Jamaican Rice & Peas with Coconut Milk

First things first: the ‘peas’ in Jamaican rice and peas are actually red kidney beans, and this dish is a Sunday staple all across the island.

What gives it that signature richness is coconut milk, which cooks right into the rice and turns each grain creamy and faintly sweet.

The trick to authentic flavor is the liquid. You reserve the starchy bean cooking water and combine it with coconut milk and a little extra water to hit exactly 2 ¼ cups, so the rice drinks up all that savory, coconutty goodness as it steams.

Garlic, crushed scallion, and a sprig of fresh thyme season the pot, perfuming the whole thing as it cooks.

About twenty minutes covered over low heat and the liquid disappears into tender rice, ready to soak up jerk chicken, curry, or stew.

Kitchen Tips

• Measure your liquid carefully to the 2 ¼ cups called for; too much turns the rice mushy, too little and it dries out before cooking through.
• Resist lifting the lid while it cooks, since the trapped steam is what cooks the rice evenly.
• Fluff with a fork at the end and pull out the thyme stem before serving.

Variations

• Drop in a whole Scotch bonnet pepper while it simmers, left intact, for gentle island heat without the burn.
• Use full-fat coconut milk for the richest result, or light coconut milk to lighten it up.
• Swap the kidney beans for pigeon peas (gungo peas), the traditional choice in many Jamaican homes.