About this Dish
Trinidad's one-pot rice dish — chicken or beef caramelised in burnt sugar, then cooked with pigeon peas, coconut milk, pumpkin and herbs into a complete meal of extraordinary depth. The caramelisation in burnt sugar gives pelau its distinctive dark colour and slightly bitter-sweet flavour that no other technique achieves. A Sunday family dish across Trinidad.
IngredientsServes 6
🍗Chicken thighs and drumsticks, 1.2kg, skin-on
🟫Brown sugar, 3 tablespoons
🥥Coconut milk, 400ml tin
🫘Pigeon peas (gungo peas), 400g tin, drained
🎃Pumpkin or butternut squash, 200g, peeled and cubed
🌿Fresh thyme, 4 sprigs, plus 2 tablespoons green seasoning (blended chadon beni, garlic, and chives)
🧅Yellow onion, 1 large, finely chopped
🌶️Scotch bonnet pepper, 1 whole (do not pierce)
🍚Parboiled long-grain rice, 2 cups, rinsed
🧂Salt and black pepper, to taste, plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Method
1
Marinate the chicken in the green seasoning, soy sauce, salt, and black pepper for at least 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge for best results.2
Heat a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch pot over medium-high heat and add the brown sugar with a tiny splash of oil. Let it melt without stirring until it turns deep amber and begins to smoke slightly — this is the burnt sugar caramel that gives pelau its soul. Work fast but carefully, as it will be very hot.3
Add the marinated chicken pieces directly into the dark caramel and toss well to coat, letting them brown and caramelise on all sides for about 5–7 minutes. The chicken will look deeply golden-brown and sticky.4
Add the chopped onion and thyme sprigs, stir for 2 minutes, then pour in the coconut milk and enough water to just cover the chicken (roughly 1.5 cups). Drop in the whole scotch bonnet pepper without breaking it — it perfumes the dish without making it fiery.5
Stir in the drained pigeon peas and pumpkin cubes, bring everything to a boil, then add the rinsed rice and stir once to combine. Taste the liquid and adjust salt if needed.6
Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly with a lid, and cook for 25–30 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is tender. Resist lifting the lid too often — the steam does the work. The pumpkin will dissolve into the rice, thickening and sweetening everything beautifully.7
Remove the scotch bonnet and thyme stalks, fluff the pelau gently, and serve straight from the pot with coleslaw and a cold drink — just like a Trini Sunday.User Reviews
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