I love legumes and turn to them whenever I feel like taking a break from meat. Mostly, I make stewed peas, which is red kidney beans that’s cooked with spices and coconut milk.
Traditionally you make stewed peas with meat – pig’s tail, corned beef or pork, or chicken. But a few years ago, perhaps as a result of the popularity of the Rastafari’s ital way of cooking, which excludes meat, a meatless variation started cropping up on restaurant and cook shop menus.
But you don’t have to be vegetarian to like meatless stewed peas. Red kidney beans are so flavorful, you can enjoy it as a meatless stew or soup without much loss of flavor.
Making stewed peas
Soaking the peas overnight reduces cooking time. But if you’re unable to and have a pressure cooker, you can have them cooked in about twenty minutes. I love having a pressure cooker handy precisely for this reason.
The main ingredient in stewed peas is red kidney beans. As I explained in a previous post, what we call peas are really beans so I apologize for any confusion. Sometimes, I add carrots and spinners or potatoes, other times just carrots, especially when I’m watching my sugar intake as spinners (long dumplings) and potatoes raise blood sugar. Carrots can too, so keep that in mind if you’re diabetic.
For seasonings, I use scallion, thyme, Scotch bonnet peppers, pimento berries, garlic and a few thinly sliced strips of ginger. I love slightly sweet taste that coconut milk adds to any dish but you can leave this out if you prefer.
- 1 or 2 cups peas
- 1 or 2 medium carrots (chopped)
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 stalk of scallion
- 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper
- 1 tbsp. Pimento Berries
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small Irish potato (optional)
- 1 can coconut milk (optional)
- 2 Bay leaves (optional)
- Water – enough to cook peas
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Spinners (long, thin dumplings - optional)
- Pick out defective or broken peas and wash. Soak overnight. The next day, drain off the water, pour peas into a pot, cover with cold water, add garlic and salt to taste and put to boil. (If you’re unable to soak peas overnight, wash, add enough cold water to cover and put to boil.)
- Cook for about an hour or until peas are soft.
- Add seasonings – pimento, scallion, Scotch Bonnet, black pepper, and coconut milk.
- Peel, chop and add potato and carrots.
- Add thyme, and Bay leaves (tie together with kitchen twine or put in cheesecloth). Cover and let simmer for about an hour or until you have a nice, thick stew.
- Remove Bay leaves, thyme and pimento berries before serving.
Stewed peas is really an abbreviated version of red pea soup. It is always served with white rice but it’s just as great with brown rice, and greens – steamed callaloo, spinach or broccoli, or a garden salad.
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Looks good. Thank you for the recipe, Marcia 🙂
This recipe sounds so savory and warming to the soul on a cold day like it is here today! I don’t have a pressure cooker but that is fantastic on using one, Marcia! I love great recipes using legumes and this sounds absolutely delicious! 🙂
I do a version of this – sort of – with black beans & coconut milk and lots of cilantro. I like the sound of your kidney beans and at this time of year they are real comfort food.
I would love this so much and so would my birdies too! ; ) We all love beans of every kind and flavor!! Great post my friend!
Sounds really good to me as a non-meat eater, Marcia… and I’d certainly put the optionals in. Will try it, then.
A long trip followed by an article deadline this week is my excuse for being tardy from Foodie Tuesday for the last month. I am adding a bit today about our iconic Pike Place Market in Seattle and hope that by next week, I have more to add here. I love beans no matter what their name . . .that’s what I would call your ‘stewed peas’ Yummy sounding recipe!
Sounds like a great veggie dish!
I was getting confused about peas and beans, until I kept reading! 🙂 Looks yummy! I love beans = peas!
Sounds delicious! Love how coconut is used so creatively in the Caribbean.
And often. We put it in almost everything, I’m sure because it has such a lovely flavor.
Hahaha, sorry for the confusion, Patti!
No worries, Jackie, whenever you’re ready. I knew you were on your epic trip. Welcome back!
Great, Andrew. Bon Appetit!
Thanks, Jeff! Glad you like. I love beans as well, every kind and flavor, could eat them everyday.
Same thing, Leigh. Any beans will work. I bet the cilantro adds a lovely flavor. Delicious comfort food.
It’s a perfect recipe for a cold day, Mike. Hope you get to try it soon.
Thanks, Lili!
I’d be quite satisfied with stewed peas made with your recipe. I enjoy meat dishes, but I like the variety of vegetarian fare, too. Seems like coconut and coconut milk can be used in so many Jamaican recipes — at least as far as I know.
Red Kidney Beans are a great base for a meal
Absolutely, Gary.
Thanks for your comment.
We use quite coconut in many our meals, Cathy. It adds such a lovely flavor.
It’s great to have options, right?