Jerk Style Rice and Peas

Jerk style Rice & Peas (Beans) is a great budget store cupboard meal, healthy, and surprisingly filling.

I made a Jerk paste, but ready made pastes are available in UK supermarkets.

Serves 4

Jerk Paste 

1 small onion

1 large clove of garlic

1 scotch bonnet pepper (or 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp chilli powder, or 1 tbsp West Indian Chilli Sauce)

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Rice and Peas

1 onion, peeled and diced

2 tbsp olive oil

250g basmati rice

2 cans black eyed peas, black beans, peas & beans mix including their liquid

Jerk Paste, all the above or 2 tbsp ready made

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

1 litre just boiled water

4 spring onions,  thinly slice

Make the paste in a liquidiser, adding a tablespoon at a time until you have a thick paste, if you are making your own Jerk paste.

Fry the onions gently in the olive oil in a large saucepan (with a well fitting lid) until soft.  

Stir in the rest of the ingredients apart from the spring onions.  The liquid should cover the rice and beans.  Add more boiling water if it does not.  

Cover and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.  When the 10 minutes is up, turn off the heat but DO NOT lift the lid.  Set the timer for another 10 minutes to leave the rice to absorb any remaining liquid.

Stir in the chopped spring onions before serving.

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