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Vegan Jamaican Rice and Peas

An authentic Jamaican rice and peas (kidney beans) dish made with brown rice, creamy coconut milk, scallion, garlic, thyme and pimento berries . Learn all the tips and tricks behind making the best infamous side dish for a classic Caribbean Sunday dinner!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Jamaican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 285kcal
Author Charla

Ingredients

  • 1 cup red kidney beans (177g)(dried) peas
  • cups water (1.06 litres)
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 2 scallions sliced
  • 1 cup homemade fresh coconut milk (236ml)(use full fat canned instead)
  • 2 cups basmati brown rice (380g) rinsed
  • 6 sprigs of thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
  • 1 scotch bonnet optional
  • 1 tablespoon dairy free butter (14g)
  • ¼-⅓ creamed coconut (0.25g) chopped, also known as coconut butter/manna
  • 1 1-inch of ginger peeled
  • 6 pimento berries optional
  • 1-2 teaspoon pink salt (6g) or to taste
  • have ½ cup of water or coconut milk on standby

Instructions

  • Rinse off the kidney beans.
  • Soak them in the 4½ cups of water overnight along with the scallion, garlic, ginger, thyme, onion and pimento berries in a medium sized saucepan
  • The next day, double check the water levels again. you should have 4 cups in total, if not add accordingly because the peas swell they absorb about ½ cup of the water.
  • Bring the pot with the peas to a boil.
  • Half cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer on low for an hour (check the readiness of the peas, use your fingers, they should be easy to crush/soft) if not simmer for a further 15 minutes. 
  • Once cooked discard the piece of ginger and thyme stems 
  • Check your water levels, there should be 1½ cups of water left in the saucepan, you should be able to see the peas. Even if you need to drain off the water to make sure you have the amount of water stated. Do it! **this is very important*
  • Add the scotch bonnet, dairy free butter, coconut milk, pink salt and rice to the pot.
  • I also add a clump of creamed coconut too.
  • Bring the pot to a boil then fold the rice in so everything is combined. 
  • Then cover the pot with saran wrap/foil (leaving a gap for air to escape then cover with the lid
  • Reduce the heat to low and simmer for roughly 45 minutes (check and fold the rice half way through and nearer to the finish time (cover the rice back over the same way with the cling film. It should be soft and fluffy, if it still grainy add some of water/coconut that you have on standby and leave to simmer for another 5-10 minutes).
  • Discard the scotch bonnet, and pimento berries (if possible) prior to serving

Notes

  • As it is very difficult to give strict instructions for making rice and peas, please use this recipe as a general guideline.
  • Feel free to use my Instant Pot Rice and Peas recipe instead.
  • Is your rice mushy/ undercooked? Check out my How to Fix Rice guide.
  • For best results, use fresh coconut milk, if possible NOT canned.
  • The beans will need to soak overnight to soften and exude a dark hue - rinse the peas several times prior to soaking. Overall, this may seem challenging for a novice BUT it's really not that difficult once you master the ratio of water or dried goods. It took me a while to do so myself namely because the women in my family used white rice which you know is processed and has no place on my blog.
  • The colour of the rice will vary from light beige/dark brown this is normal
  • Make pigeon peas and rice by using an equal amount of pigeon peas instead of the red kidney beans.
  • Do not throw the bean soaking water away. That water is like liquid gold to your recipe, you need it for colour and it will prevent your rice and beans from looking so pale.
  • This recipe is strictly for BROWN BASMATI RICE only NOT white rice.
  • Use coconut cream instead of coconut milk. There's is no substitute for coconut milk that will yield the same results. 
  • If brown rice is hard on your digestion, use sprouted grains!These are easily digested in the body and still provide that good-for-you fibre!
  • The whole scotch bonnet pepper is optional but authentic! The pepper lends a fruity without intense heat because the seeds and ribs are not exposed.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 396mg | Potassium: 341mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3mg