Anguilla’s Pigeon Peas and Rice is a hearty meal you’ll enjoy on a warm day. As a Caribbean dish, the dish is popular in Jamaica too, mostly prepared with rice, coconut milk, pigeon peas, onions, and spices.
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Learn how to make pigeon peas and rice, an easy vegetarian meal with just one pot. Perfect for a quick and healthy dinner option.
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Where Is Anguilla Located?
Anguilla is a British territory and one of the smallest islands in the Caribbean. The country has clean sand beaches you’ll love to visit.
The population of Anguilla is mostly African descendants, with English as the official language. They practice Christianity, with most of the citizens either Anglicans or Methodists. The island has experienced continuous population growth, with a high life expectancy.
In Anguilla, only a small portion of land is used for agriculture. The island derives its economy from tourism and banking services.
The country has experienced tourism growth, which has strengthened the construction industry and facilitated the progress of transport facilities.
Guidelines for Preparing Pigeon Peas and Rice
Ingredients
- Rosemary
- ¼ cup of oil
- 4 Bay leaves
- ½ tbsp of salt
- ½ tbsp of paprika
- 1 ½ cups of local rice
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 cup of Pigeon peas
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 scotch bonnet peppers
- A stick of celery, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
Instructions
- Pour a liter of water into a cooking pot and set it on fire. Wash the pigeon peas thoroughly and add them to the boiling water. After 10 minutes of boiling on medium heat, wash and add the rice.
- Stir the pigeon peas and rice to ensure they settle.
- Cover the pot with a lid and allow the dish to cook halfway. Open the pot and add the oil to the pot.
- Add your preferred spices, including thyme, rosemary, salt, and paprika.
- Stir and add bay leaves, and cover the pot for the water on the pigeon peas and rice to simmer.
- Add the chopped vegetables to the dish and stir gently.
- Allow the one-pot pigeon peas and rice to steam with the vegetables for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Alternative Jamaican Recipe for Pigeon Peas and Rice
- Add fresh pigeon peas, also called gungo peas in Jamaica, to a pot of water, add grated garlic, and boil it until it’s cooked.
- Add 2 cups of coconut milk and stir. Add rosemary and thyme, including 2 to 3 whole hot peppers.
- Add salt to taste, all-purpose seasoning for flavor, and 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Cover the pot with a lid for 5 minutes to allow the seasoning to blend.
- Wash the rice and add to the pot on low heat to steam until it’s soft. You can use parboiled rice or any rice of your choice.
- Serve with vegetables or protein of your choice.
Tips for Customizing This Recipe
- You can add the vegetables to the pot at the end of cooking or steam them separately and serve them alongside the pigeon peas and rice.
- Always use the rosemary and thyme whole or tied together, and remove them from the dish before serving.
- You can use vegetable cooking oil instead of butter.
- Also, in place of pigeon peas, you can use kidney beans.
- If the rice is uncooked while the liquid is drying up, add a bit of water and cover the pot with aluminum foil to steam the rice.
- Some Caribbean recipes like Puerto Rican rice include tomato sauce in cooking pigeon peas and rice. They call their recipe Arroz Con Gandules. You can try it too.
- You can add other types of herbs, including spring onions, olives, and cilantro to prepare this vegetarian dish.
- For protein, you can add chicken, pork, meat, or any of your choice.
- You can use brown rice, jasmine rice, or long-grain rice.
Nutritional Benefits of Pigeon Peas With Rice
Pigeon peas originated from Africa and are available in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. You can purchase some on Amazon to prepare this delicious recipe.
Pigeon peas are a rich source of;
- Protein
- Vitamin B6
- Iron
- Magnesium
It also has a significant amount of dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, and carbohydrates.
Research shows pigeon pea seeds and by-products contain an adequate amount of macro, microminerals, and amino acids.
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It’s interesting to note that these beans also contain:
- Tryptophan
- Threonine
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Histidine
- Valine
- Methionine
- Cystine
When these amino acids combine with other food crops, pigeon peas could improve diet quality by lowering the risk of protein deficiency.
Moreover, the calcium and magnesium content of pigeon pea seeds is similar to that of other legumes, such as soybeans, which amount to about 215 mg/100 g.
Rice, however, is rich in carbohydrates. As one of the most common stable grains cultivated around the world, it provides a significant amount of energy to go about your day’s work.
Depending on the type of rice you use for pigeon peas and rice, both white and brown rice contain protein in addition to carbohydrates. However, brown rice has a higher amount of dietary fiber than white rice.
Among others, brown rice contains;
- Manganese
- Niacin
- Thiamin
- Selenium
- Magnesium
Thus, it’s ideal to use brown rice in cooking any rice dish.
Serving Suggestions and Storage Tips
- Always serve pigeon peas and rice in small servings, as they make you full thanks to the rich amount of protein.
- Serve alongside steamed vegetables if you didn’t include any in the pot.
- You can also put the rest in a refrigerator in an airtight container and microwave the remaining food for eating within a few days.
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Video credit: Visit Anguilla–YouTube
Visit Anguilla is a YouTube channel sharing the inside of Anguilla. You can follow for inspiration on activities, experiences, and exclusive insights.
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Anguilla’s Pigeon Peas and Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- Rosemary
- ¼ cup of oil
- 4 Bay leaves
- ½ tbsp of salt
- ½ tbsp of paprika
- 1 ½ cups of local rice
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 cup of Pigeon peas
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 4 scotch bonnet peppers
- A stick of celery chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
Instructions
- Pour a liter of water into a cooking pot and set it on fire. Wash the pigeon peas thoroughly and add them to the boiling water. After 10 minutes of boiling on medium heat, wash and add the rice.
- Stir the pigeon peas and rice to ensure they settle.
- Cover the pot with a lid and allow the dish to cook halfway. Open the pot and add the oil to the pot.
- Add your preferred spices, including thyme, rosemary, salt, and paprika.
- Stir and add bay leaves, and cover the pot for the water on the pigeon peas and rice to simmer.
- Add the chopped vegetables to the dish and stir gently.
- Allow the one-pot pigeon peas and rice to steam with the vegetables for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Video
Nutrition
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