Traditionally “stew peas” are cooked with salted beef, oxtail, or pig’s tail, but here I present a vegan version that will please the palate of the most skeptical.
Beans or peas are a Jamaican staple because they are so versatile and flavorful, we incorporate beans in many of our Jamaican dishes like my Jamaican Rice And Peas and Jamaican Gungo Peas Soup.
How To Make Vegan Jamaican Stew Peas?
Jamaican stew peas with dumplings (spinners) contain a Jamaican version of unleavened dumplings also known as spinners, usually made with white flour but regular flour will work also try my Instant Pot Version.
I used whole scotch bonnet pepper for more of the authentic flavor and not the spicy heat. Coconut milk is an essential component of this stew and many other Jamaican dishes.
For another simple pea stew, check out my Chickpea Stew recipe. Serve your stew peas with Jasmine Rice.
If you are wanting to cook authentic Jamaican dishes this dish is so easy to make, I have made this dish several times for my guests and they tell me how amazing it tastes. Jamaican stew peas an ultimate comfort dish is my go-to recipe.
When growing up in Jamaica, we tend to make our own coconut milk from fresh coconuts than the canned version. It was less expensive and resulted in more flavorful milk.
Now that I live in the USA and don’t usually have access to fresh coconut, I use canned coconut milk in my recipes. I usually purchase Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Coconut Milk.
Notes
. Since I made this recipe in 2012, I now only eat gluten-free dumplings. I have updated this recipe to include a recipe for Jamaican gluten-free dumplings.
. Substitute 2 cans of kidney beans for the dried kidney beans and omit the water.
. Use 1-14 ounce can coconut milk if you don’t have fresh coconut milk
Other Jamaican Recipes To Try
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Categories
- Categories: Gluten-Free, Vegan
- Course: Stew
- Cuisine: Jamaican
Nutrition
(Per portion)- Energy: 184 kcal / 769 kJ
- Fat: 8 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Carbs: 25 g
Cook Time
- Preparation: 10 min
- Cooking: 1 h 30 min
- Ready in: 1 h 40 min
- For: 12 Servings
Ingredients
Stew Peas
- 2 cups dried kidney beans
- 6 cups water
- 1-14 ounce can coconut milk
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 sprig of fresh
- 1 medium carrot, cut into coins
- 1 whole Scotch Bonnet pepper stem intact, or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or 6 berries
- 1 batch dumplings/spinners
Dumplings/Spinners
- 1/2 cup flour, I used Krusteaz all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For The Stew Peas
- Sort and wash beans, and soak them in water (about 3 inches above the beans) overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- The following day, discard water and rinse beans, place them in a large saucepan with the 6 cups of water, and bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer until tender for about 1 hour.
- Add coconut milk, carrots, onion, garlic, and continue simmering. Add spinners and thyme and other seasonings, simmer for another 30 minutes or until sauce is thick. Discard pepper before serving. Delicious served with brown rice and a salad!
For The Dumplings
- Place flour and salt in a bowl. Add water and mix to make a stiff dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll into the palm of hands to make long thin dumplings. Drop into simmering stew.
I’ve eaten stew peas all of my life and was excited to try the recipe. How do I get the end product to be as brown as yours in the picture?
Sarai, just use dark red kidney beans and not light red kidney beans, simple as that!
Just to follow up…..this recipe was PERFECT! Everyone loved it! Even the meat eaters!
Do I drain the 6 cups of water after cooking the beans or do I pour the coconut milk vegetables and seasonings into the water!?!? Please help I’m cooking it now and not sure what to do
I’m sorry I missed your comments, I don’t work on Saturdays because that is my day of worship. That’s a very good question. When you soak the beans it is just with water that is about 3 inches above the beans. You are discarding that water, then you are adding 6 cups of fresh clean water. Then you are going to boil the beans until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the beans. Then you add the coconut milk, vegetables and seasonings and cook for about 30 minutes or until it reaches the thickness you like.
What I like about healthier steps, is that healthier steps always give out exactly what we the populace are looking for and am really to be apart of this healthy and gluten free page
This jamaican stew peas is absolutely filled with nutrients
This jamaican stew peas looks really beneficial
This jamaican stew peas looks really scrumptious
This jamaican stew peas looks really heart warming
This jamaican stew peas looks really satisfying
Hello, my name is Barbara. I grew up eating Jamaican food. It is some of the best tasting food there is. I would love to try this Vegan Peas Stew. Thanks Michelle for sharing.
Barbara nice meeting you, this recipe is very tasty, and will take you right back to childhood. Enjoy!
I love Jamaican food in general it is some of the best tasting food the is. I grew up in Miami Fla. And m Mom’s best friend a Jamaican lady. They cooked Jamaican and American food and would sell it, as a result I grew up eating Jamaican food.
That’s wonderful, thank you for sharing with us your experience with Jamaican food growing up in Miami. Awesome.