Weeknight Red Pea Soup
The Healing Pot
Miss Pearl peeled hard yams and scraped a charred aluminum pot to build her Saturday soup. On a Tuesday night, that all-day simmer requires forty-five minutes in a pressure cooker. The short timeline yields a dense, deeply extracted liquid, grounded by a can of coconut milk, the quiet hum of pimento, and the gelatinous breakdown of a smoked ham hock. The secret remains the vital, whole, un-burst Scotch bonnet pepper floating on top, yielding all of its floral aroma and none of its fiery wrath. The starch breaks down, the broth thickens, and the bowls fill up.
Before you start
Inspect the beans.
While the pressure cooker eliminates the need for an overnight soak, rinsing and sorting the dried kidney beans ensures no stones or debris make it into the final soup.
Ingredients
- dried dark red kidney beans2 cup
- low-sodium beef broth6 cup
- smoked ham hock1 lb
- beef chuck roast1 lb
- garlic4 small clove
- whole pimento berries10 small
- full-fat coconut milk13 1/2 oz
- beef bouillon cube1 small
- yellow onion1 small
- scallions4 med
- fresh thyme4 med sprig
- yellow yam1/2 lb
- white-fleshed sweet potato1 med
- carrots2 med
- Scotch bonnet pepper1 whole
- all-purpose flour1 cup
- kosher salt1/4 tsp
- water1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Tenderize the base in an electric pressure cooker.
Combine the dried kidney beans, ham hock, beef chuck, smashed garlic, pimento berries, and beef broth in the pot, securing the lid and cooking on high pressure for 40 minutes before allowing a 10-minute natural pressure release.
- 02
Mix the spinner dough.
While the meats tenderize, mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, gradually streaming in the water and kneading until a stiff, slightly tacky dough forms.
- 03
Shape the spinners.
Pinch off a tablespoon of dough and roll it vigorously back and forth between your palms to form a tapered, finger-length dumpling, covering the finished pieces with a damp towel so they do not dry out.
- 04
Shred the meat and switch to a simmer.
Once depressurized, open the lid, remove the ham hock bone, shred the meat back into the pot, and switch the cooker to its sauté function to bring the liquid to a bubble.
- 05
Build the authentic flavor profile.
Stir in the coconut milk, bouillon, onion, scallions, thyme, and ground provisions, then gently lay the whole Scotch bonnet pepper on top of the liquid without piercing the skin.
- 06
Cook the dumplings and thicken the stew.
Drop the spinners into the pot one by one, simmering uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until the yam is tender and the broth transforms into a rich, deep-purple stew.
- 07
Remove the pepper and serve immediately.
Taste for seasoning, then carefully fish out and discard the whole Scotch bonnet pepper and thyme sprigs before ladling generous portions into deep bowls.
Notes
Respect the Scotch bonnet pepper.
Dropping the pepper in whole is non-negotiable; it infuses the broth with the distinct floral and fruity oils of the Caribbean without turning your weeknight dinner into an intolerable fire hazard.
Substitute the yam correctly.
If you cannot find dense, dry Jamaican yellow yam at an international market, use a standard Russet potato rather than an American orange yam to best replicate the starchy, spongy texture.
Make it Ital.
For a traditional meatless variation, omit the meats, swap the beef broth for vegetable broth, double the coconut milk, and mash a cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot to replicate the stew's hearty thickness.
From Cook Jamaican in America.