East Indian cooking

Roti is the most popular East Indian dish and can be found in restaurants and roti shops nationwide. Our roti is quite different to what they serve in India and other parts of the world where a bread name 'nan' is served with the curry. There are different types of roti; dhalpuri, doshi and buss up shot just to name a few. These are prepared with any curried meats such as; chicken, duck, goat and shrimp. Complimenting these are dishes such as;curried mango, pumpkin and bodi.

Check out this link for the top ten roti shops in Trinidad ttp://www.macocaribbean.com/trinidad/restaurants/trinidad-and-tobagos-10-best-roti-shops/

Some of the cooking utensils the East Indians brought with them to Trinidad are;

Tawa- baking stone, where the roti is cooked
Belna - rolling pin

Dabila - flat, wooden spoon

Muser-pestle
Dhall-ghotni - swizzle stick
Sup - strainer
Muser-pestle

Some of the fruits and vegetables that are popular in the foods prepared are;
Dhal- split peas
Aloo-potato
Baigan- egg plant
Ghee- clarified butter

The many influences of Pelau

Pelau is one of the dishes that really exemplifies Trinidad cuisine because it is a mixture of various cooking styles. Pelau or rice with meat, vegetables, is a variation or East Indian 'Pilau' which originated in Persia where it is called 'polow'. The Anglicanized version of the dish is called 'pilaf'. The process of browning the meat in sugar for Pelau is an African tradition and ketchup. Chicken is the most popular meat, even beef can be used. Pigeon peas are traditionally used for the dish but pinto beans or black peas can also be used.

Pelau goes by other names such as; polo, polloi, Palau , plov. Pelau is traditionally a rice dish cooked in seasoned broth it attained its brown color by being stirred with pieces of cooked onion, as well as spices. Now we burn sugar which we use as browning for the rice. 'Pilaf' is mostly common from all parts of the world such as;Balkan, Middle East, South Asia, East Africa  and Latin America. Also,it is a staple food and national dish in Afghan and Iran.

Afghan pilaf

Polav pilaf

I love my Pelau with Cole saw or a slice of avocado. Other side dishes that go with Pelau are fresh salad, macaroni salad and potato salad.