtail and more. Today rice and peas is added to tofu meat kind dishes. The Traditional Jamaican rice and peas is cooked with white rice mixed with dry red kidney beans. However, rice and peas can be cooked with any assortment of dry peas or combining two dry peas and still get that great taste. Rice and Peas is cooked and enjoyed through out the Caribbean. Even though many Caribbean island says authentic Jamaican rice and beans for Jamaican it’s rice and peas. Some people asked, “Why do Jamaican says rice and peas? My answer has always been, there is more rice than peas. Jamaican rice and peas recipe authentic in cooking style and flavor. Because rice and peas dates way back in time in Jamaican culture and tradition, it’s fair to say that traditional Jamaican food recipes and Sunday meal usually includes rice and peas.
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½ cup                     Peas

1 tsp                       Onion Powder

1 tsp                       Garlic powder (2 fresh garlic clove & 1thyme can be used)

1 tsp                       Salt

8 ozs                       Coconut milk/cream

4 cups                    Rice

1                              kettle of water

1                             fresh scallion (optional)

Wash dry peas in a pot and remove any bad peas from pot.

Soak peas in cold water for 2 or more hours (Preferable overnight- makes cooking easier)

 

Cooking Instructions:

Cover peas in water, add salt and bring water to a boil. Peas can take up to 60 minutes or more

Stir occasionally and add coconut milk/cream.

Add water to pot as needed (from kettle) to keep water in pot from drying out.

To test the peas if it’s cook, use a spoon and remove a pea from the pot & squeeze together.

Once the peas are soft/cook add all ingredients to pot.

Wash rice and add rice to pot with peas and stir. Water should cover rice and peas by about an inch.

Cover pot and allow rice and peas to cook while stiring pot occasionally.

Taste broth to be sure season is to your likeness or additional seasoning can be added.

Bring water to a boil, stir rice and peas to keep from sticking to bottom of pot.

Gradually reduce fire once the water is bubbling all around the pot not just on one side or one pocket.

Reduce fire to low once water is even with rice and peas and stir once again and cover pot.

Cover pot and allow rice & peas to steam for about 20 minutes on low fire or until done.

Tip.

The authentic Jamaican rice & peas was/is cooked using fresh scallion, thyme, garlic and onion. Cooking in 21st century has brought some changes to cooking rice and peas. Today people have very busy lives and will sometimes substitute the fresh ingredients for the powder ingredients such as garlic powder and onion powder. Your rice and peas will still taste great using the powder seasoning but if the fresh seasoning is in your fridge, use in stead.

Add more peas than suggested amount base on your likeness.

Some people on the go will use red kidney peas in the can to make their rice and peas. (21st century changes)

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