The first time I cooked this, I was feeding some West Indian friends. They were very polite and did not comment on my use of ‘peas’ instead of ‘kidney beans’. I live and learn. This aromatic and flavorful rice and peas dish is a staple in Caribbean cuisine and pairs exceptionally well with many West Indian dishes.In many Caribbean recipes, “peas” refers to legumes such as kidney beans rather than actual peas. The classic Caribbean dish “rice and peas” traditionally uses kidney beans.
When I think of jerk chicken, my memory takes me back to visits to Jamaica and also the Notting Hill Carnival, where the smells of jerk chicken cooking on barbecues fill the air. Jerk chicken is a popular dish from Jamaica, known for its spicy and smoky flavor.
Over the past 40 years, I have travelled the world and experienced different cuisines that I have tried to recreate at home. This meant talking to chefs/cooks in their kitchens to get them to explain how they prepared their dishes. At home, I experimented to try to recreate their dishes. One lesson I learned very quickly was that getting hold of the right ingredients was key. This meant finding and exploring specialist grocery shops around west London, where I live. For most spices, I travel to Southall and buy in bulk. For Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, Korean and Philippine ingredients, I […]