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Jamaican red pea soup
Red peas soup: kidney beans, coconut milk, yam, pumpkin and spinners
Saturday in many Jamaican homes means a big pot of red peas soup, thick enough to stand a spoon in and finished with chewy spinner dumplings. Outside Rasta households it usually carries pig's tail or salted beef; this is the ital version, where coconut milk, pimento, thyme and a smoky handful of browned onion do the savoury work. Dried kidney beans must be soaked and then boiled hard for at least 10 minutes before simmering, as undercooked red kidney beans are toxic, and many cooks spoil the soup by adding salt too early, which keeps the skins tough. Serve it on its own as a full meal. Chef's tip: mash a ladleful of cooked beans against the side of the pot near the end to give the soup its creamy body without any flour.
- Total time
- 140 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the soup
- 14 oz dried red kidney beanssoaked overnight in plenty of water
- 2.5 litres water
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 spring onionschopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 10 ½ oz yellow yampeeled, in 3 cm chunks
- 10 ½ oz pumpkinpeeled, in 3 cm chunks
- 2 carrotssliced
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 scotch bonnetwhole
- 2 tsp salt
For the spinners
- 4 oz plain flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cold waterabout
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain and rinse 14 oz dried red kidney beans. Put them in a large pot with 2.5 litres water, bring to a rolling boil and boil hard for 10 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Lower the heat, add 8 allspice berries and simmer, partly covered, until the beans are completely soft and crush easily between two fingers.
75 minStep 3: Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic and 3 spring onions for 6–8 minutes until golden at the edges, then tip them into the beans.
8 minStep 4: Add 10 ½ oz yellow yam, 10 ½ oz pumpkin, 2 carrots, 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 scotch bonnet and 2 tsp salt and simmer for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 5: For the spinners, mix 4 oz plain flour and ¼ tsp salt and add ¼ cup cold water gradually to make a firm dough. Pinch off small pieces and roll each between your palms into a thin 6 cm spindle. Drop them into the soup.
5 minStep 6: Simmer for 15 minutes more, stirring now and then so nothing catches, until the spinners are firm and chewy, the yam is tender and the soup is thick. Mash a ladleful of beans against the pot to thicken further if needed.
15 minStep 7: Remove the pepper and thyme stalks, taste for salt and serve hot. The soup thickens as it stands; loosen with a splash of water when reheating.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 15 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jamaican red pea soup take?
- About 140 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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