Jamaican Rice and Peas (with Canned Beans)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 medium onion ((diced))
• 2 cloves garlic ((minced))
• 3/4 cup liquid from the canned red kidney beans
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 tsp ginger ((minced))
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 stalks scallions ((chopped))
• 4 stalks thyme ((de-stemmed))
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper ((leave whole))
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 cups brown rice
• 540 ml can red kidney beans
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp coconut milk

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under the tap until the water runs clear.

2. 2

   Heat the oil in a medium non-stick pot with the stove set at medium heat. Pour the onions and garlic in the pot. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent (about 1 minute).

3. 3

   Add the liquid from the canned beans, water, ginger, allspice, scallions, thyme, and scotch bonnet pepper.

4. 4

   Cover the pot with a lid and let the liquid come to a boil.

5. 5

   Remove the scotch bonnet pepper from the pot; you can discard it or use it for something else.

6. 6

   Pour the rice, beans, and coconut milk into the pot. Add the salt and black pepper. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything together, then cover the pot with the lid. For best results, cover the pot first with tin foil then the lid; this helps to trap in steam to cook the rice more evenly.

7. 7

   Let the liquid come to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and let the rice cook for 35-40 minutes or until tender; use a spoon to gently turn the rice at about the half-way mark to prevent burning.

8. 8

   Remove the tin foil from the pot at about 6 minutes before the rice is done cooking and let the rice cook for the remainder of the time with only the lid covering the pot.