Red peas soup — a hearty Jamaican stew of kidney beans, beef and salted pigtail simmered with coconut milk, potatoes and spinner dumplings. Rich, warming and deeply satisfying.
- 2 cups Kidney Beans
- 1 large Carrots
- 2 chopped Spring Onions
- 4 sprigs Thyme
- 1 Diced Onion
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 chopped Red Pepper
- 4 Mashed Garlic Clove
- 1 tbs Allspice
- 2 Lbs Beef
- 4 Potatoes
- 1 cup Plain Flour
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 cup Coconut Milk
Tags:
Soup SideDishVideo
Preparation
- Wash and rinse the dried kidney beans, then cover with plenty of water in a deep bowl — they triple in size as they soak. Soak overnight or for at least 2 hours, then discard the soaking water.
- Have your butcher cut the salted pigtail into 2-inch pieces. Wash, then place in a deep pot of water and bring to the boil. Cook for 20 minutes, then drain, rinse, and repeat — this tenderises the pigtail and removes most of the salt.
- To start the soup, place everything in the pot (except the flour and potato), cover with water, and bring to the boil over high heat. Skim off any scum, then reduce to a gentle boil and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beans are tender and starting to fall apart.
- Add the potato (and yams if using) and the coconut milk, and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the spinner dumplings: mix the flour and water (with a pinch of salt if you like) into a soft, smooth dough, rest for 5 minutes, then pinch off a tablespoon at a time and roll between your hands into a thin cigarette shape.
- Add the dumplings to the pot, stir well, and cook for another 15 minutes on a rolling boil.
- No salt is added, as the remaining salt from the pigtail seasons the dish, but taste and adjust as needed. The soup will thicken quite a bit as it cools, and leftovers freeze well.
