6 Authentic Trinidadian Dinner Recipes
Bold. Vibrant. The Taste of the Caribbean at Its Most Alive.
Trinidad and Tobago produces some of the most exciting, boldly flavored, and deeply satisfying food in the entire Caribbean. It is a cuisine born from extraordinary cultural collision — African, Indian, Chinese, Spanish, French, and British influences all layered over centuries of history into something completely and distinctly Trinidadian.
The African heritage lives in the rich, dark stewed meats and hearty one-pot cooking. The Chinese contribution appears in the soy-kissed fried rice and chow mein. And through all of it runs the unmistakable Trinidadian spirit food that is loud, generous, joyful, and cooked with a kind of confidence that makes every dish feel like a celebration.
Trinidadian Pelau
Prep: 20 min | Cook: 1 hr | Serves: 4–6 | Difficulty: Easy
Pelau is the ultimate Trinidadian one-pot comfort meal. Chicken caramelized in burnt sugar, cooked with pigeon peas, coconut milk, and rice in a rich, deeply flavored pot until every grain absorbs all that smoky, sweet, savory goodness. It is the dish Trinidadians make for beach lime, family gatherings, and any occasion where a crowd needs to be fed and made happy.
Ingredients
- 1kg chicken pieces, bone-in and skin-on
- 1.5 cups parboiled rice, rinsed
- 1 can pigeon peas, drained and rinsed
- 400ml full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (for browning)
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper, left intact (do not pierce)
- 3 spring onions, roughly chopped
- Salt and cracked black pepper
- For the green seasoning marinade: 4 spring onions + 6 shadow beni or cilantro leaves + 4 garlic cloves + 1 tsp fresh thyme + juice of 1 lime + salt and pepper — all blended into a paste
Instructions
Blend all green seasoning ingredients into a smooth paste. Coat chicken pieces thoroughly and marinate for at least 1 hour. Overnight is better.
Heat oil and brown sugar together in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Watch carefully as the sugar melts and turns a deep, dark amber. It should be smoking slightly and smell like caramel on the edge of burning. Add marinated chicken immediately and toss to coat in the dark caramel. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the chicken is deeply colored all over.
Add onion, garlic, thyme, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 3 minutes. Add pigeon peas and stir through.
Add rice and stir to coat everything together. Pour in coconut milk and stock. Nestle the whole intact scotch bonnet and spring onions into the pot. The scotch bonnet adds flavor without heat as long as it remains unbroken.
Bring to a boil then reduce to the lowest possible heat. Cover tightly and cook for 25 to 30 minutes without lifting the lid until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is tender and fragrant. Remove scotch bonnet before serving.
Pro Tip: The burnt sugar step requires confidence and commitment. The sugar must go very dark almost burnt before the chicken goes in. Pale caramel produces pale, sweet pelau with none of the deep, smoky complexity that defines the dish. Dark caramel is the soul of authentic pelau.
Trinidadian Curry Chicken
Prep: 20 min | Cook: 45 min | Serves: 4–6 | Difficulty: Easy
Trinidadian curry chicken is bold, fragrant, and deeply satisfying. Chicken pieces slow-cooked in a richly spiced curry sauce made with Trinidadian curry powder, shadow beni, and a whole scotch bonnet for heat, served with roti, rice, or dhal. This is not Indian curry and it is not Caribbean stew. It is entirely its own magnificent thing.
Ingredients
- 1kg chicken pieces, bone-in and skin-on
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 3 tbsp Trinidadian curry powder (or Madras curry powder)
- 1 tsp geera (ground cumin)
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper, left intact
- 2 cups water or light chicken stock
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and cracked black pepper
- For the green seasoning: 4 shadow beni or cilantro leaves + 3 spring onions + 4 garlic cloves + juice of 1 lime + salt — blended to a paste
- Roti, paratha, or steamed rice to serve
Instructions
Coat chicken pieces generously in green seasoning and marinate for at least 1 hour.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Mix curry powder and geera with just enough water to form a thick paste. Add the paste to the hot oil and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. This blooming of the curry paste in oil is called cooking down the curry and it is the single most important step. Raw curry powder in a sauce tastes flat and gritty. Cooked curry paste in hot oil transforms into something deep and fragrant.
