Trinidad Pelau
Trinidad Pelau Say it: peh-LOW
Pelau is Trinidad and Tobago's signature one-pot rice, coloured and flavoured by burnt sugar cooked down to a dark caramel before the chicken goes in. Coconut milk, pumpkin and pigeon peas melt into the grains, while thyme, pimento and a whole Scotch bonnet scent the pot. It is Sunday-lunch food and celebration food alike, hearty, faintly sweet and deeply savoury, with the slightly sticky, clumped texture that Trinidadians insist is the sign of a proper pelau.
Trinidad Pelau
Trinidad Pelau
Pronounced peh-LOW
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: none of the major allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Green seasoning
For the pelau
Method
Make the green seasoning. blend the garlic, cilantro, scallions, onion, pimento pepper, thyme and water to a coarse paste. Rub it all over the chicken with the salt and black pepper and leave to sit for 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the brown sugar and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it melts, foams and turns a deep amber-black, about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let it burn to ash.
Add the chicken carefully (the caramel spits) and turn the pieces in the dark browning until evenly coated. Sear for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until the chicken is browned on all sides and the pot smells nutty, not bitter.
Stir in the onion, garlic, carrot and pumpkin and cook for 4 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until the onion softens and turns glossy.
Add the rice and pigeon peas and stir for 1 to 2 minutes so every grain is coated in the browning and the rice looks glossy.
Pour in the coconut milk and hot water, add the thyme sprigs, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a rolling boil. Nestle the whole Scotch bonnet on top without piercing it.
Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is tender, the liquid is absorbed and small steam holes appear on the surface. Do not stir while it cooks.
Take the pot off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the Scotch bonnet and bay leaf, fluff the pelau with a fork, taste for salt, and serve hot.
Regional variants
Beef, pork or goat pelau follows the same method with cubed meat browned a little longer before the rice goes in. A vegetarian pelau replaces the chicken with extra pumpkin, christophene (chayote) and carrots, and adds the coconut milk and water straight after the browning.
Cook's notes
- Keep the Scotch bonnet whole and on top; bursting it releases fierce heat, so press it lightly into a portion only if you want a fiery serving.
- A heavy pot and a tight lid matter more than exact timing; if the rice is still firm at 25 minutes, sprinkle in 1/4 cup (60 ml) hot water and cook 5 minutes more.
- Resting off the heat is what gives pelau its characteristic slightly sticky, clumped grains rather than loose fluffy rice.
Serve with
Serve with sliced avocado, a crisp green salad or coleslaw, and a cold drink or mauby.
Make ahead and storage
Keeps 3 days covered in the refrigerator and reheats well with a splash of water in a covered pot or the microwave; it is often considered better the next day.
