Jamaican Curried Rice

Finding incredible mid-week meals can be a challenge for any home cook. Whether your current staples are feeling tired or you’re just looking to spice up your weekly menu with some Caribbean flavor, this Jamaican Curried Rice promises to be exactly what you’ve been searching for!

Sure, you can throw some grilled chicken in the air fryer and boil some rice on the stove for a quick meal, but there’s something about a deliciously spiced, perfectly balanced dish that makes Hump Day slightly easier to push through!

I originally made this Jamaican Curried Rice from a recipe I found on the Equal Canada Facebook page and found that the incredible blend of sweet and savory flavors hit the palate just right. Surprisingly simple to make and ready in a flash, I immediately added it to my mighty mid-week recipe binder.

After all, I adore quick and easy meals!

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I found most of my ingredients for this dish at Sobey’s (and Atlantic Superstore), and most keep well enough to last a few days in the refrigerator. The ingredients include red pepper, green onions, curry powder, sugar, lime juice, a can of pineapple chunks, black beans, salted cashews, and rice.

As you can see, it’s a diverse family of flavors we’ve got there!

If possible, I recommend getting your prep work for this dish done ahead of time. It’s full of small pieces, and it can take the stress out of the job if you have everything cubed, sliced, and ready to go!

To make your life easier, measure everything out a couple of hours before and place your ingredients in the fridge for when you’re ready to cook. Not only will this take a lot of the mess out of cooking, but it’ll be far easier to face when your energy’s starting to wane after work.

When you’re cooking, the first thing you’ll notice is the incredible aroma released from the curry powder, olive oil, and green onions. However, the best part of cooking this Jamaican Curried Rice recipe is seeing the dish take shape after you stir in the pineapple, black beans, and veggie mixture. Suddenly packed with texture and color, it’ll make all that prep work feel worth it!

Why You’ll Love Jamaican Curried Rice

• It’s ridiculously easy to make
• Uses fresh ingredients for a healthy balance of flavors
• All ingredients can be found at local grocery stores
• It reheats amazingly and loses none of its texture

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Red pepper, diced
• Green onions, sliced
• Curry powder
• Hot cooked rice
• Sugar
• Lime juice
• Salt
• Pineapple chunks
• Black beans
• Salted cashews

How to Make Jamaican Curried Rice

• Step One: Heat oil in medium skillet.
• Step Two: Cook and stir red pepper and green onions for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, add the curry powder and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Step Three: Combine cooked rice, sugar, lime juice and salt in medium-sized bowl.
• Step Four: Stir in the cooked vegetable mixture, pineapple, and black beans. Just so you’re aware, the rice may be served warm or at room temperature.
• Step Five: Sprinkle with cashews just before serving and enjoy!

Equipment Needed

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• A trusty wooden spoon
• A non-stick skillet with a lid
• A lemon squeezer – way better than the manual method for getting every drop out and avoiding pips!

What to Serve with Jamaican Curried Rice

• Spicy Butter Chicken Wings
• Honey Curried Chicken
• Famous Curried Chicken Salad

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Wash your rice – you may know this already, but it’s worth washing your rice 4 or 5 times before cooking to release the starch. This should avoid your dish getting too sticky!
• Watch out for seasonings – the seasonings you’ll use for this recipe are simple, but you want to be careful with how much you add. Although the curry powder may smell and look delicious, overloading your dish with the stuff can make it taste bitter and overpowering (which we obviously want to avoid!).
• Don’t be afraid to toast your rice – If you’re feeling bougie, try toasting your rice for a few minutes before cooking. This should lend your grains extra depth which will only elevate your dish.
• Check your curry powder – basic curry powders usually include Indian spices. To make this dish correctly, look for a Jamaican or Caribbean-style curry powder. However, there’s nothing wrong with using Indian curry powders – you’ll just get a slightly different, but still delicious result.
• Look carefully at your salt – when cooking, you’ll want to use kitchen or cooking salt. Although you can certainly use table salt to make this dish, I recommend using slightly less than called for in the recipe to avoid your dish tasting too salty.

Variations and Substitutions

• Switch things up on the rice front! You can use whatever rice you have on hand for this recipe, but I recommend paying attention to the kind of rice you use. For example, using brown rice will give your dish an earthier, nutty taste, while white basmati rice will be naturally softer. Once you’ve made the recipe a few times, switch things up for a different feel.
• To add more greens to your dish, add some frozen peas to the mix. Kids usually tolerate peas well, so they’re an excellent way to hit that 5-a-day if they’re fussy about the other ingredients.
• You can add raisins or slivered almonds to the mix for extra sweetness and crunch!
• If you fancy dialing up the heat even further, consider adding chopped red or green chili. To keep things slightly more manageable on the spice front, remove the seeds!

Storage Instructions

This Jamaican Curried Rice dish keeps well in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days.

Although you can leave it in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, I recommend keeping bacteria out with an airtight container.

Before putting it in the fridge, just remember to let it cool completely first!

Can I Freeze?

Yes, you can certainly freeze this Jamaican Curried Rice Recipe!

Simply pop each portion into a ziptop freezer bag and remove as much air as you can. You can then seal and freeze. If properly stored, your rice will last for up to 6 months in the freezer.

When you come to eat it, you can either thaw your rice in the freezer, cook it directly from frozen in a hot pan, or add a bit of water to the rice and blast it in the microwave. The most important thing to remember is that your rice needs to be piping-hot before serving!

Recipes with Curry Powder

• Creamy Curried Chicken Pasta Salad
• Curried Lentil Salad
• Curried Potato Salad
• Curried Chicken Stew
• Curried Shrimp Rolls

You’ll also like this Oven Baked Chicken Fried Rice.

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