trini pelau

During those cold and nasty winter days in January and February I always try to add a little Caribbean sunshine in our home/kitchen in Canada, with a big pot of bubbling Pelau. A delicious one pot dish packed with ingredients and flavors of the Caribbean which immediately takes me back to my childhood on the islands. However back then it was the dish of choice (usually the Chicken version) for those days at the beach.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs beef
2 scallions (chopped)
4 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 med onion (diced)
1 large tomato (diced)
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon salt
3 cups long grain par-boil rice
1 can coconut milk (about 1.5 cups)
2 cups water – adjust
1 large carrot (diced)
1 can pigeon peas (drain, rinsed)
3 small white habanero peppers

1 tablespoon veg oil
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar

IMPORTANT! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs (especially the Worcestershire sauce). I used 3 white Habanero peppers, but you can use any spicy pepper you like or leave it out if ‘heat’ is not your thing. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers.

Cut the pieces of beef into thin strips (I used a cheap cut of beef) and season with the salt, black pepper, scallions, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, ginger, parsley, tomato, onion, garlic, hot pepper and ketchup. Stir well and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

This is the most critical part of the cooking process so follow along by using the video below. In a heavy / dry pot, heat the veg oil on a medium flame, then add the brown sugar. Make sure the pot is dry, as well as the spoon you’ll be using. I’d recommend using a spoon with a long handle. You may need to turn the fan on above your stove or open your kitchen windows as it can become a bit smoky. Turn the heat up to high (please have the seasoned beef close) and stir the sugar. It will melt, go frothy, then amber in color (like the edges in the pic below). You want all the sugar to go amber and NOT black. If it goes black you’ve gone too far.. STOP. As you achieve that amber color.. carefully add the seasoned beef to the pot and stir well.

After you’ve stirred it well, cover the pot and bring it to a boil. After it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and allow it to cook for about 30 minutes. Yes, you will be required to stir it every 5-10 mins and it will spring it’s own juices.

After 30 minutes or so, turn the heat up to med/high, remove the lid and burn off all the liquid that’s left. We’ll achieve two things.. intensify the beef with the ‘stewed’ flavor and we’ll get a lovely dark color which will help ‘color’ the finished dish. In the same bowl you marinated the beef, pour in the water and mix around to pick up any remaining marinade (we’ll need it soon). Stir the beef well as the liquid burns off so it’s doesn’t burn. When you can see the veg oil we started off with, add the rinsed pigeon peas, diced carrots and coconut milk. Stir and bring to a boil

It’s now time to wash your rice and add it to the pot. Basically all you have to do is place the rice in a deep bowl, cover with water and massage with your fingers/hands. The water will go cloudy. Drain off that water and repeat that process until the water in the bowl is relatively clear.

Now add the water from the bowl (where the beef was marinated) and bring to a boil (stir). As it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover and allow it to cook until the rice is fully plump and all the liquid is burnt off. Taste for salt near the end and adjust accordingly. I’d recommend leaving the lid on the pot for about 10 minutes after you turn off the stove. Also, you can have the Pelau be grainy (as in this version) or add a bit more water to the pot if you like your pelau a bit more ‘soupy’.

If you have celery or extra parsley, I’d recommend adding a bit (diced fine) after you turn off the stove. Then after the 10 minutes of ‘resting’, stir in.

Serve with a side of coleslaw, Tomato Choka and/or Pepper Choka.. don’t forget a thick slice of Avocado! Remember to cut the pieces of beef small so it’s fork tender when the pelau is done cooking.

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Meat & Poultry

Curry Chicken Pelau.

May 27, 2025April 21, 201612 Comments

We were into hour 5 of the long drive to Connecticut from Toronto to watch the Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors take on the US men’s national team in a world Cup qualifying game. My friend who was the designated driver for the trip, asked if I had ever done a curry chicken pelau. The next hour or so we found ourselves engrossed in the possibility of such a recipe and why we thought it was a delicious idea. Though neither of us had tried it before, in our minds it was doable.This curry chicken pelau is a tribute to that trip and the way we dissected the (possible) recipe.

