Tasty Jamaican Red Peas Soup

This classic Jamaican peas soup recipe has salted beef, chicken foot, red beans, and coconut milk. It has the traditional island seasoning, and it is so easy to make on the stovetop.

Whenever it is cold outside, I always try to make a soup. Today I was craving red pea soup.If you’re anything like me, you know the craving for something warm and comforting, and this recipe never fails to hit the spot.

It takes a little time, but trust me, all the prep and cooking is worth it.If you’re interested in this delicious recipe, keep reading! If not, just click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top.

PS. This dish comes from a very old cookbook that my granny has. The steps are easy to follow, and so are the ingredients. You can find everything in your pantry (Jamaican households). If not, grab them at your local Caribbean shop.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This soup is special because you are putting everything in it! You have got the salted beef, the red peas, and all the ground provisions.

I’m talking sweet potato, Irish potato, and my personal favorite, white yam. You could use whatever you like, but I love white yams in my soup. You will have to boil the beef to remove the excess salt and the coconut milk for the thickness.

This is not a fast recipe, but it’s an easy one, and the flavor is always there.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Red Kidney Beans (Dried)
• 1 lb Salted Beef
• 1 lb Chicken Foot
• 6 cups (initial) + more as needed Water
• 1/2 lb Sweet Potato — soaking in salt water
• 3 Irish Potatoes
• 1 lb White Yam — use your favorite yam
• 1 large Carrot
• 1 whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper
• [a little bit] Thyme
• 1 Scallion (white part)
• 4–5 cloves Garlic — crushed
• 10 berries Pimento Seeds (Allspice)
• 1 tsp All-Purpose Seasoning
• 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic & Pimento Paste
• 1 pack Flavoured Soup Mix – Grace Cock Flavour Soup
• 1/2 cup Coconut Cream or Milk
• Black Pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

For the Cornmeal Dumpling:

• 1/4 cup of Cornmeal
• 1 cup of Flour
• a pinch of Salt
• 1/2 cup of Water

Instructions

First, you’ll need to take off the excess salt from the beef. Get your water boiling, then go in with the salted beef. Let that boil for about six to seven minutes, just enough to pull out some of that salt. Once that’s done, throw off the salty water and move over to the pressure cooker.

You’ll add your red peas, the beef, and six cups of fresh water. Crush about four to five cloves of garlic and drop that in, along with ten pimento seeds. Leave that to pressure cook for about 30 minutes.

Once the pressure cooker cools down (because you don’t want it popping in your face), check the peas and beef. The peas should be halfway done, not soft yet, but getting there. Transfer everything to your main pot.

Top up the water a bit if needed, then cover the pot and let it come to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, you’ll add your ground provisions: sweet potato, white yam, and chicken foot, Irish potato. Go in with your aromatics: scallion, thyme, carrot, and a whole scotch bonnet pepper. Give that a nice stir.

Add In The Dumplings

Now you’ll make your cornmeal dumplings. Without dumpling, is it even soup? I don’t think so. Fold the corners like you always do. Drop them into the pot and stir again.

Cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes. While that’s going on, remove the noodles from the soup mix, you want the mix, not the noodles. Add the soup mix, a teaspoon of ginger-garlic and pimento paste, and a teaspoon of all-purpose seasoning.

Time to taste and adjust. You’ll probably need a little salt, so go in with about half a tablespoon. Cover it back and give it another 10 minutes.

Now, add half a cup of coconut cream. Let that cook for about 10 minutes more. You don’t want the food to get too soft, so keep an eye on it. Remove the scallion and thyme at this point.

And that’s it, give it one last taste test. The ground provision should be cooked, the peas soft, and the flavor on point.

Storage

Jamaican red pea soup stores nicely in the refrigerator for up to four days. Soup always thickens up, so just warm it up gently on the stove and add a little splash of water if you want it thinner. I recommend that you keep your soup covered whenever it is in the fridge to prevent freezer burns.

Wow, you can’t go wrong with red pea soup. I have decided to add salted beef this time. But you can cook it with pig tail, cow heel, cow skin, and chicken foot. I just love the texture of this soup, and the scotch bonnet gives it a nice kick.

More Jamaican soup Recipes

• Jamaican Mannish Water Soup Recipe
• Traditional Jamaican Fish Tea Recipe
• Caribbean Seafood Soup

Tasty Jamaican Red Peas Soup

Recipe by Ren PetersCourse: SoupsCuisine: JamaicanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Calories

450

kcal

This Jamaican red peas soup is a hearty, one-pot comfort dish made with salted beef, red kidney beans, coconut milk, and ground provision.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Red Kidney Beans (Dried)

• 1 lb Salted Beef

• 1 lb Chicken Foot

• 6 cups (initial) + more as needed Water

• 1/2 lb Sweet Potato — soaking in salt water

• 3 Irish Potatoes

• 1 lb White Yam — use your favorite yam

• 1 large Carrot

• 1 whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper

• [a little bit] Thyme

• 1 Scallion (white part)

• 4–5 cloves Garlic — crushed

• 10 berries Pimento Seeds (Allspice)

• 1 tsp All-Purpose Seasoning

• 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic & Pimento Paste

• 1 pack Flavoured Soup Mix – Grace Cock Flavour Soup

• 1/2 cup Coconut Cream or Milk

• Black Pepper to taste

• Salt to taste

• For the Cornmeal Dumpling:

• 1/4 cup of Cornmeal

• 1 cup of Flour

• a pinch of Salt

• 1/2 cup of Water

Directions

• First, you’ll need to take off the excess salt from the beef. Get your water boiling, then go in with the salted beef. Let that boil for about six to seven minutes, just enough to pull out some of that salt. Once that’s done, throw off the salty water and move over to the pressure cooker.
• You’ll add your red peas, the beef, and six cups of fresh water. Crush about four to five cloves of garlic and drop that in, along with ten pimento seeds. Leave that to pressure cook for about 30 minutes.
• Once the pressure cooker cools down (because you don’t want it popping in your face), check the peas and beef. The peas should be halfway done, not soft yet, but getting there. Transfer everything to your main pot.
• Top up the water a bit if needed, then cover the pot and let it come to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, you’ll add your ground provisions: sweet potato, white yam, and chicken foot, Irish potato. Go in with your aromatics: scallion, thyme, carrot, and a whole scotch bonnet pepper. Give that a nice stir.
• Now you’ll make your cornmeal dumplings. Without dumpling, is it even soup? I don’t think so. Fold the corners like you always do. Drop them into the pot and stir again.
• Cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes. While that’s going on, remove the noodles from the soup mix, you want the mix, not the noodles. Add the soup mix, a teaspoon of ginger-garlic and pimento paste, and a teaspoon of all-purpose seasoning.
• Time to taste and adjust. You’ll probably need a little salt, so go in with about half a tablespoon. Cover it back and give it another 10 minutes.
• Now, add half a cup of coconut cream. Let that cook for about 10 minutes more. You don’t want the food to get too soft, so keep an eye on it. Remove the scallion and thyme at this point.
• And that’s it, give it one last taste test. The ground provision should be cooked, the peas soft, and the flavor on point.
• Storage