Name: Chicken Pelau
Yield: Serves: 6
Ingredients: ½ cup ketchup; 1 small onion, chopped; 1 cup dried pigeon peas, pinto beans, or black-eyed peas, or 1 (12-ounce) can; 1 sprig thyme; 1 bay leaf; ¾ cup sugar (white or brown); 2 carrots, peeled and chopped; 1 cup coconut milk; 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; 1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed; 5 scallions, chopped (white and green parts); 1 tablespoon butter; 2 cups long-grain rice; 2 cups cubed fresh calabaza or butternut squash; 3 tablespoons canola oil; 2 teaspoons green seasoning; 1 small whole Scotch bonnet pepper or other hot red chili pepper; ½ cup chopped parsley

Preparation info

Serves:
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Sweet Hands

By Ramin Ganeshram

Published 2018

About

Pelau is one of those dishes that really exemplifies Trinidadian cuisine because it is an admixture of various cooking styles. Pelau (rice layered with meats and vegetables) is a variation of East Indian pilau, which originated in Persia where it is called polow. The Anglicized version of the dish is called pilaf. The process of browning meat in sugar for pelau is an African tradition and ketchup is a New World addition, although I suspect it has it