Pilau Recipes

Steps:

• Cook sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until it begins to caramelize. Stir in the beef, and cook until well browned. Bring the water, coconut milk, rice, pigeon peas, and carrot to a simmer; cover and cook until rice is done, about 25 minutes. Stir in parsley to garnish.

Steps:

• Dry-fry the pine nuts or almonds in a large pan until lightly toasted, then tip onto a plate. Add the oil to the pan, then fry the onion and cinnamon together until starting to turn golden. Turn up the heat, stir in the lamb, fry until the meat changes colour, then tip in the rice and cook for 1 min, stirring all the time.
• Pour in 500ml boiling water, crumble in the stock cube, add the apricots, then season to taste. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 12 mins until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Toss in the pine nuts and mint and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix ketchup, Worcestershire, sugar, coconut milk, water, and hot sauce. Set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat. Saute vegetables in the olive oil; first the carrots, then onions, red peppers, garlic, and last, the thyme. Saute until fragrant. Turn the cooked vegetables out onto a dish.
• Reheat skillet, adding more oil if necessary. Saute cod until almost done, add to vegetables.
• Reheat the skillet. Add the ketchup mixture, and bring to a boil. Add back the vegetables and cod. Stir in the rice, mixing well. Keep moving the rice, like a stir-fry.
• After a few minutes, add the crawfish, pigeon peas, and the scallions. Season, to taste. Scatter the shrimp on the top of the rice. Cover the skillet and put it into the oven for about 15 minutes. Cook until shrimp are opaque, and slightly curled.

Steps:

• Fry the bacon in a large skillet over very low heat, just until it reaches the crisp stage. Remove from pan, crumble and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat, then add the rice and stir, cooking slowly until rice is lightly browned.
• Add the boiling stock, stir, and bring back to the boil.
• Add chicken, vegetables, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until rice, chicken and vegetables are done and liquid is absorbed.
• Serving Ideas : Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and parsley.

Steps:

• Brown beef in a dutch oven, half at a time, in hot oil. Remove and set aside, reserving drippings. In drippings, cook onion and garlic till tender but not brown. Return all meat to dutch oven. Drain off fat.
• Add coconut milk, undrained tomatoes, salt and coriander into meat mixture. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover, simmer about 1 hour.
• Stir in beans (or okra), rice and peanuts. Simmer, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and until meat and rice are tender.

Steps:

• If using dried peas, soak them overnight in 3 cups of water. Drain. Bring 3 fresh cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and add the peas. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until cooked almost completely through. Drain and set aside. If using canned beans, drain, rinse with cold water, drain again, and set aside. Wash the rice by placing it in a colander or fine-mesh sieve and running cold water over it until the water runs clear, about 1 minute. Drain well and set aside.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or other heavy, deep pot. Add the sugar and swirl in the pot, stirring constantly; allow it to caramelize to a dark brown color. Add the chicken and stir well to coat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Stir in 2 cups of water, the coconut milk, bay leaf, Green Seasoning, parsley, thyme, carrots, and scallions. Season with salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir the rice, squash, peas, hot pepper, ketchup, and butter into the chicken. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the peas and vegetables are tender. Remove lid and fluff the rice. The rice should be moist but not sticky. Remove bay leaf, thyme sprig, and hot pepper.
• Note: Pigeon peas are traditional in this dish, but pinto beans or black-eyes peas also work well because, like pigeon peas, they hold their shape well after cooking. Brown sugar is preferable for deeper flavor and color. Chicken is the most common meat in pelau, but cuts of stew beef or lamb work just as well. If using meat, up the cooking time before adding the rice to 40 minutes to allow the meat to get tender. In Tobago, pelau is often made with crab. West Indian pumpkin (also called calabaza) is ideal for this recipe, although the pie or "cheese" pumpkin common in the U.S., if in season, makes a very good substitute. Butternut squash will also work, although it will be slightly less sweet.

Steps:

• Make the pilau masala: In a medium bowl, combine the cumin, paprika, cardamom, black pepper, and cloves. Set aside.
• Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and red onion and sauté for 10-15 minutes, until dark brown.
• Add the garlic, ginger, serrano chile, pilau masala, beef stock cubes, cinnamon stick, and cilantro. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
• Add the beef and cook until browned, about 8 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the tomatoes have released their liquid.
• Add the potatoes and the water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the rice, stir, and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.
• Enjoy!