Add onion and cook for 4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook 2 more minutes. Add marinated chicken pieces and toss to coat in the spiced base. Cook for 5 minutes until the chicken is sealed and colored.
Add water or stock, thyme, and the whole intact scotch bonnet. Bring to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer.
Cover and cook for 30 to 35 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Remove scotch bonnet. Season generously and serve with roti or steamed rice.
Pro Tip: Cook the curry paste in hot oil for the full 2 to 3 minutes before adding anything else. It should darken, become fragrant, and the oil should begin separating around the edges of the paste.
Stewed Chicken (Trinidadian Brown Stew Chicken)
Prep: 20 min | Cook: 50 min | Serves: 4–6 | Difficulty: Easy
Stewed chicken is a quintessential Trinidadian Sunday lunch. Chicken pieces caramelized in burnt sugar then slow-stewed in a rich, savory, deeply flavored sauce of herbs, aromatics, and ketchup until tender and lacquered in a dark, glossy gravy. Served with macaroni pie, rice, and provision. This is the taste of a Trinidadian Sunday.
Ingredients
- 1kg chicken pieces, bone-in and skin-on
- 2 tbsp brown sugar for browning
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 whole scotch bonnet, left intact
- 1 cup water or chicken stock
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- Salt and cracked black pepper
- For the green seasoning: same as above — shadow beni or cilantro + spring onions + garlic + lime juice + salt — blended to a paste
- Steamed rice, macaroni pie, or boiled provision to serve
Instructions
Marinate chicken in green seasoning for at least 1 hour. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
Heat oil and sugar in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until the sugar melts and turns very dark amber. Add chicken pieces immediately and turn to coat. The chicken will sizzle aggressively and the caramel will coat every piece. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until deeply colored.
Add onion, garlic, spring onions, and thyme. Cook for 3 minutes. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Stir everything together.
Add water or stock and nestle the whole scotch bonnet into the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 35 minutes until the chicken is completely tender.
Uncover and cook for 10 more minutes until the gravy has reduced and thickened into a glossy, dark, intensely flavored sauce. Remove scotch bonnet. Serve with steamed rice and macaroni pie.
Pro Tip: The ketchup is not optional and it is not a shortcut. Ketchup is a traditional ingredient in Trinidadian stewed chicken. It adds a sweet, slightly tangy body to the gravy that balances the bitterness of the burnt sugar and the savory depth of the Worcestershire. Use it without apology.
Doubles
Prep: 30 min | Cook: 30 min | Makes: 12 | Difficulty: Medium
Doubles is the most iconic street food in Trinidad and one of the greatest street foods anywhere in the world. Two soft, pillowy fried bara breads filled with curried channa (chickpeas), topped with tamarind sauce, pepper sauce, and chutneys. Eaten for breakfast, lunch, or any time the craving strikes. Once you make them at home you will understand why Trinidadians talk about doubles the way they do.
Ingredients
- For the bara: 2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 tsp instant yeast + 1 tsp turmeric + 1 tsp cumin + 1 tsp sugar + ½ tsp salt + ¾ cup warm water + neutral oil for frying
- For the curried channa: 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed + 1 large onion, finely diced + 4 garlic cloves, minced + 1 tbsp Trinidadian or Madras curry powder + 1 tsp geera + 1 tsp turmeric + 1 cup water + 2 tbsp neutral oil + salt
- For the toppings: tamarind sauce (tamarind paste dissolved in water with sugar) + cucumber chutney (cucumber + shadow beni + lime juice blended) + pepper sauce or scotch bonnet hot sauce
Instructions
Make the bara dough by combining flour, yeast, turmeric, cumin, sugar, and salt. Add warm water gradually and knead for 5 minutes until a smooth, slightly sticky dough forms. Cover and rest for 30 minutes until slightly puffed.
Make the curried channa by cooking onion in oil for 5 minutes. Mix curry powder, geera, and turmeric with a little water to form a paste. Add to the onion and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add chickpeas and water. Mash some of the chickpeas lightly with a spoon. Simmer for 10 minutes until thick and well-seasoned. Season generously.
Oil your hands lightly. Pinch off small balls of bara dough and flatten each into a thin round disc about 10cm wide. Fry in 5cm of hot oil at 180°C (350°F) for 30 to 45 seconds per side until puffed and lightly golden. Drain on paper towels.
