Quick Rice and Beans

Dinner | Caribbean

Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 15 min Servings: 4

We all need a quick and easy side dish to go with the jerk chicken or lamb roast we just made, so here's a rice and beans recipe that I love to make at home.

This is a Jamaican-style rice and peas, which despite the name typically uses kidney beans or gungo peas rather than fresh peas. The defining aromatics are allspice berries, Scotch bonnet pepper, thyme and ginger, cooked together with the rice so the grains absorb the flavour as they steam. I couldn't get a Scotch bonnet when I was making this dish so i swapped it out for habanero, which is the closest substitute if you can’t find Scotch bonnet.

The kidney beans go in at the end, stirred through after the rice is fully cooked. Adding them at the start means they break down during cooking and turn the rice starchy and grey. Stirring them in at the end warms them through while keeping their shape and texture. The spring onion greens also go in last, just before serving, so they stay fresh rather than wilting. Don’t remove the aromatics during cooking. They do their work slowly through the entire cook time and come out at the end.

Ingredient Notes

Habanero or scotch bonnet pepper: Generally you would use a scotch bonnet for this recipe but if you can't find one, Habanero also works well.

Allspice berries (pimento): Whole dried berries from the allspice tree with a flavour combining elements of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. An essential flavour in Jamaican cooking. Available in the spice section of most supermarkets. Use whole berries rather than ground allspice. The whole berry releases flavour gradually and is easy to remove at the end. Ground allspice disperses through the rice and can become overpowering.

Long grain rice: Long grain rice has a lower starch content than short or medium grain varieties, which means the grains stay separate and fluffy rather than clumping together. Jasmine rice is a good substitute for a slightly fragrant result. Avoid short grain, arborio or sushi rice as they have higher starch content and produce a stickier result that doesn’t suit this dish.

Equipment

Rice cooker (or heavy-based saucepan with tight-fitting lid)
Chopping board
Chef’s knife

Ingredients

1½ cups (300g) long grain rice
3 spring onions, finely sliced, whites and green parts separated
1 habanero pepper (or Scotch bonnet pepper), stemmed and halved
3 cloves garlic, crushed
small bunch thyme
thumb-sized piece ginger, sliced
6 allspice (pimento) berries
sea salt and black pepper, to season
400g kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

Rinse the rice in cold water twice, then drain.
Place in a rice cooker with 1½ (325ml) cups of water.
Add spring onion whites, habanero, garlic, thyme, ginger, allspice and stir through rice. Season with salt and pepper and cook on a normal setting. You can also cook over the stovetop. Just bring the water to a simmer, then turn down to low, cover and cook until water is absorbed.
When rice is cooked, stir through beans to warm through, then set aside to cool.
Stir the spring onion greens through to serve.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Add the beans after the rice is cooked

Kidney beans are already cooked and just need to be warmed through. Adding them at the start of cooking means they sit in hot, starchy liquid for 15 minutes and break down, turning mushy and discolouring the rice. Stir them in once the rice is fully cooked. Two to three minutes is all they need to heat through. They hold their shape and keep the rice clean and separate.

Don’t lift the lid during cooking

If you’re cooking on the stovetop rather than a rice cooker, resist the urge to check on it. Every time the lid comes off, steam escapes and you lose cooking moisture. The rice needs that steam to finish properly. Set your timer, turn it to the lowest heat, and leave it alone until the time is up. Then leave it covered off the heat for another 5 minutes before opening.

Storage

Store cooked rice and beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a saucepan with a splash of water over low heat, stirring occasionally, or microwave covered with a damp paper towel. This freezes well: cool completely, portion into airtight containers and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.

FAQs

Can I make this on the stovetop instead of a rice cooker? Yes. Rinse the rice and add to a heavy-based saucepan with the measured water. Add all the aromatics, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for another 5 minutes without lifting the lid. Stir through the beans and spring onion greens to serve.

Can I use other types of beans? Yes. Gungo peas (pigeon peas) are the traditional Caribbean choice. Black beans and black-eyed peas are also common variations. Canned beans of any kind work. Rinse them first and add at the end, the same way you would with kidney beans.

How do I control the heat level? The habanero or Scotch bonnet adds real heat when halved and cooked through the rice. For less heat, remove the seeds after halving before adding to the pot. For more heat, add a second halved pepper or stir in a little hot sauce at the end. Keep in mind the pepper also adds fruity, floral flavour, so I wouldn’t skip it entirely even if heat is a concern.