The call went out via the Facebook Fan Page a couple days back and within seconds I had a delicious sounding recipe, rearing to go for Jamaican style pepper shrimp. Last Spring after we came back from of Jamaican trek, one of the first questions I got asked was “did you try any pepper shrimp?” Must have been all the Guinness, but I still can’t remember coming across pepper shrimp while on the island. However, speaking with our friends who we traveled with, they assured me that several times we were approached by ladies selling them in little plastic bags on the side of the road. The home of pepper shrimp in Jamaica is “Middle Quarters” (Saint Elizabeth Parish) and though their method of preparing them is a bit different that what I’m about to share with you, Christine who sent me this recipe assures me that this recipe will rival any found on the island.

You’ll Need…

1 lb shrimp (I believe they were 30/40)
1 habanero pepper (or any hot pepper you like)
2 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoon parsley
4 cloves garlic

Note: Traditionally parsley and paprika are not used in this dish, however I love the brightness the parsley brings and the sort of smokey undertones from the paprika is a good addition. In true Jamaican fashion, I’m sure a dash of pimento (allspice) would be a good inclusion as well. In the video for this recipe I mentioned that I used 1/2 teaspoon salt, but I felt I had to adjust that to 3/4 teaspoon after tasting the finished dish. You’ll also notice that I used a habanero pepper, but in the Caribbean scotch bonnets are the peppers of choice.

You’ll notice that I used whole shrimp, with the head still attached and in it’s sort of shell. This is the way it’s traditionally done in Jamaica, plus I love the sweetness of the shrimp when it’s cooked this way. The shrimp steams in it’s own shell and this process seems to heighten the rich flavor of the overall dish. I hate seeing the legs and antennae sort of thing, so using my kitchen scissors I trimmed those out. I then gave the now trimmed shrimp a good rinse and allowed them to drain.

TIP: When handling the shrimp and/or the hot pepper you may want to wear gloves.

Next up I gave the garlic and pepper a very fine dice, as I didn’t want to get big pieces of pepper or garlic when eating. To control the heat, you can certainly remove the seeds from the pepper and discard. The seeds and white membrane surrounding the seeds is where most of the heat is.

Heat a pan on med/high heat (no oil necessary as we’ll be sort of scalding the shrimp), then add the shrimp and give it a good stir. Now add the garlic, pepper, salt and paprika and stir well to coat everything.

As the shrimp cooks (remember to keep stirring) you’ll notice the color will go to a bright sort of orange color. You can place a lid on the pot for about a minute or two if you’d like. After 3 minutes you can add the lemon juice. This bit of liquid will help release some of the garlic and pepper which by now is probably sticking to the bottom of the pan. The shrimp will also let out it’s own juices, so there’s no need for any other liquid. Try not to overcook the shrimp or you’ll risk them going rubbery. Within 7 minutes or so and my shrimp were done.

Top with the chopped parsley, give it a final stir and get ready to serve.

This a wonderful spicy snack that’s great when having some drinks with friends, or as in my case… reminiscing about a great Jamaican vacation. Remember to check out the ladies in Middle Quarters when you visit Jamaica next and tell them Chris @ CaribbeanPot.com said to look them up for the best pepper shrimp on the island.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

The Ultimate Jerk Pork Recipe.

May 27, 2025June 13, 2011179 Comments

jamaican jerk pork (8)

Today we’ll induct yet another dish into the series “The Ultimate” (keyword search ‘ultimate’ in the search box – top right of this page for more recipes in the series). This time we’re doing one of those classic Jamaican dishes… Jerk Pork. The first time I made this dish was about 5 years ago when our friends were getting married and they were having the stag / doe and asked for us to bring along a dish. Since then, we’ve only heard good things from the many guests who were there that night. This weekend being Tehya’s birthday and knowing that my mom is a fan of jerk pork, I thought it would be perfect for the bbq we were having.

If you read the piece I did titled Jamaica One Plate At A Time, you’ll know that I went in hunt of the perfect jerk while we were in Jamaica and found (more like stumbled.. stretch our legs and use the bathroom) a spot called “Supreme Jerk Center” on our way to Negril from Montego Bay. The fella doing the jerk had some skills. Not only was the pork perfectly cooked over the open coals, but we could tell that he allowed the meat to marinate for quite some time. As the pork was infused with that authentic jerk flavor and the smoky taste from the pimento wood was divine. Though I don’t have the use of the open coals, I’m positive that my jerk pork could easily rival his.

