These delicious Red Beans and Rice give you just a hint of delicious island flavor. The Cuisine of Jamaica is a combination of foods from all over the world that has come together on the island, and there is a wide variety of meats, seafood, and tropical fruits available there, too.

 

One day, a cold, icy storm blowing outside, so what better food to feast on than the tasty, mouthwatering caribbean flavor of Jamaica?  I made this recipe to go along with http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=351&title=jamaican-meat-patties" rel="nofollow - Jamaican Meat Patties , the post you can find http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=351&title=jamaican-meat-patties" rel="nofollow - here.  

 

Okay, fire up the reggae and away we go....

 

Jamaican Red Beans And Rice

 

 

1 pound of red beans

6 cups water

salt pork, leftover bacon, a ham bone or other similar chunk of pork for boiling

1 large onion, diced

4 to 6 cloves garlic, to taste, minced

2.25 cups white rice

2 cups coconut milk

3 to 5 hot, dried red peppers to taste

1 to 2 teaspoons thyme, to taste

salt and pepper to taste

 

I used basmati rice because we like the taste the best, but any white rice is okay to use with this recipe (except minute rice).

 

Soak the beans overnight and rinse. Put them in a pot with 6 cups water, a chunk of pork (salt pork, leftover bacon, whatever) and the diced onion and garlic and salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for about one and a half hours, covered. When beans are firm/soft but not mushy they are ready. Drain the beans in a colander and reserve the liquid. 

 

For the rice, mix 2 cups coconut milk, 4 or 5 hot, dried red peppers (didn't have any scotch bonnets) salt pepper, thyme and 2 1/2 cups of the reserved broth from the beans. Bring to a boil, and add 2 to 2 and 1/4 cups of rice. Bring back to a boil, then add the reserved beans, mixing gently in. Bring that to a boil again, reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for about 30 minutes or more, if you get a toasty brown crust on the bottom, so much the better!

 

This dish is almost a meal in itself! A couple squirts of lime really brought out the island flavor; the red peppers did not add any heat at all, simply a depth to the dish, the heat from them counterbalanced by the coconut milk. The coconut milk and broth from the beans really made plain old white rice sing with a rich taste that is hard to describe.

 

For our full traditional Jamaican meal, I made http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=351&title=jamaican-meat-patties" rel="nofollow - meat patties to go with it. Pure island deliciousness, mon! 

 

http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/pernil-asado-en-el-estilo-cubano-de-vilarchao_topic3190.html" rel="nofollow - http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/pernil-asado-en-el-estilo-cubano-de-vilarchao_topic3190.html

 

I've been wanting to make this version of beans and rice for quite a while, and I can definitely confirm that this is a good one, well worth trying! Here's a photo of them, hot off the stove and ready to serve:

 

 

This quintessential Jamaican recipe is really, really easy to make - I was surprised that such good flavours could be found in such a simple recipe. Best of all, it was absolutely delicious, a great balance of flavours wrapped up in a filling, satisfying dish that can be part of a meal or easily stand on its own, as well. In fact, with the leftovers, I now have lunches for most of this work week!

 

 

I naturally shy away from green bell peppers, but red, yellow and orange peppers give me no trouble at all, and worked really well with this dish. The aroma that they released was matched by the beautiful colours that they produced, helping to accent this dish beyond the added flavour, which melded well with the rest of the ingredients. As if this dish wasn't good enough on the merits of its ingredients alone, it was even better when mixed with the cooking juices from the pernil:

 

 

If you're looking for a easy, budget-friendly way to take a trip to Jamacia, then buy yourself the few ingredients necessary, throw on some calypso music or Bob Marley, pop open a bottle of Red Stripe and sit down to a plate of this!

Bet that would have been good with the rolled lamb flaps too.

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