Kareem of FibreOptics

Stew Peas | Unctuous Overload

Turn overlooked cuts of meat, beans and coconut milk into crave worthy gold.

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Prep Time 18 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Servings: 4 adults

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Jamaican

Calories: 280

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 150 g dried red kidney beans (soaked and drained)
• 450 mL water
• 1 g baking soda
• 300 mL canned coconut milk
• 300 g salted pig tails (soaked) (chopped)
• 300 g beef shank (chopped)
• 2 onions (diced) (200 g)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced) (60 g)
• 3 Jamaican escallions (green onions) (chopped) (45 g)
• 10 g Jamaican pimento (all-spice)
• 10 g fresh ginger (smashed)
• 1/2 Scotch Bonnet pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 g Kosher salt
• 4 g black pepper (freshly ground)
• 300 g Jamaican dumplings (boiled)

Dumplings

• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 100 g water
• 2 g Kosher salt

Equipment

• 1 large pot (3 L or greater)
• 1 ladle
• 1 Large bowl
• 1 can opener

Method

 

Bean Prep

1. Soak dried red kidney beans (150 g) in water (300 mL) and baking soda (1 g) overnight (12 h).
2. Boil the pig tails (300 g) in 1 L of water for 30 min. Pour off the boiling liquid.
3. Pour off the bean soaking liquid in the morning (this helps soften the beans and break down the raffinose sugar known to irritate bowels).

Stew Assembly

1. To the soaked beans, add water (150 mL), boiled pig tails (300 g), beef shank (300 g), Kosher salt (4 g), pimento seeds (10 g), black pepper (4 g), onions (200 g), Jamaican escallions (45 g), garlic (60 g), ginger (10 g) and bay leaves.
2. Simmer on medium for 20 min, then add 1 can of coconut milk (300 mL) or half a can of coconut cream (150 mL) and 100 mL water.
3. Add the Jamaican boiled dumplings (recipe below) and simmer for a final 20 min. The stew will be ready once the dumplings have cooked through and have a firm chew.
4. Serve immediately as is or with a side of rice.

Jamaican Boiled Dumplings

1. In a large bowl, add all-purpose flour (200 g), warm water (100 g), Kosher salt (2 g) and knead into a firm dough.
2. Roll the dough into spinners (dowel shaped dumplings about the size of your middle finger) and disperse them into the peas pot.

“You are the ackee to my saltfish, the pig’s tail to my stew peas”❤️-Oliver Samuels. The depth of this dish cannot be overstated. Something resembling magic happens when beans are boiled down and stewed with salted meats. The sheer combination of the complex carbohydrates and salt cured protein is both mouthwatering and nourishing. The way my mother makes this dish – and now the way that I make it – ultra thick and often served unconventionally without rice.