{{Short description|Rice dish of the Caribbean}}{{Infobox food | name = Pelau | image = Trinidadian Chicken Pelau (15399269506).jpg | image_size = | caption = Chicken pelau | alternate_name = | country = West Indies | region = | national_cuisine = Caribbean | creator = | year = | mintime = | maxtime = | type = Rice dish | course = Main | served = Hot | main_ingredient = Rice | minor_ingredient = Meat | variations = Curry pelau | serving_size = | calories = | protein = | fat = | carbohydrate = | glycemic_index = | similar_dish = | other = }} '''Pelau''' is a traditional rice dish from the West Indies. Its main ingredients typically include meat (usually chicken or beef),<ref>{{cite book |last=Ganeshram |first=Ramin |date=2012 |title=Sweet Hands. Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago |location=New York |publisher=Hippocrene Books |page=134 |isbn=978-0-7818-1125-5}}</ref> rice, pigeon peas or cowpeas, coconut milk<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ottier Hart |first=Rachael |date=2021-07-13 |title=The Ultimate Pelau Recipe |url=https://classicbakes.com/recipes/ultimate-pelau-recipe |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=ClassicBakes.com}}</ref> and sugar. Various vegetables and spices may be added. Common spices used in the dish are cardamom, cloves, cumin, and coriander.<ref name="Dainty Dishes for Indian Tables 1881">{{cite book | title=Dainty Dishes for Indian Tables ... | publisher=W. Newman & Company | year=1881 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zsSzhV_Ub90C&pg=PA159 | access-date=2017-08-09 | pages=159–161}}</ref> The meat is caramelised in brown sugar along with onion and garlic and the other ingredients are then added one by one, resulting in a dark brown stew.
An alternative preparation method is to sauté the meat, precook the rice, prepare the dish and bake it in the oven.<ref>{{cite book |date=2002 |title=The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago. Naparima Girls' High School Cookbook |location=San Fernando |publisher=Naparima Girls' High School |page=150 |isbn=976-8173-65-3}}</ref> Side dishes are optional; coleslaw is a typical choice. thumb|left|Pelau Pelau shares its origins with pilaf (from Persian ''pilāw'' {{lang|fa|پلاو}}), a rice dish from Central Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, South Asia, and Spain, home of the original version of paella. Pelau is a Creole dish. When the island was under Spanish colonial rule, Indian indentured servants passed down their version of the dish to African slaves who transformed it.<ref>{{cite web | title=Pelau: The Unofficial, National Dish of Trinidad & Tobago | url=https://www.guardian.co.tt/life/pelau-the-unofficial-national-dish-of-trinidad--tobago-6.2.653616.86e855f11f }}</ref> The caramelisation of the meat goes back to African preparation traditions.<ref>{{cite book |last=DeWitt |first=Dave and Wilan, Mary Jane |date=1993 |title=Callaloo, Calypso & Carnival. The Cuisines of Trinidad & Tobago |url=https://archive.org/details/callaloocalypsoc00dewi/page/60 |location=Freedom |publisher=Crossing Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/callaloocalypsoc00dewi/page/60 60] |isbn=0895946394 |url-access=registration }}</ref> Over time, the basic method of preparing pilaf, the caramelisation of meat and influences of the Trinidadian cuisine (especially with regard to available ingredients) mingled into today's pelau.
==See also== {{portal|Trinidad and Tobago|Food}} * List of rice dishes
== References == {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{cite web | author=Fraser, Mark | title=Making a Trini pelau | date=January 9, 2015 | url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/featured-news/Making-a-Trini--pelau-288110741.html | website=Daily Express | access-date=August 9, 2017}} * {{cite web | last=Donato | first=Al | title=Pelau Is A Trinidadian One-Pot Wonder Dish, Says Chef Roger Mooking | website=HuffPost Canada | date=October 2, 2016 | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/10/02/pelau-roger-mooking_n_12265644.html | access-date=August 9, 2017}}
== External links == * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W37rHJIOriw Video tutorial, part 1] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC_rPfus7Q8 Video tutorial, part 2] * [http://caribbeanpot.com/pelau-the-first-guest-invited-to-every-beach-lime/ Preparation instructions]
Category:Barbadian cuisine Category:Grenadian cuisine Category:Meat and rice dishes Category:Saint Kitts and Nevis cuisine Category:Saint Lucian cuisine Category:Saint Vincent and the Grenadines cuisine Category:Trinidad and Tobago cuisine Category:Indo-Caribbean cuisine Category:Cowpea dishes Category:Pigeon pea dishes