If you're bored with plain white rice, you absolutely have to try this red beans and coconut rice! This Jamaican inspired dish is an excellent side that can be served with a variety of main courses.
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The addition of red beans, or kidney beans, gives this dish extra protein and a more interesting texture. Rice and beans is a common combination in a variety of cuisines, and with good reason.
This dish is easy to make, and so much better than plain white rice. It's also vegan and allergy friendly, which means that it should suit most dietary requirements.
🥘 Ingredients
To make red beans and coconut rice, you will need red beans (kidney beans), coconut milk, rice, bay leaves, garlic, onion, oil, thyme and a scotch bonnet pepper.
The scotch bonnet pepper is added whole to the dish for flavor, and removed before serving. Red beans and coconut rice is not spicy at all, but rather has a hint of the flavor or the pepper.
I use basmati rice, but any long grain rice will work perfectly fine.
🔪 Instructions
Start by preparing the ingredients. Finely dice the onion, and grate the garlic. Drain the canned kidney beans, and rinse them thoroughly.
Heat up the oil in a pot. Add the diced onion and sauté for a few minutes, or until the onion is translucent and soft. Then, add the grated garlic and a whole scotch bonnet pepper and sauté for another minute.
Add the bay leaf, thyme and rice, and cook while stirring for a couple of minutes. This will slightly roast the rice grains. Add the coconut milk, water and rinsed kidney beans to the rice.
Cover the pot with a lid, and bring it to a boil on medium to high heat. Reduce it to low heat, and leave the rice to simmer gently for 15-20 minutes (check the packaging of the rice you use), or until all the water has absorbed. Remove it from the heat and let it sit, still covered with a lid, for about 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir through the rice. The rice should now be perfectly cooked and have a fluffy texture. Do a taste test - if the grains are still a bit hard, you can add more water and let it cook for a little longer.
🍚 Rice
I like to use basmati rice for this recipe, but any long grain rice such as jasmine rice can be used.
Short or medium grain rice will result in a creamier texture, risotto or porridge-like, which is not what we are going for in this dish.
You can also use brown rice or any other rice of your choice. Read the package instructions to see if they require a different liquid to rice ratio, or if the cooking time is different. Quick cook rice is typically done after 5-10 minutes, while brown rice can take longer to cook through.
💭 Top tips
Here are my top tips to achieve the best results:
- Avoid cooking the rice at a higher heat in an attempt to reduce the cooking time. This will only make more water evaporate, and the rice will not cook through completely, or dry out.
- Don't leave the rice for too long, or it can burn. If possible, use a non stick pot.
- Remove the scotch bonnet pepper and bay leaves before serving. These are only added to provide flavor, and should not be consumed.
- Cover the rice with a lid through the entire cooking process. This will keep the steam inside the pot, and give the rice a perfect fluffy texture. If you don't have a lid available, you will likely have to add more water for the rice to cook through completely.
🥗 Serving suggestions
Red beans and coconut rice is a tasty side dish you can serve with a variety of main dishes. Here are some of my favorite pairings:
🍲 Leftovers
Leftover red beans and coconut rice can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can serve the leftovers cold, or reheat them in a microwave and serve the rice warm with your favorite main dish.
Any leftovers can also be repurposed and used in other dishes such as burritos, wraps, casseroles and more.
🍴 You might also like these recipes..
If you love delicious rice side dishes, you should try any of these recipes:
📋 Frequently asked questions
Anything goes with rice and beans! Try curries, casseroles, grilled or roasted meat, or Latin American or Caribbean dishes. I love to serve it with Cuban picadillo.
We use canned beans, which are already boiled. If you use dry beans, these have to be soaked in water overnight, then boiled for 1-2 hours in water. The kidney beans have to be soft and cooked through before you add them to the rice.
Recipe
Red Beans and Coconut Rice
Ingredients
- 1 14 ounce can kidney beans (400 g)
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cup basmati rice
- 1 14 ounce can coconut milk (400 ml)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ onion
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Start by preparing the ingredients. Finely dice the onion, and grate the garlic. Drain the canned kidney beans, and rinse them thoroughly.
- Heat up the oil in a pot. Add the diced onion and sauté for a few minutes, or until the onion is translucent and soft. Then, add the grated garlic and a whole scotch bonnet pepper and sauté for another minute.
- Add the bay leaf, thyme and rice, and cook while stirring for a couple of minutes. This will slightly roast the rice grains. Add the coconut milk, water and rinsed kidney beans to the rice.
- Cover the pot with a lid, and bring it to a boil on medium to high heat. Reduce it to low heat, and leave the rice to simmer gently for 15-20 minutes (check the packaging of the rice you use), or until all the water has absorbed. Remove it from the heat and let it sit, still covered with a lid, for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir through the rice. The rice should now be perfectly cooked and have a fluffy texture. Do a taste test – if the grains are still a bit hard, you can add more water and let it cook for a little longer.
Notes
Top tips
Here are my top tips to achieve the best results:- Avoid cooking the rice at a higher heat in an attempt to reduce the cooking time. This will only make more water evaporate, and the rice will not cook through completely, or dry out.
- Don’t leave the rice for too long, or it can burn. If possible, use a non stick pot.
- Remove the scotch bonnet pepper and bay leaves before serving. These are only added to provide flavor, and should not be consumed.
- Cover the rice with a lid through the entire cooking process. This will keep the steam inside the pot, and give the rice a perfect fluffy texture. If you don’t have a lid available, you will likely have to add more water for the rice to cook through completely.
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