For this recipe you’ll need to refer to the jerk marinade recipe I shared with you a few months ago or see below for quick instructions. If you don’t feel like making your own marinade, check out the selection of Jamaican Jerk Marinade and BBQ Sauces you can purchase.

You’ll Need…

Jerk Marinade

5 scallions (green onions)
5 sprigs of fresh thyme (about 1 tablespoon chopped)
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 scotch bonnet peppers
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 onion
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger

* Basically all you have to do is give everything a rough chop and place in a food processor or blender as I did and pulse until you get a smooth consistency.

Then you’ll need…

1 boneless pork loin (about 7-8lbs)
2 cups of the jerk marinade

Let’s get started. Give the pork loin a good rinse under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Then place the pork in a large dish/pan and using a pairing knife, make some stabs into the meat (about 1 inch deep). This will help in the marinating process. This step will get a bit messy, so using gloves may come in handy. Remember we used scotch bonnet peppers in the marinade so you may find that your bare hands may catch on fire! Pour 1 cup of the jerk marinade over the pork loin, then using your hands, massage and work it well. You can certainly bush the marinade on, but I much prefer to work this with my hands. Now cover and leave to marinate for at least 5 hours in the fridge.

jerk pork recipe

jamaican jerk pork (2)

Take the pork out of the fridge about 25 minutes before you start to grill, to allow it to come back to room temperature. I’m using a gas grill to cook this but if you have a wood or coal burning grill, do your thing. Basically you want to bring the temperature of the grill to about 300 degrees and brush the grate with some vegetable oil. All you do is take tongs, grab a piece of paper towel and dip it into a bowl with vegetable oil an brush the grill.

The goal is to slow cook this so you have 2 options. Grill on the top level grill or sort of warming rack (as I did) or grill with indirect heat. The flame would be on one corner of the grill surface and the meat on the other. This way you don’t get direct contact with the meat and flame/heat.

Basically all you’re doing for the next 2.5 to 3 hours is basting every 20 minutes and turning over when you do, so the meat cook evenly. When you removed the pork loin from marinating, do save the left over marinade and add a further cup, to use for basting during the cooking process.

jamaican jerk pork (3)

jamaican jerk pork (4)

jamaican jerk pork (5)

jamaican jerk pork (6)

jamaican jerk pork (7)

jamaican jerk pork (8)

When I purchased my pork loin I looked for a piece with a thin layer of fat. This allows the meat to basically self-baste while cooking… so you don’t get an overly dry finished dish as the loin is usually very lean. Remember to try to maintain the 300 degrees, keep the lid on the grill closed and brush on marinade every 20 minutes or so. You will notice that it will start going dark and have a sort of burned look, but this natural. It’s just all the sugars doing it’s caramelizing thing. Good jerk is supposed to have that sort of colour… but remember – no direct heat or it will become burnt!

jamaican jerk pork

Do allow this to rest a bit before slicing, so some of the natural juices are allowed relax the jerked pork loin. We had over 25 people here and I still had enough to pack a doggie bag for my parents when they left. But we did have many others dishes as well. Conservatively, this is enough for about 10-15 people as a main meat side..

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a gluten free soy sauce to meet with your gluten free dietary needs when doing this jerk pork recipe.

— Winner Wanted!—

It’s that time again – we’re giving away the following book (see below) to one lucky person for the month of June. All you have to do is leave me a comment in the comments section below (please say something about this recipe) and your name will be automatically entered to win this amazing book on organic gardening and cooking with herbs, vegetables and fruits.

cookbook giveaway

Yea! Not your typical Caribbean book, but a wonderful way to learn about organic gardening and cooking. Focusing on plants that are easy to grow, Adam Caplin takes an illuminating new look at the delights and challenges of cultivating edibles, showing how they can be grown – on their own in beds and containers, in mixed borders, and decoratively with flowers – for their ornamental as well as their nutritional value. Celia Brooks Brown presents 35 mouthwatering vegetarian recipes – for soups and starters, main courses, salads and light dishes, salsas and chutneys, and sweet things. This book features glorious photography by Caroline Hughes and William Shaw.

