Steph’s Jamaican Lamb Curry with Rice and Peas

Well… this is a first

After my tiny house video went live on Living Big in a Tiny House, I expected comments about the design, the layout, maybe the parrot.

Instead… a surprising number of people wanted the recipe for dinner. One person even suggested I start a cooking channel.

Not the house. Not the build.

The curry.

So here we are

This one’s actually a bit close to home for me.

I’m half Jamaican, and growing up we used to beg Dad to make curry with rice and peas. It wasn’t an everyday meal — which probably made it even better — and the smell alone meant something good was coming.

So when people started asking about the recipe in the video, it made me smile… because this is one of those meals that’s been hanging around in my life for years.

This is my version of that.

I’ve also added this recipe to my Tiny Toolkit — along with a few other bits people have asked for.

You’ll need to pop your email in to access it, and then you can dip in whenever you like. No inbox overload.

Inside you’ll find things like:

• photos from the build
• my slightly terrifying expenses spreadsheet (affectionately known as the Scroll of Doom)
• ideas, resources, and a few shortcuts I wish I’d known earlier

There’s also a Home Clarity Guide — which sounds very sensible, but is actually quite useful if you want a home that fits your life (tiny or otherwise).

Worth bookmarking if you like useful things turning up when you’ve forgotten where you saw them.

Steph’s Jamaican Lamb Curry with Rice and Peas

I need to let you know first up that there are no peas in the rice and peas. Jamaicans call kidney beans red peas, hence the name. Which feels like important information before you start wondering if I’ve forgotten an ingredient.

So with that explanation out of the way, here’s the recipe.

Jamaican Lamb Curry

Ingredients

• 1 kg  (2.2 lbs) lamb, boned and cut into 5cm (2 inch) cubes, discarding any excess fat and gristle
• 2-3 tbs curry powder
• 5 garlic cloves chopped
• 2  medium onions, chopped
• 4 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cups stock or water
• 1 fresh hot chilli – chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped (or 2 tsps dried)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 5 cm (2 inch) piece of fresh ginger – chopped
• 1 400g can tomatoes (I had loads of tomatoes from the garden so I used those)
• 1 small can of coconut cream

Method

• Place the lamb, curry powder, garlic, onion, thyme, bay leaves, allspice, chilli, ginger, coriander and oil in a large bowl and mix.
• Marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan.
• Add the marinated lamb and brown for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
• Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for around 1½ hours until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced.
• Add about ⅔ of the coconut cream at the end. Allow to heat through but not boil. (You’ll use the rest of the coconut cream in the Rice and Peas)
• Serve sprinkled with coriander (cilantro) with rice and peas.

Rice and Peas

Traditionally dried kidney beans are soaked overnight and cooked until tender. The rice is then added to the liquid giving it a pale purple colour. I’ll often cook a load of kidney beans at once in my pressure cooker and freeze them, along with the liquid, ready for the next time I want rice and peas. However, you can also use tinned kidney beans — but you won’t get the purple colour.

Ingredients

• 2 cups long grain rice – washed
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 400 g can red kidney beans (if tinned, drain and rinse) Use the same quantity of beans if you’ve cooked them yourself,  but keep the liquid*.
• ⅓ tin of coconut cream*
• 1 fresh bay leaf 
• Small piece of ginger
• ½ tsp allspice
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ red onion
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• pinch of chilli powder
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• *Approx 2 cups liquid made up of water, liquid from home cooked beans, and coconut cream.

Method

• Sauté the garlic,  ginger, onion, thyme, allspice, bay leaf, chilli powder in a large pan.
• Add kidney beans and liquid, coconut cream, water and salt.
• The liquid should sit about one finger-width above the rice and other ingredients.
• Bring to the boil, give it a good stir then simmer on a very low heat until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is tender. 

Serve with Steph’s Jamaican Lamb Curry. Share with friends and enjoy.

Rasa, Bryce and Steph enjoying Jamaican Lamb Curry with Rice and Peas

This is one of those meals that works whether you’re feeding a couple of people… or a film crew who’ve been wandering around your house all day. 

It’s simple, generous, and tends to disappear quickly.

If you’re the sort of person who likes a recipe you can glance at without scrolling (or getting your phone covered in curry), there’s a printable PDF here.