RICE & PEAS
UH BELLY FULL ! ISLAND CUISINE
A BAJAN ’ S
Favourite Food
RICE & PEAS
T o say that rice & peas is a staple of every Barbadian household would be a gross understatement . Rice & peas is easily to the island what French fries are to the USA … Yes ! It ’ s that popular . We would not be exaggerating to say that Bajans can eat rice several times a week , often time for both lunch and dinner . It can be found at any ( and every ) Bajan celebration , and it can literally be found on almost every lunch menu around the island .
Any peas will do the most popular are pigeon or field peas followed by lentils and split . Add a little stew on the top and it is ready to eat ! We hope you enjoy it as well .
Ingredients
8oz dried pigeon peas 1 cup rice dried Bay leaves Water 1 small onion peeled 2 celery stalks Fresh herbs such as thyme , marjoram , chives , parsley and basil whole peppercorns * Optional ¼ -½ lb . salt meat ( alternately , use vegetable broth for meatless rice )
Method
1 . Wash and pick through peas , to eliminate any unsuitable peas or foreign objects .
2 . Cover peas with cold water and place in refrigerator to soak overnight Or boil until peas begin to soften .
3 . * Wash salt meat and place in pot with enough water to cover , add the onion , bay leaf , celery and fresh herbs . Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer .
4 . Remove peas from refrigerator , pour off water and add fresh water , enough to cover the peas , and bring to boil along with two bay leaves .
20 minutes later , the peas should be soft enough to squeeze between your fingers but not fully cooked .
5 . Add the rice , and meat , along with water from other pot . But not too much water , add as needed . ( If you are using large pieces of meat , leave them in their pot to cook fully . Instead , only add the meat broth to the rice and peas .)
6 . Stir rice and peas to evenly distribute only once . Cover pot tightly and cook over a low heat . After 15 minutes check to see if more water is needed . 20-25 minutes later the liquid should be gone or almost .
7 . Rice and peas should be soft and cooked . If not , add a ½ cup of liquid and cover pot tightly . Continue cooking for 5 more minutes , then turn off heat .
40 | GO BARBADOS