Guyanese-Style Gluten-Free, Meatless Cook Up Rice

I love Guyanese cook up rice. Usually, I eat it as a side dish, but decided to make it as a main dish. I used tofu to protein it up to make it a full meal. Cook up rice is usually made in a pressure cooker, but I don’t have one and quite frankly I’m afraid to use one! All the childhood stories I heard of it potentially exploding if you don’t use it properly got to me. I’m someone who singed off an eyebrow barbecuing as a teenager, so you know this would happen to me! Anyway, to the purpose of the post – the recipe!

Cook-up rice with black-eyed peas, pigeon peas or kidney beans and tofu

Makes: 6 servings
Total time:
- Using dry beans: 1 hour and 20 minutes, cook time: 1 hour, prep time: 10-20 minutes Using canned beans: 1 hour, cook time: 40 minutes, prep time: 10-20 minutes

Note: If you have the time, cook this early in the day or the day before eating and heat it up to eat. It tastes better the next day or if it has time to sit.

Ingredients

2 cups of basmati or parboiled rice
15 ounces (2 cups) of beans of your choice. I prefer black-eyed peas with this, but didn’t have them this time!
2 pounds (2-3 packages) of tofu – it can be any type you prefer, it’s for protein. I use a mix of extra hard and soft
8-10 cups water (depending on the consistency you like)
1.5 cups of coconut milk
1 cup of vegan bone broth or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 large onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sprig of oregano, chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons of cassareep, I haven’t had any in ages, so I substituted with 2 tablespoons of Tamari sauce (soy sauce if you can have gluten) mixed with a teaspoon of maple syrup
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
Optional: Spinach, chopped or 1 chopped tomato and lime to squeeze on top at the end

Directions

If you are using dried beans:

Cut the tofu into pieces. Marinate the tofu with some of the garlic, onions, cumin, salt, pepper and cassareep (or substitute).
Spray some Pam in a large pan and cook the tofu on medium-high for 5 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the dried beans to boiling water.
In the meantime, dice your onions, garlic, scallions and add them to the boiling water.
Next, add in the wiri wiri or scotch bonnet pepper, herbs, bay leaves and bone broth or stock.
When the peas or beans are slightly soft, add the coconut milk, cassareep (or substitute) and spinach and tomato (if you are using them). Let it boil for 15 minutes.
Add the rice to the pot.
Add the cumin, salt and black pepper. Let the rice boil until the rice is cooked.
When the cook-up is close to being done, it will look soupy looking with hardly be any liquid in the pot. Stir in your cooked tofu.
Cook until the liquid is gone, about another 5 minutes.
Remove It from the heat and let it cool before serving.

If you are using canned beans:

Cut the tofu into pieces. Marinate the tofu with some of the garlic, onions, cumin, salt, pepper and cassareep (or substitute).
Spray some Pam in a large pan and cook the tofu on medium-high for 5 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
In a large pot, bring your water to a boil.
In the meantime, dice your onions, garlic, scallions and add them to the boiling water along with the wiri wiri or scotch bonnet pepper, herbs, bay leaves and bone broth or stock.
Let the ingredients cook for 10-12 minutes.
Add in the coconut milk and cassareep (or substitute) and spinach and diced tomato (if you are using them).
Let it boil for 7-8 minutes.
Add your rice to the pot.
Drain and rinse your peas or beans and add them to the pot.
Add the cumin, salt and black pepper. Let the rice boil until the rice is cooked.
When the cook-up is close to being done, it will look soupy looking with hardly be any liquid in the pot. Stir in your cooked tofu.
Cook until the liquid is gone, about another 5 minutes.
Remove it from the heat and let it cool before serving