There are two bonus ways you can have your name entered in the contest, giving you 3 chances at winning. Along with leaving a comment below, go to the Facebook fan page and/or the Youtube cooking channel and leave a comment there. I don’t care what your comment is, but it would be nice if you could tell me what you like about Caribbean food and if the recipes I share are helpful.

Here are the rules pertaining to winning the copy of “New Kitchen Garden”…

– contest is open to everyone globally

– there are 3 ways to enter your name (see above)

– 1 winner will be chosen at random (if you left 3 comments, your name will be entered 3 times)

– contest is open from June 13 – to midnight June 30.

– winner will be announced within 1 week of the official close date.

– the winner will have 1 week to contact us with mailing address

– we will cover all shipping expenses (standard mail)

I hope you take a moment to enter your name as I’d really like to mail this book out to you. It’s simple, free and a great way to experiment with some organic gardening and cooking. Good luck to everyone who enters.

—————————————————————————————->

Oye! before you go… Remember you can watch the cooking videos on the recipe channel and we’d love to interact with you on our Facebook fan page. There’s a few thousand of us already causing commesse on there… so do check it out.

Gluten Free Vegetarian

A Classic Vegetarian Curry Cabbage Recipe.

November 9, 2014March 14, 2011100 Comments

Yet again, this is one of those dishes that our mom couldn’t even beg us to eat as kids. There were two ways we would ever be convinced to eat cabbage (except for in chow mein) and they both included adding meat of some sort. First there’s the corned beef with cabbage and left over stew pork with cabbage. Our dad tried in vain to convince us to eat cabbage when my mom would add bits of salted cod fish to it -nah! However, this curry cabbage dish I’m about to share is superb when you add the same salted cod bits my dad would salivate over.

You’ll Need…

1/4 large cabbage (about 4 cups when shredded)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable)
1 medium onion sliced (divided)
2 cloves garlic sliced thin
1 teaspoon curry powder (your fav)
1/4 hot pepper ( I used habanero)
4 tablespoon water
* 1 tomato sliced to add some color/contrast – optional

Note: be mindful that some curry powders use flour as a filler, so keep that in mind when doing this recipe according to a gluten free diet.

Start by shredding the cabbage as you would for coleslaw, but a little thicker. Give it a quick rinse under cool water and shake off as much of the water as you can. Now heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, then add half of the sliced onion and the hot pepper. Allow that to cook for a couple minutes, then add the curry powder and stir around. This should cook for another 2-3 minutes before you add the 4 tablespoons of water. The idea is to cook the curry powder to release it’s aroma, then make a quick paste. I’ve seen my mom add the water to the curry powder in a bowl first to make a thick paste before adding to the heated oil… but I much prefer my method (don’t tell her). BTW, I used a curry power blend from Trinidad and Tobago, as I much prefer the Caribbean style blends.

trinidad curry cabbage recipe

trinidad curry cabbage recipe (2)

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trinidad curry cabbage recipe (4)

trinidad curry cabbage recipe (5)

trinidad curry cabbage recipe (6)

Cook off all the water we added to make the curry paste, until you start seeing that it’s dark and grainy. This is when you add the shredded cabbage, the sliced garlic, the other half of the onion and salt. Give it a good stir and turn the heat down to low. Cook with the pot uncovered or risk having the cabbage spring a lot of liquid and get soupy.

trinidad curry cabbage recipe (7)

trinidad curry cabbage recipe (8)

trinidad curry cabbage recipe (9)

I usually cook this for about 20-25 minutes as I like the cabbage to have a slight crunch to it, however you can cook it a little longer if you wish. The last 5 minutes is when you would add the slices of tomato if you’d like to give it a bit of contrast. Remember to taste for salt as we well know that everyone salt preference is different. Enjoy!

trinidad curry cabbage recipe (12)

trinidad curry cabbage recipe (11)

This curry cabbage goes well with both rice and/or roti (buss up shut, Sada roti, fry bake) and should be enough for at least four people. Before you go I’d love for you to leave me a comment below (even if it’s just to say hello – it’s appreciated) and don’t forget to join our chat on Facebook and tune into the cooking videos. Check on the upper right side of this page to access those areas I mentioned.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Curry Beef or Beef Curry?

