chicken

As promised I’m slowly going through all of my recipe requests and this was on the top of my list.  Cook-up Rice is a traditional Guyanese recipe  that’s very versatile.  It is a one pot dish that can be made with any type of peas, such as pigeon peas or chickpeas and some type of meat.  If you’re not a lover of peas or beans you can opt not to use peas and use callaloo or spinach in place of the peas.  To add extra flavor you can use salted pigs tail or salt beef, I didn’t have either so I used a chunk of corned beef brisket that I scooped up at the store this past weekend.   Today I made  black eyed peas Cook-up with chicken and beef, my favorite!  This dish seems complicated but I promise you it’s not, just follow the instructions and you will have a perfectly cooked meal.  For those of you who have never had this dish, here’s a little tip, it tastes even better the next day!

Black Eyed Peas Cook-up Rice with chicken and beef brisket

1 cup black eyed peas

3  lbs chicken, cut up

1 lb corned beef brisket, cut into bite sized pieces(you can use regular beef also)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 scallion, finely chopped

about 10 sprigs thyme

1 13 oz can coconut milk

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups rice

3 cups water

*I included the recipe for green seasoning at the bottom of the post.

Place peas in a a bowl with enough water to cover and soak overnight.  Strain the peas and set aside.  Season chicken with green seasoning* and let sit for at least an hour.

Place  beef brisket in pressure cooker with 3 cups water and pressure for 15 minutes.   If you do not have a pressure cooker cook for about 30 mins.   In a separate pot over a medium fire, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.  Add chicken, black eyed peas, onion, garlic and thyme.  If you chose to use any type of pepper, now is the time to add it.  Cook chicken for 10 minutes.  Add coconut milk to chicken and cook for an additional 5 mins.   Add beef and 2 cups of the liquid that the beef was cooked in to the pot with the chicken.  Bring to a boil, add 2 cups rice and scallion.  Stir pot thoroughly, cover pot.   On a low fire, cook for 25 to 30 mins.  The rice should be tender and all of the liquid should be absorbed.  If rice is not tender and all of the liquid is gone, add water, a little at a time and continue to cook until rice is tender.

*Green seasoning is usually a mixture of onion, scallion, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper and salt that is finely chopped in the food processor or blender.  This is used to season meat and add flavor to food.  There are no exact measurements, you can use as little or as much of each ingredient according to your taste.