Jamaican Red Peas Soup
Hearty, flavorful, authentic Jamaican red peas soup made with red beans, salted meat, and ground provisions.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 lbs salted pigtail or beef cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups dry kidney beans
- 1 inch piece ginger
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 tsp pimento seeds/allspice berries
- 2 stalks scallion
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
- 1/4 lb kabocha or calabaza squash peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1/4 lb yellow yam peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes (optional)
- 1/4 lb Caribbean sweet potato/boniato peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 medium white potato peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 chayote/chocho peeled and cut into wedges
- 2 corn on the cob each cut into four pieces
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into coins
- 1 tbso Jamaican all-purpose seasoning
- 1.5 gallons water
For the dumplings/spinners
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Remove the excess salt from the meat by rinsing it then boiling it twice with fresh water (enough to cover the meat by two inches) on medium-high heat for 15 minutes each time. Prepare the vegetables and ground provisions while the salted meat boils.
- To a large pot, add the desalinated meat, red kidney beans, enough water to cover the meat and peas by about two inches, small piece of ginger, crushed garlic cloves, two thyme sprigs, and pimento seeds. Boil over medium-high heat for one hour or until the meat and red beans are cooked.
- Add the prepared vegetables and ground provisions as well as the rest of the thyme and a scotch bonnet pepper. Add more water to ensure everything in the pot is covered. Season with all-purpose seasoning, and stir. Cook for another 10 minutes while you make the dumplings.
- In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Add water a little at a time until you can knead the dough into a tight ball. (The dough should not be too sticky to handle.) Pinch off a little of the dough at a time to make round dumplings or spinners (or both). For round dumplings, roll the dough into tight balls, then flatten into circles. For spinners, roll the pieces together in your hands (as if you are starting a campfire) to form long, skinny dumplings called spinners.
- Add the dumplings to the pot one at a time to ensure they don’t stick together. Very gently stir the pot. Partially cover the pot, and let the soup boil for a final 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat, and allow the soup to rest for 10 minutes. Stir before serving.
