Is there a difference between green peas and gungo peas?

Question

I'm going to make Rice and Peas for our Jamaican Christmas dinner, can I use green peas, or do I have to use the traditional gungo?

Answer 1

Gungo peas (aka pigeon peas) is actually a lentil. It's called toor dal in Indian.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_pea



Green peas are the frozen (rare to see fresh peas in the US) bright green peas.



Green peas will work, but I think a better substitute will be a different type of dal or lentil or even kidney beans (small size)

for texture.



SIMPLE JAMAICAN RICE AND PEAS RECIPE



INGREDIENTS:



Serves: 4-5



1 medium sized can red kidney beans

1 can coconut milk

2 cups of rice

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 table spoon oil

1 scotch bonnet pepper (whole, do not chop up)

water



Drain the liquid from the can of beans into a measuring cup and add the can of coconut milk and enough water to make four cups of liquid. Place liquids in a pot with beans, onions, garlic, thyme and oil, bring to a boil. Add rice and stir for a minute. Reduce heat to Medium-Low. Place scotch bonnet pepper on top of liquid and cover tightly for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked. Remove scotch bonnet pepper before serving.



This recipes can also be made using other peas, beans or lentils.



http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_26923,00.html



http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_18441,00.html

Answer 2

Do you mean like frozen petit pois green peas, or dried green lentil-type green peas? If the first, it won't be the same: they are much softer than gungo's, with a sweeter flavor too. You could sub the other type with very similar results, though

Answer 3

There's no such thing as simple peas. They are most likely green peas. Snow peas, English peas, they're all the same- green peas too. SImple peas are just green peas. It's the same thing.

Answer 4

I am a former chef and Desi Chef is right, when I worked in Jamaica we used them in Rice and Peas, but I prefer to use red kidney beans and used coconut milk to make them with Jamaican Thyme and a bit of scotch bonnet pepper.



I like to make Jamaican curry with them a veggie variety, even in a Chicken or Goat one, the dried ones are nice for soup, with toamtos and I use pork neck bones, in Jamaica they would use salt beef or pickled beef, even corned mutton is o.k.,



They are nice a bit chewy, the Toor dal in Indian has the outer skin removed, and is split, I use them with chickpeas when I make Channa Dal.