You’ll Need…

2 boneless/skinless chicken breast (1.5-2 lbs)
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green seasoning
2 scallions (chopped)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 med tomato (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
1/4 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
2 tablespoon curry powder (divided)
2 tablespoon veg oil
1 can coconut milk (abt 1.5 cups)
2 cups water
2 cups parboiled brown rice (washed)
1 can pigeon peas (drained/rinsed)
1 carrot
4 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

* adjust liquid as necessary – since different brands of rice tend to differ in cooking time.

Cube the chicken into 3/4 inch pieces and season with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, black pepper, salt, scallions, Garam Masala, 1/4 of the curry powder, ketchup, scotch bonnet pepper and tomato. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers. Stir well and allow to marinate for a couple hours in the fridge.

Heat the veg oil on a medium flame, then go in with the chopped garlic and onion, turn the heat down to LOW and gently cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the remaining curry powder (heat still on low) and cook for another 4 mins. This will allow us to bring out the flavors of all the spices which make up the curry powder.

Turn the heat up to high now and add the seasoned chicken and stir well… try to pick up all the curry-goodness at the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat to med, cover and let it cook for about 4-5 minutes. It will spring it’s own juices.

Remove the lid and crank up the heat to burn off all that liquid and infuse the chicken pieces with the curry base. Now add the diced carrot and pigeon peas. Stir well.

In the same bowl you marinated the chicken swish around the water to pick up any remaining marinade.. pour into the pot now. Along with the coconut milk. Wash the rice (to remove grit and extra starch), drain and ad it to the pot. To wash the rice you have two options as we’ve discussed before. 1. Place in a bowl, add water and using your hands massage. the water will turn white… drain. repeat until the water runs relatively clear. Option 2. Place in a strainer and run water over the rice.. Massage with your fingers. When the water runs clear, the rice is washed.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, have the lid slightly ajar and cook until tender and all the liquid is gone. About 25 minutes. Here is where you personalize things a bit near the end. I like my pelau a bit grainy so that liquid was enough for the way I wanted it. Add more water if you want it more ‘soggy” (wet pelau) and be sure to taste for salt and adjust accordingly. As I turn the heat off I topped it with the chopped cilantro.

Tip: To avoid having dry pieces of chicken I would recommend using chicken thighs. This is NOT traditional pelau.. had to make that clear as I know this post/recipe will only encourage the ‘hate’ comments. This is a fusion of curry chicken and rice using a technique similar to make chicken pelau… except we didn’t ‘stew’ the chicken as would normally be done. Serve warm!

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Pelau, the first guest invited to every beach lime.

May 27, 2025June 16, 2009162 Comments

I can still recall sitting in our “gallery” (porch) shelling peas as the first crop of pigeon peas was reaped (btw, shelling is the term used to describe removing the peas from the pod). My parents always planted corn and peas every rainy season so we enjoyed fresh peas cooked in many different forms. Stewed, curried, in pelau and as a thickener for some of the amazing soups my mom would make. But my absolute favourite dish with pigeon peas (even to this day) is that wonderful meal-in-a-pot, called pelau.

It was the norm that every trip we made to the beach or any family outing, my mom would cook up a pot of pelau (BTW, “cook up” is also another word for pelau) to take for lunch. Nothing beats taking a swim in the ocean and making your “hungry” way back to the trunk of the car where your mom is getting ready to serve you a plate of still-hot, chicken pelau with a fresh green salad on the side. And how could I forget the hot sauce we would drizzle all over the mound of pelau?

Can you imagine writing a post and your mouth waters from nothing but a memory? Let’s hope I don’t drool all over this keyboard.

I still can’t believe that it took me this long to share this dynamite pelau recipe with you. A special thanks to Caron for reminding me to do so.

You’ll need…

4-5lbs chicken, cut into pieces and washed with lime/lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh/bottled ginger – crushed. (use 1/2 if it’s ginger powder)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
2-3 tablespoon cilantro (or 2 tbs Trinidad green meat seasoning)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 large carrot sliced into “coins”
1 can coconut milk (about a cup)
1 can pigeon peas (also known as congo peas)
3 cups of long grain brown rice (washed)
1 teaspoon golden ray salt butter (optional)

Couple things before we proceed.

