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Rice and Peas

Serves 4

175g/6oz dried red kidney beans

1 whole coconut or 200g/7oz block creamed coconut, grated

3–4 tsp salt

knob of butter

1 whole Scotch bonnet chilli

1 spring onion, green end only, chopped

1 fresh thyme sprig

1 garlic clove

1 tsp all-purpose seasoning

500g/1lb 2oz pure basmati rice

Peas are what most Jamaicans call red kidney beans. This is one of our most important dishes and we serve it with many different things. It has a subtle coconut flavour that goes well with many dishes. The crucial thing here is to get the perfect proportion of rice and liquid to make free-flowing tender rice.

Rinse the beans in cold water, then put them in a large bowl and cover with 1 litre/1³/₄ pints cold water. Leave to soak overnight.

Don’t throw the soaking water away! Drain the soaking water into a large pan and bring it to the boil.

Meanwhile, rinse the beans under cold running water and throw any damaged ones away. Add the beans to the boiling water, bring back to the boil, cover and boil vigorously for 10 minutes (you have to do this to get rid of the poisonous toxins). Reduce the heat and simmer for a further 35 minutes until the beans are really soft. To test, squeeze them.

Smash the coconut on the floor (mind your toes), crack open and drain off the coconut liquid, reserving the liquid. Remove the ‘meat’ from the shell carefully with a sharp knife and grate into a bowl. Add the reserved coconut liquid, then pour in 1 litre/1³/₄ pints hot water and stir well. If you are using the creamed coconut, mix with 2 litres/3¹/₂ pints hot water.

Add the coconut, salt, butter, chilli, spring onion, thyme, garlic and all-purpose seasoning to the pan of beans and boil for 15–20 minutes.

Now, rinse the rice twice under cold running water, drain, then add to the pan. Make sure the liquid is 2.5/1in above the level of the rice. Cook for 20–25 minutes on a really gentle heat until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. DO NOT LIFT THE LID during cooking because you’ll release all the moisture. When the rice is cooked, put clingfilm or foil over the top to seal and cover.

ROOTS RECOMMENDS:

Basically, you need just over double the amount of liquid to rice. Once the rice is in the pan, never add water because the rice will go cloggy and horrible.