Cooking Bajan Style: Peas and Rice

Ohhh peas n' rice, one of those sides dishes which you will see at every Bajan Sunday lunch or even from the Bajan food vans (Barbados' version of food trucks) It is a perfect addition to any meat dish and of course goes very well with beef stew, chicken stew and fish. You may be thinking peas with rice? No, it is not the green peas we Barbadians use in this recipe, but rather the much heartier brown pigeon peas. Barbadians would say that a Sunday lunch is not complete without some good ole' Peas n' Rice. If you wish to try this Barbadian staple, take a look at our recipe below:

PEAS N' RICE

Ingredients

16oz bag of dried pigeon peas. Use ½ bag
1 cup rice
3-4 dried Bay leaf 
 Water
¼ -½ lb salt meat or use vegetable broth for meatless rice
Small onion peeled stuck with 3 whole cloves
2 Celery stalk
Bajan spice mix: Bajan seasoning is a blend of fresh herbs such as thyme, marjoram, spring onions, onions, garlic, parsley, basil and scotch bonnet pepper with spices such as clove, black pepper, paprika and salt.
4-5 whole peppercorns

Method

Wash salt meat and place in pot with enough water to cover. Add the onion, Bay leaf, celery, Bajan seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.Wash and pick through peas. Discard bad peas. Cover peas with cold water and place in refrigerator to soak overnight. Discard water and add fresh cold water, Bay leaf and bring to boil. Only add enough water to cover peas. When the peas are soft enough to squeeze between your fingers but not fully cook, about 20 minutes. Add rice, meat and water from seasoned meat to cover. Don’t add too much water. You can add as needed. Stir peas and rice to evenly distribute only once. Avoid stirring the rice mixture during the cooking process. It makes the rice mushy. Cover pot tightly and cook over a low heat. After 15 minutes check to see if more water is needed. Avoid opening pot otherwise. If your stove is not level, reposition the pot (turn it around) to make sure the rice cooks evenly.The water in the pot should be absorbed by the peas and rice. The rice should double. After 20-25 minutes the liquid should be gone or almost. Peas and rice 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. Rice mixture will continue to cook. Don't try to speed up cooking by using high heat. Rice will stick and burn on bottom, while top portion of rice is not cooked. PatienceIf too much liquid has been add – heat your oven to 250-300 degrees. Place rice mixture in a oven proof dish if pot will not fit in oven. This process should help the liquid evaporate.

Let us know how the cooking goes!