* If you can get fresh “shelled” pigeon peas, jump at the chance to use that instead of the canned stuff. nothing beats ‘fresh’.

* The pigeon peas comes as 2 types in the can. You have the green pigeons peas and the congo peas. The congo is the just the same green ones that were left to dry in its pod (while still on the tree), then canned. In the pictures below, you’ll notice that I used the congo variety of peas as it what I had on hand.

Cut and wash the chicken pieces, then season with all the ingredients mentioned above except, the oil, sugar, coconut milk, carrot, rice, water, golden ray and the can of pigeon peas.

seasoning chicken for pelau

Allow the seasoned chicken to marinate for at least 1 hr before you continue. You’re probably shocked by the amount of salt we used during the seasoning process, don’t fear. When we add the other ingredients, the saltiness will balance off nicely.

In a large pot on med to high heat, pour the oil and wait for it to become hot. Then add the brown sugar (same as the stewing process we discussed before), keeping an eye on things (see pictures below) until the sugar goes to a dark frothy brown. Have the bowl of seasoned chicken ready to go.

browning sugar for pelau

pelau recipe

cook pelau

When the sugar gets to this point, quickly start adding the pieces of chicken. Move each piece around so it gets coated in the caramel that you just made. After adding all the chicken, cover the pot and allow to cook on med heat for about 10 minutes. We’re trying to “brown” the meat and also create a nice brown colour so when we add the rice, everything will look and taste amazing. Remember, that a pelau is judged by not only it’s taste, but by it’s appearance as well. Don’t worry, this recipe is fool proof!

brown chicken for pelau

stew chicken for pelau

While everything cooks, open the can of peas and place it in a strainer to wash out the sort of sryup-like liquid it’s packaged in the can with. You’ll also get rid of all that additional sodium that’s included in everything that’s canned. Wash and peel the carrot, then slice into coins. Put both the peas and carrot pieces into the same bowl you seasoned the chicken. Hopefully it will pick up any remaining seasonings that were left back. As the water starts to dry-up (see pic above) add, the peas and carrots to the pot. NOTE: You may have to turn up the heat and remove the lid for the natural juices that were released to cook down.

pigeon peas

ingredients pelau

caribbean pelau

Cover the lid and turn down the heat as you wash the rice. For those of you not familiar with cooking with brown rice as we do in the Caribbean, you may not realize that you must first wash the rice before cooking, to get rid of the gritty taste. Many of you are probably accustomed to using that fast cooking (can’t screw up) Uncle Ben’s version. Not today! It’s a very simple process. Pour the rice into a large bowl and pour water to cover it. Then as if you’re giving the rice a massage, work it with your hand and fingers. Pour out that water (you’ll see how cloudy the water will be) and repeat this process for another couple times.

brown rice

Time to kick back into action. Pour the rice into the pot, then the coconut milk and the three cups of water. Stir everything around and quickly bring back to a boil. Then cover the pot and allow to simmer for about 35 minutes or until all the liquid is gone and the grains of rice is tender and plump. There are 2 ways people like their finished product. Wet or dry and grainy. I love a nice grainy pelau, but I do know my sister makes hers gets my mom to make her’s a bit wet. Test both ways to see how best you like it.

pelau ingredients

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island pelau recipe

trini pelau

Added Flavour!

To add an additional layer of flavor to the dish (not as if it need any more) add a teaspoon of Goldenray salted butter as you turn off the stove. Then mix around and cover the pot for about 5 minutes.

Special Note. My great aunt had this trick where she would get a branch of celery (fresh stuff from her garden – only the leafy part) and chop it really fines and top her pelau with it. STUNNING is the only word I can use to describe this added zing. Though I’ve tried over the years I’m still to recreate that unique taste … maybe it’s because I don’t have that unique celery from the Caribbean.

trinidad pelau

Do let me know your thoughts on this and the many other recipes posted on CaribbeanPot.com in the comment box below. If doing this according to a gluten free diet, do go through all the ingredients to verify they meet with your gluten free dietary needs.

Classic Caribbean Beef Pelau.

Curry Chicken Pelau.

Pelau, the first guest invited to every beach lime.

Hi, I'm Chris.

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