How long does Jamaican rice and peas take to make?

It takes about 110 minutes in total.

Which allergens does Jamaican rice and peas contain?

Going by its ingredients, it contains none of the 14 allergens that must be declared in the EU. Always check the labels of the products you use.

How long does Jamaican rice and peas keep in the fridge?

Up to 3 days in the fridge, in a closed container. It can also be frozen.

How many calories does Jamaican rice and peas have?

About 438 kcal per serving, with 9 g of protein, 65 g of carbohydrates and 17 g of fat. This is an estimate worked out from its ingredients.

Jamaican rice and peas

Name: Jamaican rice and peas
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Jamaican
Ingredients: 400 g Rice; 3 cloves Garlic; Salt; Black pepper; 4 sprigs Thyme; 400 ml Coconut Milk; 3 u Spring Onions; 1 u Scotch Bonnet; 150 g Kidney Beans; 6 u Allspice; Water

Rice and peas

Easy

No allergens declared for the registered ingredients. This does not replace checking the actual product labels.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 110 min
Servings: 6

Summary

An easy recipe for 6 servings. It takes about 110 minutes to make. Each serving has about 438 kcal. It is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free.

The Sunday side dish in Jamaica: rice cooked with red kidney beans, coconut milk, thyme, spring onion, allspice and a whole Scotch bonnet that perfumes it without the heat. Despite the name, there are no peas in it. Vegan and perfect with jerk chicken or a stew.

Ingredients

6 servings

400 g Rice (long-grain)
3 cloves Garlic (crushed)
Salt (to taste)
Black pepper (freshly ground, to taste)
4 sprigs Thyme (fresh)
400 ml Coconut Milk (1 tin)
3 u Spring Onions (whole, bruised with the flat of a knife)
1 u Scotch Bonnet (whole and unpierced, or a habanero)
150 g Kidney Beans (dried, or two 400 g tins of cooked beans, drained)
6 u Allspice (whole berries)
Water (as needed)

Instructions

The day before, soak the beans in plenty of cold water. If using tinned cooked beans, skip this step and the next and use water instead of the cooking liquid.
Drain them and put them in a pan with 1.5 litres of fresh water and the garlic. Boil hard for 10 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until tender but still whole. Drain them, keeping the cooking liquid, which will have turned reddish.
75 min
Rinse the rice in a sieve under the tap until the water runs almost clear, and leave it to drain.
5 min
Measure the bean liquid and top it up with water to 400 ml. Put it in the pan with the coconut milk, the beans (and the garlic, if using tinned beans), the spring onions, thyme, allspice, a teaspoon of salt and a little black pepper, and bring to the boil.
5 min
Add the rice, stir just once and sit the whole chilli on top, taking care not to break it: if it bursts, the rice will be fiercely hot. When it comes back to the boil, cover tightly, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook without lifting the lid until the rice has absorbed the liquid.
20 min
Turn off the heat and leave to stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the chilli, thyme stalks, spring onions and allspice berries, fluff up the rice with a fork and serve.
5 min

Notes

In Jamaica rice and peas is the essential side for Sunday lunch and for dishes such as jerk chicken, curry goat or braised oxtail. The 'peas' are actually red kidney beans (other Caribbean islands use pigeon peas, which is where the name comes from), and their cooking liquid is what turns the rice pink. Coconut milk adds creaminess, and the Scotch bonnet is cooked whole so it scents the rice with its fruity aroma without releasing its heat: if it bursts, the dish will be properly hot, so handle it gently and lift it out before serving. In Spain Scotch bonnets can be found in Latin American and African shops; the habanero, increasingly common at greengrocers, is its closest relative. Use long-grain rice, which stays fluffy; short-grain rice turns sticky with the coconut milk. Tinned beans save the soaking and cooking and give a very good result, although the rice comes out paler. As with all cooked rice, cool it quickly and keep it in the fridge for no more than 3 days; it freezes well in portions for up to 2 months. Reheat it covered, with a splash of water, until piping hot.

More information

Nutrition facts438 kcal per serving

Nutrition facts

Protein8 %9 g
Carbs58 %65 g
Fat34 %17 g

The percentage shows how much of the calories each macronutrient provides.

Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Calories	438 kcal	243 kcal
Protein	9 g	5 g
Carbs	65 g	36.1 g
Fat	17 g	9.4 g

One serving is about 180 g of raw ingredients; values per 100 g are based on that weight.

Estimated from the ingredient list · Values may vary depending on cooking method and product brand.

Guide indicatorsDifficulty, quality and data reliability

Guide indicators

Estimated difficulty48/100
Recipe completeness60/100
Nutrition reliability: Medium

Calculated automatically from the ingredients, steps, time and community feedback. They are not a guarantee.

StorageKeeps 3 days in the fridge

Cuisine: JamaicanKeeps 3 days in the fridgeFreezer friendlyGood for batch cooking

Frequently asked questions

How long does Jamaican rice and peas take to make?: It takes about 110 minutes in total.
Which allergens does Jamaican rice and peas contain?: Going by its ingredients, it contains none of the 14 allergens that must be declared in the EU. Always check the labels of the products you use.
How long does Jamaican rice and peas keep in the fridge?: Up to 3 days in the fridge, in a closed container. It can also be frozen.
How many calories does Jamaican rice and peas have?: About 438 kcal per serving, with 9 g of protein, 65 g of carbohydrates and 17 g of fat. This is an estimate worked out from its ingredients.
Which diets is this recipe suitable for?: It is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free.