Success with Cook Up Rice

Cook up rice is a traditional Guyanese dish that is usually eaten on Saturday and New Year’s Eve (so I learnt recently). Growing up, we would eat cook up rice every Saturday without fail. We did not have access to salt beef and pig tail in Botswana so we almost always used plain beef. On occasion however, my dad would use tripe instead – totally not my favorite!

I tried making cook up rice many years ago and it was an epic fail :( so I never attempted it again until yesterday. I called my mother up and asked her for the recipe. She gave me a few variations and I picked the simplest one which I am most familiar with. It really was not difficult or time consuming.  I was pleasantly surprised :)!

Ingredients

2 cups long grain rice

1 cup dried black eye peas

1 13 oz can coconut milk (or ½ cup grated fresh coconut)

¾ lb to 1 lb beef (or 1 lb salt beef, pig tail, tripe)

1 medium sized onion chopped
2 sprigd thyme

1 bouillon cube (beef flavor)

Salt to taste (if not using salt beef or pig tail) – about 1 tsp

3 tablespoons oil

3 cups water

Directions

Soak peas overnight (If you don’t have the time then add boiling water to peas and soak for 1 hour)

Season beef with salt and half the onion

Heat oil in a pot

Add seasoned beef to pot and sauté until beef brown

Once beef has browned, drain peas and add to pot

Sautee beef and bean mixture for about 5 minutes

Add water to mixture and bring to a boil

Once peas are cooked (about 30 – 45 minutes), add rice, remaining onions, bouillon cube and coconut milk to pot. Stir ingredients and place cover on pot

Cook on a low fire until the rice is cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed. If all the liquid has been absorbed but the rice is still not cooked, add a little water bit by bit until rice is done.

**11/24/2012 Update: If using pig tail or salt beef, boil them first until most of the salt is removed. You may need to change the water once. Once boiled, cook the meat as outlined above

We would eat cook up rice on its own, with some type of pickle or one of the following side salads:

-          Tomato:

o   One firm tomato chopped, ¼ onion finally chopped, 2 tsp vinegar and salt to taste

o   Mix all the ingredients together and chill

-          Cucumber:

o   One cucumber thinly sliced, 2 tsp vinegar and salt to taste

o   Mix all the ingredients together and chill

-          Carrots:

o   Two carrots grated, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of dried cranberries and raisins

o   Mix all the ingredients together and chill

-          Carrots and Cabbage:

o   One carrot grated, quarter cabbage thinly sliced, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (may need to add a little more)

o   Mix all the ingredients together and chill

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