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–+ servings
gungo rice and peas
Victor Eskew

Jamaican Gungo Rice and Peas

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This traditional Jamaican rice and peas makes 8 generous servings that freeze beautifully for up to 3 months, giving you an authentic Caribbean side dish ready to reheat for multiple meals. The coconut milk and pigeon peas create a creamy, flavorful base that works alongside jerk chicken, curry goat, or simple grilled proteins. Perfect for batch cooking systems where one pot of rice multiplies into several week's worth of dinners.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 38 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: Jamaican
Calories:
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New to batch cooking? Learn the system that makes this recipe possible → Batch Cooking 101
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Rice and Peas
  • 1 lb White Rice long grain
  • 1 can Coconut Milk 15 oz
  • 1 can Pigeon Peas 15 oz, also known as Gungo Peas, do not drain
  • 2 cups Water
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Salt, Morton Coarse Kosher Salt Morton brand
  • 2 whole Scotch Bonnet Peppers do not cut or break them
  • 4 whole Green Onions cleaned
  • 8 sprigs Thyme fresh

Equipment

Method
 

Prep
  1. Rinse the rice in a mixing bowl under cold running water, stirring with your hand in one direction until the water becomes milky.
  2. Pour off the water and repeat two more times.
  3. Drain completely on the final rinse.
Rice Cooker Method
  1. Place the rinsed rice, pigeon peas with their liquid, coconut milk, water, salt, thyme, green onions, and whole Scotch bonnet peppers directly into the rice cooker.
  2. Stir to combine.
  3. Press the white rice setting.
  4. Cook for about 40 minutes until rice and peas are perfectly cooked.
  5. Remove the Scotch bonnet peppers, green onions, and thyme sprigs.
  6. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Stovetop Method
  1. In a large pot, bring the water, coconut milk, and pigeon peas with their liquid to a boil.
  2. Add an additional 1 cup of water.
  3. Add the rinsed rice, salt, thyme, green onions, and whole Scotch bonnet peppers.
  4. Stir gently.
  5. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low.
  6. Simmer for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
  7. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes.
  8. Remove the Scotch bonnet peppers, green onions, and thyme sprigs.
  9. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Disclosure: Nutrition is estimated and provided for general guidance.

Notes

The whole Scotch bonnet peppers infuse heat without making the dish fiery—keep them intact to control spice level. Rinsing the rice three times removes excess starch and prevents gummy texture, a step that matters more here because of the coconut milk. This holds well in the refrigerator for 5 days and freezes in portions for up to 3 months; reheat with a splash of water or coconut milk to restore moisture. The rice cooker method is foolproof, but stovetop gives you more control over texture if you prefer drier or creamier results. Don't drain the peas—that liquid contributes flavor and helps achieve the proper consistency. Substitute kidney beans if you can't find pigeon peas, though the flavor profile shifts slightly more robust.

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