Cook-up Rice

Name: Cook-up Rice
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Guyana
Ingredients: 2 cups white rice; 1 cup dried black-eyed peas or pigeon peas, soaked; 1 lb salted beef or chicken pieces; 2 cups coconut milk; 1 onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 sprigs thyme; 1 wiri wiri pepper, whole; Salt and pepper, to taste

6 servings15 min prep40 min cookEasy Guyana

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Cook-up Rice

Story updated September 17, 2026

Cook-up rice, rice simmered with beans, coconut milk, and meat in one pot, reflects Guyana's Afro-Caribbean heritage, with roots in West African one-pot cooking traditions adapted by enslaved and later free Black communities using local coconut and pigeon peas.

Ingredients

Scale:· 6 servings

2 cups white rice
1 cup dried black-eyed peas or pigeon peas, soaked
1 lb salted beef or chicken pieces
2 cups coconut milk
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs thyme
1 wiri wiri pepper, whole
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1Boil the soaked peas in water until just tender, about 25 minutes; reserve the cooking liquid.
2Sauté the onion and garlic in a large pot until fragrant, then add the meat and brown lightly.
3Add the cooked peas, coconut milk, thyme, and reserved pea liquid to the pot.
4Bring to a simmer and add the whole wiri wiri pepper.
5Stir in the rice, cover, and cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes until the rice is tender and has absorbed the coconut milk.
6Remove the whole pepper, fluff the rice, and season with salt and pepper before serving.

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