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Side Dishes

Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Recipe

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PUMPKIN RICE-2

PUMPKIN RICE-2

Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Recipe

This is a very quick and easy pumpkin rice recipe, that you can serve as a side dish. It can be made with the vegetables described in this recipe, or you can add your own favorite vegetables to suit your taste.

Pumpkin is loaded with many antioxidants and Vitamin A that can lead to a stronger immune system. If you are looking for a healthier alternative for a side dish, pumpkin rice is just what you are looking for.

Pumpkin rice ingredients in a pot.

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Jamaican Pumpkin Rice

Try this quick and easy Jamaican pumpkin rice recipe. This is the perfect side dish if you're looking for a healthier alternative to meat, and chicken. This has long been a favorite of many Jamaicans who are cooking on a budget or just looking to prepare a fast and quick meal.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Jamaican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 295 kcal
Author https://myjamaicanrecipes.com

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups White Rice Can be substituted with Brown Rice
  • 1 Whole Onion Sliced
  • 2 Stalks Green onions AKA scallions
  • 1 Cup Pumpkin Cubed
  • 1 Clove Garlic Minced
  • 1/2 Green Pepper Sliced
  • 6 Whole Allspice Seeds
  • 2 Sprigs Thyme Can be substituted with 1 tbsp ground thyme
  • 1 Tbsp Butter Can be substituted with Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 2 Tbsp Grace Pumpkin Soup Mix To be used if you want a more orange colored rice.
  • 1 Whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper

Instructions

  1. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a medium-sized saucepan under a medium flame.

    Place chopped, onion, green onions, garlic, green pepper, scotch bonnet pepper and pumpkin in a saucepan, and let sauté for approx. 10-12 mins. Season with salt, and black pepper.

    Add 5 cups of water to a saucepan, then add the rice. Add thyme and allspice seeds to your rice. Add sautéed vegetables to your rice and stir with a fork.

    Cover your saucepan with aluminum foil (use enough to cover the top of the saucepan), and place lid on the pot. Let cook for approximately 30 minutes.

    Check intermittently if rice is cooked. If rice is hard add a ¼ cup of water and cover until fully cooked.

    After rice is cooked, remove from flame and serve.

Recipe Notes

Here is a very useful video by Chef Ricardo, with step by step instructions for making Jamaican pumpkin rice.

Can be served with and poultry, meat, or fish dish.

Jamaican Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

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Jamaican Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

Jamaican beef soup in a bowl

Jamaican beef soup served

In Jamaica, every Saturday is Soup day. Whether its beef soup, chicken soup, or red peas soup,you will be getting served soup on Saturday. My personal favorite was and still is beef soup. I think that was a tradition of the past, and now “every” day can be soup day. On a cold, rainy, wintry day, what is better than a hot steaming bowl of soup? I am going to share the best homemade vegetable beef soup on the planet. You will never drink soup from a can again.

Jamaican beef soup in a pot
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Jamaican Beef Soup

This hot and tasty Caribbean soup will get you through the coldest of winter days, and nights. Made with fresh vegetables, and beef, it will warm you from head to toe.

Course Soup
Cuisine Jamaican
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 408 kcal
Author https://myjamaicanrecipes.com/

Ingredients

  • 3 Qts Water
  • 3 Stalks Green Onions AKA Scallions
  • 1 Whole Onion
  • 4 Medium Carrots Cubed
  • 1 Lb Yellow Yam Cut in 3"x1" pieces
  • 1 Whole Chayote
  • 4 Medium Potatoes Cubed
  • 3/4 Lb Pumpkin Peeled and Cubed in 4"x!" pieces
  • 3 Springs Thyme Dried
  • 1 Cube Beef Bullion
  • 1 tbsp Sea Salt
  • 1 tbsp Black Pepper
  • 10 Whole Allspice Seeds AKA Pimento Seeds
  • 3 Stalks Celery Cut in very small slices
  • 1 Whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper
  • 3 Lbs Chuck Roast Cubed

Dumplings

  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 1/3 Cup Water

Instructions

  1. Pour water in a large saucepan and let boil under a medium flame.

  2. Add Pumpkin and onion and beef to water and let it boil for about 1 hour, or until the pumpkin has dissolved.

  3. Add Celery, green onions, yellow yam, chayote, carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt, pepper, allspice seeds, and scotch bonnet pepper (do not let the pepper burst in the soup, unless you love your food extremely spicy) Let it simmer under a medium flame for approx 30 minutes. Then add your dumplings to the soup and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

How to make Dumplings

  1. In a mixing bowl, add flour and water. Knead flour until it forms a semi-thick dough (about the same consistency as pizza crust dough). Shape the dough into small round wheels (this dough will make about 8 dumplings).

Recipe Notes

This is the best homemade vegetable beef soup recipe you will ever come across. I have been making this soup for years, and it has never disappointed.

 

Check out this very useful video on how to make Jamaican Beef soup.

 

Jamaican Rice and Peas Recipe

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Jamaican Rice and Peas Recipe

Jamaican Rice and Peas for dinner

Jamaican Rice and Peas served.

Jamaican Rice and peas is the staple of every Jamaican Sunday dinner. The 2 things you can be sure of in Jamaica are sunshine, and rice and peas on Sunday. This delicious dish was first introduced to the island by the slaves that came from West Africa centuries ago. The recipe has changed a little since then, by using ingredients found on the island, such as thyme, and pepper.

My grandmother would scoff at me for using canned coconut milk instead of the fresh coconut milk she used. If only I had a coconut tree in NJ which I could get my own fresh coconuts, LOL. Enjoy your Sunday rice and peas.

Jamaican Rice and Peas for dinner
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Jamaican Rice and Peas

This easy to follow recipe will have you cooking like a Jamaican in no time flat. If you're a Jamaican, you better know how to cook rice and peas.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Jamaican
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 476 kcal
Author https://myjamaicanrecipes.com/

Ingredients

  • 2 cups long grain white rice (brown rice can be substituted)
  • 3/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
  • 3 stalks scallions (AKA green onions)
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (AKA habanero) chopped
  • 1 3/4 cups dried kidney beans canned kidney beans can be used as a substitute
  • 2 springs thyme dried
  • 1/2 tbs black pepper
  • 1/2 tbs salt
  • 7 whole allspice seeds (AKA pimento seeds)

Instructions

  1. The first thing you must do if you're using dried kidney beans is to make sure you soak them overnight in a bowl of water. This softens the texture of the beans. I prefer dried beans, but you can use the canned kidney beans instead. Drain the water from the beans and rinse thoroughly with water.

  2. Place your beans in a medium saucepan, add about 3 cups of water and boil for about 1 hr under a medium flame. Your beans should now be tender (test by sticking a fork into one of them). 

  3. While your beans are simmering, you can now add your unsweetened coconut milk, and stir for about 5 minutes.

  4. Then you add your chopped garlic, scallions (green onions), thyme, allspice seeds and scotch bonnet pepper.

  5. Add your salt and pepper to the mix
  6. Stir under a medium-high flame for about 5 minutes or so. Then you can add your rice and cook until the rice is cooked and fluffy, which takes about ½ hr to 40 minutes. There you have it, delicious Jamaican rice and peas.

Recipe Notes

Please check out this very useful video from http://caribbeanpot.com/