Peas and rice is a delicious side dish and one of the most famous in the Bahamas, like spaghetti in Italy or noodles in China.
It is a staple of the Bahamian diet and eaten throughout the week with many dishes such and fried fish or chicken. On a weekend, especially a Sunday, most Bahamian households will be cooking up peas and rice to go with their Sunday dinner.
Bahamian peas and rice is not to be confused with Jamaican rice and peas, which does not use tomato paste in its recipe.
What Are Pigeon Peas?
The peas used in this delicious dish are pigeon peas, not the green peas we usually associate with the name pea.
The pigeon pea plant, (Cajanis cajan) is a member of the Fabaceae family, the same as the green pea. Cajanis cajan is a woody perennial that is extremely drought resistant due to its sophisticated root system. The legumes (peas) of the pigeon pea plant are not actually considered to be peas though; they are pulses as they are harvested for their dry grain. They are cultivated in 25 countries around the world, India being the top producer. According to CRN India, between 2004 and 2005, the Bahamas was one of the top 20 countries producing 125 million tonnes of pigeon peas.
Bahamian Peas and Rice Recipe
This recipe uses pre-cooked pigeon peas that are sold in the can. If you buy dried peas you will need to soak them overnight before using in the recipe.
The quantities in this recipe are based on serving 4 persons.
Ingredients:
- ½ a large onion
- ½ a sweet pepper
- 1 stick celery (optional)
- 1 tsp dried thyme or sprig of fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp browning (optional)
- 1 large can of pigeon peas (preferably in coconut milk)
- Rice (long grain white rice)
- Salt (add to taste)
- Vegetable oil
Method:
- Chop the onion, sweet pepper and celery (if using).
- Heat up the oil and fry together the onion, sweet pepper and celery along with the thyme.
- Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir the ingredients together add salt (to taste) and the browning if using.
- Add the pigeon peas and stir well, add 2 cups of water and bring to the boil. Finish seasoning to taste at this point.
- Add the rice until it is about an inch and a half below the water line.
- Stir well, drop the stove to medium and leave the cover off. The pot should be simmering gently.
- Stir at regular intervals.
- When the rice has absorbed most of the water, turn the stove to medium-low, cover the pot, and leave to steam until fully cooked.
Serve with steamed fried fish or steamed fried pork along with other sides including potato salad, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and fried plantain.
Tamara McGaw - Tamara is a biologist, born and raised in England, now residing in the Bahamas. She graduated from the University of Plymouth with a ...
