Pelau

Story

Pelau is a creole synthesis of at least three culinary traditions. Its structure descends from Persian pilaf, which travelled through South Asia and arrived in Trinidad with Indian indentured labourers in the nineteenth century. Crucially, the dish was transformed by an African technique: enslaved Africans contributed the practice of caramelising sugar before adding meat, a step that gives pelau its distinctive dark colour and deep, bitter-sweet base note, and that has no parallel in South Asian pilaf. As food writer Ramin Ganeshram notes in her cookbook Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago, the addition of ketchup as a later New World twist, possibly inspired by British-Indian tomato chutneys, completed its Trinidadian identity.

Ingredients

• For the chicken marinade:
• 1kg chicken thighs and drumsticks, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons green seasoning (blended culantro, garlic, spring onion and herbs)
• For the pelau:
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 3 pimento peppers (or 1/2 green bell pepper), diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 400g can green pigeon peas, drained and rinsed
• 150g butternut squash or pumpkin, cut into 3cm chunks
• 400g long-grain or parboiled rice, rinsed until water runs clear
• 400ml coconut milk
• 500ml chicken stock or water
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (left whole, do not pierce)
• Salt to taste
• To finish:
• 30g unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh culantro (shadow beni) or coriander, finely chopped

Method

• 1. Marinate the chicken: combine the chicken pieces with the salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and green seasoning. Mix well to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• 2. Caramelise the sugar: place a large, heavy-based pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the brown sugar in an even layer. Leave it to melt without stirring, watching closely, until it turns a deep amber brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. This browning step is the heart of the dish.
• 3. Add the oil to the caramelised sugar, then immediately add the marinated chicken pieces. Stir to coat each piece in the dark caramel. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is browned on all sides.
• 4. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, pimento peppers and ketchup to the pot. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the aromatics soften.
• 5. Add the thyme, bay leaves, pigeon peas and squash. Stir to combine, cooking for a further 2 minutes.
• 6. Add the rinsed rice and stir until every grain is coated in the spiced caramel base.
• 7. Pour in the coconut milk and stock. Drop in the whole scotch bonnet pepper, pushing it to the surface so it does not burst. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover tightly.
• 8. Cook for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes to prevent the bottom scorching, until the rice is cooked and has absorbed all the liquid. Add a splash more water if needed. Remove the scotch bonnet and bay leaves. Discard.
• 9. Stir in the butter and chopped culantro. Taste and adjust salt. Serve hot from the pot.

Common questions