Authentic Jamaican Rice and Peas (Local Red Peas)
If you want to know the secret to a perfect Sunday dinner, you have to start at the market. While most people today grab a bag of imported dried red kidney beans, the true, old-school Jamaican Rice and Peas is made with local red peas. These are the fresh, vibrant beans still in their pods that you see bundled up in the market stalls early in the morning. I always tell my readers at jamaicancookery.com : if you can find them, buy them! Currently, a bundle costs between $300 and $350 JMD depending on your seller. You have to get there early, though, because more and more Jamaicans are reverting to using these local peas for their superior flavor and texture. Unlike imported dried beans that require hours of soaking and long boiling times, fresh local red peas are naturally soft. They cook to perfection in 30 minutes or less , releasing a deep, natural pigment that gives the rice that authentic reddish-purple hue we all love. In this post, I'll show you how to handle the...