Today we are going to talk about this weird…but not really weird dish that I came up with!
Risotto-Pelau, simply put, is a risotto and a Trini Pelau that I have combined to make into a great one-pot dish! Who does not love a good one-pot dish. I know we all work from home now and probably have loads of time to plan a whole menu right?
But what about those mommies and daddies that have to home school their kids now? I am positive they are burned out and tired as heck by the time dinner rolls around.
I am sure a lot of you have tried asking Alexa to home school the kids too right? or is it just me that ask Alexa to change Boom-boom’s nappy?
I have quite a few recipes on here for various Risottos. I love making risotto because it is such an easy dish to make, even though it appears hard and fancy to make. Kind of like a dog that is all bark and no bite. Instead he is a harmless, big teddy bear.
I love a good Trini Pelau. Trini Pelau is the ultimate ‘liming’ food! If Trini’s are going to make a ‘cook in the bush’, its sure to be a Pelau or curry duck, but thats a post for another day. During Carnival in Trinidad almost all households will cook Pelau.
Well what is Pelau you ask?
Pelau is a popular rice dish with ingredients like chicken or beef, pigeon peas, coconut milk and various vegetables like carrots or celery to name a few. Because of the diverse culture of Trinidad and Tobago this dish has roots in the French West Indies. The main star of this dish is really the coconut milk. In the Caribbean there is an abundance of coconut trees, so homemade coconut milk is the most common milk to use for cooking.
Not only is pigeon peas used but also black eye peas. My personal favorite is black eye peas, especially since I don’t have to remember to soak it the night before. The type of rice commonly used is parboiled rice, because it can hold up to the long cooking period without completely going to mush.
This dish gets its beautiful dark brown color from caramelizing sugar. This caramelizing process was handed down by the Africans that came to the island as slaves.
Wet vs. Dry Pelau
There is an on going debate between a wet pelau and a dry pelau. Kind of like is it curry chicken or is it chicken curry? A wet pelau is more soft, mushy (in a good way). There was more broth or water left in the rice at the end of the cooking period. It is melt in your mouth delicious!
A dry Pelau is when all the water was allowed to cook off. Leaving a dryer rice. Equally delicious! It is all about preference. There is no right or wrong way.
Why I decided to use aborio rice?
Well I figured since risotto is nice and creamy and I do love a creamy, wet Pelau, why not merge the two and see what happens.
It was a marriage of two worlds made in a pot! First off, when you hear risotto you think fancy, then you add in the Pelau and you think bold Trini flavors mixed in.
Take a look at the video below for step by step directions. If you have not subscribed yet, be sure to head on over to my YouTube Channel for more great recipes and videos!
Click here for Risotto-Pelau recipe.