February 2, 2021October 8, 200948 Comments

I do apologize for being an absent chef the past couple weeks. As mentioned in my last post we were off to Trinidad and Tobago for my sister’s wedding and for a short vacation. And though I had all intention to cook and blog while we were there, there was so much to see and do that I got side tracked. Plus, the MAC computer I had access to, didn’t allow for me to upload my pics via a card reader and I totally forgot to pack my firewire to connect the camera directly.

Curry beef is not something we grew up on, actually the first time I ever tasted curry beef was when I lived with my aunt after first moving to Canada. To date I can probably count the number of times I’ve had curry beef. Not as if I don’t like it, it’s just that I grew up with a taste for stew beef. Looks like I may have to cook this more often as both Indy and Tehya both enjoyed dinner tonight.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 lbs cubed beef
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon roasted Geera (powder)
2 table spoon curry powder (madras)
1 onion separated (1/2s) – diced
2-3 cloves of garlic – crushed/chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
2 cups water
1 tomato diced
1 tablespoon green seasoning
2 leaves of shado beni (shandon beni)
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/4 hot pepper (I use habanero) Don’t include seeds if you’re afraid of some heat.
1 lime or lemon (juice) to wash the cubed beef before seasoning

Tip: If you don’t have the green seasoning, simply use 1 scallion chopped, a pimento pepper if you have access to one, 1 table spoon thyme, 1 table spoon celery chopped fine, 2 tablespoons cilantro. NOTE: If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to read the label of the curry powder you plan on using to ensure it meets with your specific gluten free diet. Some curry powder contains flour as a filler.

Start by cutting the beef into 1 inch cubes and then pour the lime or lemon juice over it and rinse with running water. Squeeze off all excess water then season with the… tomato, salt, black pepper, green seasoning, 1/2 of the onion, ketchup, shando beni and roasted geera. Stir well and allow to marinate for about 1 hour.

cubed beef for curry

trini beef curry

curry beef

In a heavy pot, heat the oil on medium to high heat (in the pic I’m using the new iron pot I purchased on my trip.. notice how shiny it is?), then add the remaining onion, garlic and pieces of hot pepper. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes. In the meantime, in a small bowl put the curry powder and add 2 table spoons of water. Stir to form a paste. Then add this paste to the semi cooked onion / garlic and allow this to cook for a few minutes.

guyana beef curry

how to curry beef

caribbean curry recipe

trini curry beef

Now that the curry is cooked a bit, start adding the seasoned pieces of beef and give it a good stir. Bring it to a boil, then cover and turn down the heat to low. You will notice that a lot of natural liquid will form. That’s ok, we’ll use those wonderful juices in the first step of cooking. After you’ve emptied the bowl with the seasoned beef, pour in the 2 cups of water into it and try to pick up all the remaining bits of seasoning… we’ll use this later on.

spicy curry beef recipe

beef curry

Allow this to cook for about 25 minutes covered, then remove the cover and turn the heat back up to high. we want to burn off all the liquid that was released. Stir so it doesn’t burn and when you can see the pot’s bottom dry, add the 2 cups of water we prepared earlier in the bowl that had the seasoned beef. Stir, bring to a boil and reduce the heat back to low. I like my curry beef very tender, so I usually allow it to cook for about another 40 minutes or so.

trinidad curry beef

beef curry sauce

After the 40 minutes or so feel free to check for salt (you may need to add more if you like a lot of salt) and bring the gravy to a thickness you like. if you find that it’s still a bit runny, turn up the heat to allow it to thicken. TIP. If you’d like you can add a couple cubed potatoes the final 25 minutes, but you may need to add a little more salt. Makes for a great curry potato and beef, the kind you’d find when you purchase a beef roti.

caribbean curry beef recipe

curry beef with rice

There you go, a simple and tasty curry beef that’s great on rice or as a side for roti… or to enjoyed as you please. Remember to leave me your comments below.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Cabbage with Corned Beef (bully beef) Recipe.

November 13, 2014July 27, 200964 Comments

trinidad corned beef and cabbage This one can also be archived within the “bache” or bachelor food section. When you grow up on the islands at one point or the other you’ve had corned beef than comes in the can and not the sliced stuff you get at the deli in north America, on your rye bread. We’ve reinvented the use of canned corned beef with the many ways we’ve now perfected at preparing something so simple. It had been a couple decades since I last had corned beef prepared with cabbage and to be quite honest I almost forgot about this preparation method. We were visiting my parents when they mentioned that they had this for dinner a few nights ago… a rush of memories came flooding back to me and I promised myself that this would be on my menu the coming weekend.

Not to be confused with the stuff you get on St Paddy’s day, this one is straight out of a can (bully beef in the UK) and very simple to prepare.

* Tip. Please don’t settle for the cheap canned corned beef. That stuff is usually very “mush” like in texture, loaded with salt and you’ll also notice that a lot of fat is included in it.

You’ll need…

2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 of a hot pepper (your choice)
dash black pepper
1 can corned beef
1 onion diced
1 teaspoon oil

Start by shredding the cabbage, then peel and dice the onion (separate the onion in 2 portions). In a pan heat the oil, then add 1/2 of the onion that you diced and allow to cook until the onion is soft and translucent. At this point you can start adding the shredded cabbage. Keep the heat at med-high and don’t cover the pan or risk the entire thing going soggy by the liquid that will be released.

Add the rest of the onion and slices of hot pepper. I used a “young” habanero pepper, but you can add your favourite pepper (or none .. your choice). The next step is to add the black pepper and keep stirring the lot so nothing sticks or burn.

corned beef and cabbage recipe

corned beef and cabbage

trinidad corned beef and cabbage recipe

Allow this to cook for about 8 minutes (or until the cabbage is almost tender), then add the can of corned beef. Break up the beef and stir while cooking for another 5 minutes or so.

cook corned beef and cabbage

caribbean corned beef and cabbage

corned beef and cabbage trinidad recipe

how to cook corned beef and cabbage

The amount of cabbage you use is entirely up to you, but 2 cups is a good starting point. When we were kids there were 6 of us in total that had to eat from 1 can or corned beef, so a lot more cabbage was added, but it still tasted the same.

If you notice I didn’t add any salt to this recipe, this is because all canned corned beef comes packaged with a ton of salt and too much of anything is never good.

Serve on a steaming bed of brown rice with a couple slices of avocado, with roti or fry bake, on buns like a sloppy joe or as a normal side dish as you would on your dinner table. BTW you can also pile bite-sized amounts on a cracker as a light snack. Be sure to leave me your comments below.

trinidad corned beef and cabbage

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Pelau, the first guest invited to every beach lime.

May 27, 2025June 16, 2009162 Comments

I can still recall sitting in our “gallery” (porch) shelling peas as the first crop of pigeon peas was reaped (btw, shelling is the term used to describe removing the peas from the pod). My parents always planted corn and peas every rainy season so we enjoyed fresh peas cooked in many different forms. Stewed, curried, in pelau and as a thickener for some of the amazing soups my mom would make. But my absolute favourite dish with pigeon peas (even to this day) is that wonderful meal-in-a-pot, called pelau.

It was the norm that every trip we made to the beach or any family outing, my mom would cook up a pot of pelau (BTW, “cook up” is also another word for pelau) to take for lunch. Nothing beats taking a swim in the ocean and making your “hungry” way back to the trunk of the car where your mom is getting ready to serve you a plate of still-hot, chicken pelau with a fresh green salad on the side. And how could I forget the hot sauce we would drizzle all over the mound of pelau?

Can you imagine writing a post and your mouth waters from nothing but a memory? Let’s hope I don’t drool all over this keyboard.

I still can’t believe that it took me this long to share this dynamite pelau recipe with you. A special thanks to Caron for reminding me to do so.

You’ll need…

4-5lbs chicken, cut into pieces and washed with lime/lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh/bottled ginger – crushed. (use 1/2 if it’s ginger powder)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
2-3 tablespoon cilantro (or 2 tbs Trinidad green meat seasoning)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 large carrot sliced into “coins”
1 can coconut milk (about a cup)
1 can pigeon peas (also known as congo peas)
3 cups of long grain brown rice (washed)
1 teaspoon golden ray salt butter (optional)

Couple things before we proceed.

* If you can get fresh “shelled” pigeon peas, jump at the chance to use that instead of the canned stuff. nothing beats ‘fresh’.

