Tinned equals canned.
Good and really flavourful rice and peas is cooked over a wood fire or bbq grill over hot coals. If I can, I always try to do it over hot coals. That smoky taste is hard to replicate, you can try to add the smokey bacon or smoked turkey wings or liquid smoke to replicate the taste.
When you go to a West Indian restaurant they are cooking in bulk with not nearly enough care so it's just not as nice. They wdnt add little extras to enhance flavour like you would do at home.
Another key to making good rice and peas is the pepper. To be honest habenero is not the pepper to use; a scotch bonnet peppers is what you need but I hardly find them in the UK, most shops selling habenero and label them as scotch bonnet. The rice is not supposed to be spicy as in peppery, the scotch bonnet gives a citrusy/fruity flavour to the rice that you can't get with any other pepper. Go to Jamaica and have rice and Peas and see what I'm talking about.
I personally think rice and peas should be made with Basmati rice and no other kind, this to me gives the best texture of rice.
I think the difference between American Red Beans and rice and Jamaican Rice and Peas is the coconut milk. I've never had it but I think coconut milk would change the flavour.
Kidney beans are used to make a few things I'm Jamaica: Red peas soup, made with beef or salted pork, dumplings, yams etc same basic forumula with the kidney beans coconut milk etc.
Stew peas made with salted pigs tails, coconut milk, Kidney beans and dumplings (spinners). This is served over white rice preferably with a slice of Jamaican pear. My favourite meal of all time and I will only accept it from my Daddy.
I also think Ital stew is also made with Kidney beans, once again same basic formula but with no meat or salt.
*In my previous post I forgot to add fresh thyme, this is an integral part of the dish.
