Pelau

About This Recipe

Pelau is a beloved one-pot dish found across the Eastern Caribbean. In St. Kitts, chicken is browned in burnt sugar caramel, then cooked down with pigeon peas, coconut milk, and seasoned rice until each grain is infused with deep, smoky-sweet flavour. It is the centrepiece of cricket matches, parties, and Sunday gatherings.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 800 gchicken pieces, bone-in
• 2 cupsparboiled rice
• 1 canpigeon peas (400g), drained
• 200 mlcoconut milk
• 2 tbspbrown sugar
• 1 tbspgreen seasoning

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate chicken

   Rub chicken with green seasoning, salt, and pepper. Marinate 30 minutes if time allows.

2. 2

   Burn sugar

   Heat brown sugar in a heavy pot over medium heat until it turns dark amber. Add chicken and stir to coat, browning 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add peas and liquid

   Add pigeon peas, coconut milk, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil.

4. 4

   Cook rice

   Stir in rice, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook 25 minutes until rice is fluffy and liquid absorbed.

5. 5

   Rest and serve

   Let the pelau rest off heat for 5 minutes before fluffing and serving.

Variations

• •

  Use beef or pork instead of chicken.

• •

  Add pumpkin chunks for extra sweetness and colour.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Add a splash of water when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions