Pelau
Trinidad's one-pot rice: chicken browned in burnt sugar, cooked with pigeon peas, coconut milk, pumpkin and green seasoning.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Rest
- 1 hr
- Total
- 2 hr 15 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Mild
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Pelau starts with sugar caramelised in oil until dark and foaming. Seasoned chicken goes into it and takes on a deep brown colour and a hint of bitterness that defines the dish. Then rice, pigeon peas, coconut milk, pumpkin, carrot and the green seasoning the chicken sat in all go into the same pot and cook until the rice is tender and the bottom has caught slightly. It is brown, savoury, a little sweet, and complete on its own, usually with coleslaw and pepper sauce beside it. The burnt sugar step scares people the first time. Go darker than feels safe and add the chicken the moment the foam turns from gold to brown.
What you'll need
18 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Ingredients
- Green seasoning
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Chicken, bone-in thighs and drumsticks, skin off, chopped through the bone if you like1 kg
- Neutral oil44 ml
- Brown sugar44 ml
- Rice, parboiled or long grain, rinsed450 g
- Pigeon peas, one tin, drained400 g
- Coconut milk400 ml
- Chicken stock, or water500 ml
- Pumpkin, peeled, in 2 cm cubes250 g
- Carrot, diced1 large
- Scotch bonnet, whole, stem on1
- Black pepper2½ ml
Green seasoning
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Blend the green seasoning ingredients to a rough paste. Mix with the chicken and leave at least 1 hour, or overnight.
10 min
Step 2
Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the sugar and leave it. It will melt, bubble, go gold, then foam and turn deep brown. The moment the foam darkens, add the chicken and stir to coat.
5 min
Watch: Stand back when the chicken goes in; the sugar spits. If the sugar smokes black before the chicken is in, start again. Bitter is wrong.
Step 3
Brown the chicken in the sugar 8 to 10 minutes, scraping up any marinade. Add the rice and pigeon peas and stir 2 minutes to coat.
12 min
Step 4
Add the coconut milk, stock, pumpkin, carrot, pepper and the whole scotch bonnet. Bring to a boil, taste the liquid for salt, then lower the heat, cover tightly and cook 25 to 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed.
30 min
Tip: Keep the scotch bonnet whole for flavour without heat. If it bursts, you will know.
Step 5
Rest 10 minutes off the heat, lid on. Remove the pepper, fluff from the bottom, and serve with coleslaw, sliced avocado and pepper sauce.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 714 kcal
- Protein
- 62 g
- Carbs
- 55.2 g
- Fat
- 27.1 g
- Saturated fat
- 15.2 g
- Fibre
- 7.9 g
- Sugar
- 13.5 g
- Sodium
- 1120 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Pigeon peas → Black-eyed peas or kidney beans
Both are used in Trinidad when gandules are short.
Tips
- Parboiled rice is what most Trinidadian cooks use because it stays separate. Long grain works; rinse it well.
- The bottom is meant to catch a little. The brown crust, called bun-bun, is a prize.
- Beef pelau with stewing beef is just as traditional. Brown it the same way and add 30 minutes of simmering before the rice.
History & culture
Pelau is the Trinidadian dish for a river lime, a beach day, a cricket match or anything involving a big pot and a car boot. It travels and tastes fine at room temperature. It is also Sunday lunch and the thing you cook when you do not know how many people are coming. Both Indo- and Afro-Trinidadian households claim it as their own.
The name and the one-pot rice method come from Indian pulao, brought by indentured labourers after 1845. The browning in burnt sugar is West African, shared with stewed chicken across the English-speaking Caribbean. Coconut milk and pigeon peas are island staples. The dish as cooked today is a true creole product with no single origin.
Traditional — Many Trinidadian cooks add a spoon of ketchup and a dash of browning sauce for colour. Here the colour comes from the sugar alone; take it dark.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Pelau take?
2 hr 15 min all in — 25 min prep, 50 min cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Mild.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Gluten-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What equipment do I need?
Dutch oven, Chef's knife, Blender.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.
How much brown sugar?
3 tbsp of Brown sugar.
What can I use instead?
Pigeon peas → Black-eyed peas or kidney beans. Both are used in Trinidad when gandules are short.
What should I watch for?
Stand back when the chicken goes in; the sugar spits. If the sugar smokes black before the chicken is in, start again. Bitter is wrong.
Any tips from this recipe?
Parboiled rice is what most Trinidadian cooks use because it stays separate. Long grain works; rinse it well. The bottom is meant to catch a little. The brown crust, called bun-bun, is a prize. Beef pelau with stewing beef is just as traditional. Brown it the same way and add 30 minutes of simmering before the rice.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Blend the green seasoning ingredients to a rough paste. Mix with the chicken and leave at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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