Pelau........The Opus of the Pigeon Pea !

Pilaf (for an extended list of local names, see Other names) is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth (zirvak).^[1] In some cases, the rice may also attain its brown color by being stirred with bits of burned onion, as well as a large mix of spices. The English term pilaf is borrowed directly from Turkish, pilav, which in turn comes from (Classical) Persian پلو, Bangla polaao (পোলাও), Urdu pulao (پلاؤ) and Hindi pulav(पुलाव), and ultimately derives from Sanskrit pulak (पुलाक).^[2] Depending on the local cuisine, it may also contain a variety of meat andvegetables.

Pilaf and similar dishes are common to Middle Eastern, Central and South Asian, East African, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines.

Pelau: A dish of rice and peas cooked in a broth of meat,vegetables, spices and coconut milk which is extremely yummy and is probably the most veritable and versatile dish in Trini cookery!

Our friend Ylena told me that Plov as she calls it is also a popular dish in her native Khazakstan and the Paella of our Latin American neighbours is made in a similar way. The Indian version is known as Biryani and the West Africans call it Jollof Rice.

Pelau (pronounced Pay-Lao) is a Trini variation of what the world knows as "Pilaf" but what the world doesn't know is that Pelau is perhaps the most delicious version of the dish which incorporates "Pigeon Peas" also sold as "Gungo Peas" or "Toor Dal" but red kidney beans, black beans or even pinto beans may be substituted.

Perhaps pelau's greatest virtue, is that it is a one pot dish ( a big one though) and can be taken along to the cricket game or the beach just as easily and can feed the masses, but takes just one hour to produce from start to finish.

There is no wrong time to " eat ah 'Lao' " and in my opinion, it tastes even better the next day!

Pelau can be made with any type of meat (including cured salted pig tails or even fish) but the most popular versions are made with chicken or beef (or both together).

I will use chicken in this recipe as it cooks more quickly than beef but beef can easily be substituted in this recipe with a bit more stewing time.

My sons enjoy helping me prepare this dish and I'm pretty sure they can make it themselves by now..............hint hint boyos!

For a pelau to feed 10-12 people, you will need these ingredients:

One 5 lb chicken cut up into about 30 small pieces (or 4lbs of nicely marbled beef) seasoned with salt garlic purée and green seasoning purée

3-4 cups of long grained par-boiled rice

2 Tins of Pigeon Peas rinsed and strained

4 large Carrots peeled and diced

12 young Ochroes (okra)

1 lb of pumpkin peeled and chopped

Green seasonings chopped fine (chives, thyme and young celery etc)

One large onion minced

One medium head of garlic minced

6 Cups of hot water

1 cup of coconut milk (from powder is fine)

I large knob of salted butter

4-5 tbsp of brown sugar

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt and Black pepper

One hot pepper

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil and add the brown sugar. When the sugar 'melts' and begins to bubble but not burn, add the chicken pieces and allow them to caramelize stirring occasionally. After about 10 minutes, add the peas, carrots and minced onion and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Next we add the washed rice,the hot water, the coconut milk, the pumpkin and the okra. Float the hot pepper and bring the pot to a boil and then lower heat to simmer. Add the fresh chives, celery and butter taking care not to burst the pepper. Cover the pot and cook until the rice is tender.

Taa daaa!