Assemble doubles by placing a bara flat, spooning curried channa generously in the center, and folding the second bara on top. Add tamarind sauce, cucumber chutney, and pepper sauce to taste.
Pro Tip: The bara must be thin almost translucent when held to the light before frying. Thick bara turns bready and heavy and loses the soft, pillowy chew that makes doubles so extraordinary. Oil your hands well, work quickly, and keep them thin.
Bake and Shark
Prep: 30 min | Cook: 30 min | Serves: 4 | Difficulty: Medium
Bake and shark is the legendary street food of Maracas Beach. Crispy fried shark tucked inside a warm, pillowy fried bake bread with a spectacular spread of toppings — tamarind sauce, shadow beni chutney, garlic sauce, coleslaw, and fresh tomato. It is the single most celebrated beach food in Trinidad and a genuinely extraordinary thing to eat.
Ingredients
- For the bake: 2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 tsp baking powder + 1 tsp sugar + ½ tsp salt + ¾ cup water + neutral oil for frying
- For the shark: 600g shark fillet or any firm white fish (snapper or mahi-mahi work) + juice of 2 limes + 1 tbsp green seasoning paste + 1 tsp garlic powder + salt and pepper + 1 cup seasoned flour (flour + garlic powder + salt + pepper + paprika) + neutral oil for frying
- For the toppings: tamarind sauce + shadow beni or cilantro chutney (blended shadow beni + garlic + lime juice + water) + garlic sauce (minced garlic + mayonnaise + lime juice) + shredded coleslaw + sliced tomatoes + sliced cucumber + pepper sauce
Instructions
Make the bake dough by mixing flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add water gradually and knead for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth. Rest for 15 minutes. Divide into 4 balls. Flatten each into an oval disc about 1cm thick.
Fry bakes in hot oil at 180°C (350°F) for 2 to 3 minutes per side until puffed, golden, and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Split open while still warm.
Marinate fish in lime juice, green seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper for 15 minutes. Dredge each piece in seasoned flour and shake off the excess.
Fry fish in hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden, crispy, and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
Tuck fried fish inside the split warm bake. Layer all the toppings generously. Eat immediately.
Pro Tip: The toppings are not optional extras in bake and shark. They are the dish. A bake and shark without tamarind sauce, shadow beni chutney, garlic sauce, and all the rest is just fried fish in bread. Load every topping on with genuine generosity. That is the authentic Maracas Beach experience.
Trinidadian Macaroni Pie
Prep: 15 min | Cook: 45 min | Serves: 6–8 | Difficulty: Easy
Macaroni pie is the non-negotiable side dish of every Trinidadian Sunday lunch. Baked macaroni in a rich, eggy, spiced cheese custard that sets firm enough to slice into clean squares. It is completely unlike American mac and cheese. It is denser, spicier, more deeply savory, and it holds its shape beautifully on a plate. A Sunday lunch in Trinidad without macaroni pie is simply not Sunday lunch.
Ingredients
- 400g elbow macaroni, cooked until just al dente and drained
- 2 cups sharp cheddar, freshly grated
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 large onion, very finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp mustard (yellow or Dijon)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and very finely minced (adjust to heat tolerance)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp butter plus extra for greasing the dish
- Salt and cracked black pepper
- Extra cheddar for the top
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter a large deep baking dish generously.
Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic, scotch bonnet, and thyme and cook 2 more minutes.
In a large bowl whisk together evaporated milk, beaten eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Add cooked onion mixture and most of the grated cheddar. Stir until combined.
Add drained cooked macaroni to the bowl and fold everything together until every piece of macaroni is completely coated in the rich egg and cheese custard.
Pour into the prepared dish. Scatter remaining cheddar generously over the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is deeply golden, the custard is fully set, and the edges are slightly caramelized.
Cool for 10 minutes before slicing into squares. It must be firm enough to hold its shape.
Pro Tip: Allow macaroni pie to cool for the full 10 minutes before cutting. The egg custard needs that resting time to set completely firm. Cut too soon and the filling is still loose and the squares collapse on the plate.
See Also: 8 Middle Eastern Dinner Recipes
