Guyanese Rice & Peas

Origin: Though the name echoes across the Caribbean, rice and peas in Guyana carries its own rhythm — one that traces back to the enslaved and indentured peoples who worked the sugar estates. The dish is a fusion born of necessity, memory, and adaptation: West African rice traditions mingling with Indian spices, Amerindian ingredients, and colonial rations.

In its earliest form, enslaved Africans used pigeon peas, cowpeas, or red beans cooked slowly with rice in coconut milk — stretching limited provisions into something communal and sustaining. When Indian indentured laborers arrived, they layered in garlic, thyme, pepper, and turmeric, blending flavor profiles from home with what the land offered.

Over time, Guyanese rice and peas became more than sustenance. It became a Sunday dish, a comfort food, and a quiet act of remembrance — a symbol of survival disguised as something ordinary. Every family’s version tells a slightly different story: coconut milk thick or thin, beans soft or firm, rice steamed or sticky — but always made with care, always tied to belonging.

Ingredients

A beloved staple in many Caribbean households, Guyanese Rice & Peas is made with coconut milk, aromatics, and red beans or pigeon peas.

It’s earthy, rich, and fragrant—cooked low and slow until the rice is perfectly tender and infused with every ounce of flavor. Served with hot pepper sauce and a lot of pride.

1½ cups long grain white rice (parboiled or basmati)

1 cup cooked red kidney beans or pigeon peas (canned or fresh)

1½ cups coconut milk (fresh or canned)

1 cup water or broth

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 scallion, chopped

1 sprig fresh thyme

½ tsp ground allspice

1 small hot pepper (whole Scotch bonnet or wiri wiri, optional)

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1 tbsp oil or butter

How The Alchemy Happens

Heat oil or butter in a deep pot. Add onion, garlic, and scallion. Sauté until soft.

Stir in thyme and allspice. Cook briefly until aromatic.

Add rice and beans. Stir to coat in the seasoning.

Pour in coconut milk and water. Add whole hot pepper if using (do not burst).

Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

Cover and cook on low heat for 20–25 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid absorbed.

Let sit covered for 5 minutes. Remove pepper before serving. Fluff gently with a fork.