* The pigeon peas comes as 2 types in the can. You have the green pigeons peas and the congo peas. The congo is the just the same green ones that were left to dry in its pod (while still on the tree), then canned. In the pictures below, you’ll notice that I used the congo variety of peas as it what I had on hand.

Cut and wash the chicken pieces, then season with all the ingredients mentioned above except, the oil, sugar, coconut milk, carrot, rice, water, golden ray and the can of pigeon peas.

seasoning chicken for pelau

Allow the seasoned chicken to marinate for at least 1 hr before you continue. You’re probably shocked by the amount of salt we used during the seasoning process, don’t fear. When we add the other ingredients, the saltiness will balance off nicely.

In a large pot on med to high heat, pour the oil and wait for it to become hot. Then add the brown sugar (same as the stewing process we discussed before), keeping an eye on things (see pictures below) until the sugar goes to a dark frothy brown. Have the bowl of seasoned chicken ready to go.

browning sugar for pelau

pelau recipe

cook pelau

When the sugar gets to this point, quickly start adding the pieces of chicken. Move each piece around so it gets coated in the caramel that you just made. After adding all the chicken, cover the pot and allow to cook on med heat for about 10 minutes. We’re trying to “brown” the meat and also create a nice brown colour so when we add the rice, everything will look and taste amazing. Remember, that a pelau is judged by not only it’s taste, but by it’s appearance as well. Don’t worry, this recipe is fool proof!

brown chicken for pelau

stew chicken for pelau

While everything cooks, open the can of peas and place it in a strainer to wash out the sort of sryup-like liquid it’s packaged in the can with. You’ll also get rid of all that additional sodium that’s included in everything that’s canned. Wash and peel the carrot, then slice into coins. Put both the peas and carrot pieces into the same bowl you seasoned the chicken. Hopefully it will pick up any remaining seasonings that were left back. As the water starts to dry-up (see pic above) add, the peas and carrots to the pot. NOTE: You may have to turn up the heat and remove the lid for the natural juices that were released to cook down.

pigeon peas

ingredients pelau

caribbean pelau

Cover the lid and turn down the heat as you wash the rice. For those of you not familiar with cooking with brown rice as we do in the Caribbean, you may not realize that you must first wash the rice before cooking, to get rid of the gritty taste. Many of you are probably accustomed to using that fast cooking (can’t screw up) Uncle Ben’s version. Not today! It’s a very simple process. Pour the rice into a large bowl and pour water to cover it. Then as if you’re giving the rice a massage, work it with your hand and fingers. Pour out that water (you’ll see how cloudy the water will be) and repeat this process for another couple times.

brown rice

Time to kick back into action. Pour the rice into the pot, then the coconut milk and the three cups of water. Stir everything around and quickly bring back to a boil. Then cover the pot and allow to simmer for about 35 minutes or until all the liquid is gone and the grains of rice is tender and plump. There are 2 ways people like their finished product. Wet or dry and grainy. I love a nice grainy pelau, but I do know my sister makes hers gets my mom to make her’s a bit wet. Test both ways to see how best you like it.

pelau ingredients

phpT5kifyPM

island pelau recipe

trini pelau

Added Flavour!

To add an additional layer of flavor to the dish (not as if it need any more) add a teaspoon of Goldenray salted butter as you turn off the stove. Then mix around and cover the pot for about 5 minutes.

Special Note. My great aunt had this trick where she would get a branch of celery (fresh stuff from her garden – only the leafy part) and chop it really fines and top her pelau with it. STUNNING is the only word I can use to describe this added zing. Though I’ve tried over the years I’m still to recreate that unique taste … maybe it’s because I don’t have that unique celery from the Caribbean.

trinidad pelau

Do let me know your thoughts on this and the many other recipes posted on CaribbeanPot.com in the comment box below. If doing this according to a gluten free diet, do go through all the ingredients to verify they meet with your gluten free dietary needs.

gluten free recipe

Jamaican Inspired Pepper Shrimp Recipe.

The Ultimate Jerk Pork Recipe.

You’ll Need…

Then you’ll need…

— Winner Wanted!—

A Classic Vegetarian Curry Cabbage Recipe.

Curry Beef or Beef Curry?

Cabbage with Corned Beef (bully beef) Recipe.

Pelau, the first guest invited to every beach lime.

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