Chief Cook-Up Seasoning 40g – Trinidad Pelau Rice Blend

Trinidad’s National One-Pot Dish Has Its Own Seasoning — And This Is It

Key Facts

• Brand: Chief Brand Products
• Origin: Trinidad and Tobago
• Weight: 40g
• Style: Dry seasoning blend — specifically formulated for Cook-Up Rice (Pelau)
• Key Ingredients: Onion Powder, Flavour Enhancer (E621/MSG), Garlic Powder, Herbs, Spice, Sugar
• Heat Level: Mild — aromatic and savoury
• Dietary: Vegetarian; contains MSG (E621)
• Primary Use: Cook-Up Rice (Pelau) — the national dish of Trinidad and Tobago
• Shipped from: Sydney, Australia

What Is Cook-Up Rice and Why Does It Need Its Own Seasoning?

Cook-Up Rice — known interchangeably as Pelau — is not just a dish in Trinidad and Tobago. It’s the national dish, the Sunday staple, the pot that feeds the whole family after a cricket match or a beach day. The concept is beautifully simple: one pot, one cook, one result. Chicken (or other meat) is first browned in burnt sugar (a caramelisation technique unique to Caribbean cooking), then combined with pigeon peas and rice in a seasoned broth to cook together until the flavours meld completely into a sticky, aromatic, deeply satisfying meal.

Chief Brand designed their Cook-Up Seasoning specifically for this dish — the blend of onion powder, garlic powder, herbs and sugar is calibrated to complement the burnt sugar caramel base and the earthy pigeon peas without competing with them. This isn’t a generic all-purpose seasoning applied to a specific dish; it’s a blend built from the ground up for this specific cooking application. The sugar in the blend contributes to the characteristic slight sweetness and caramelisation that defines authentic Trinidadian Pelau.

Chief Brand has been producing seasonings in Trinidad and Tobago since 1957. Over 65 years, they’ve fine-tuned these products to work with the specific techniques and ingredients of Caribbean home cooking. The Cook-Up Seasoning is a product of that institutional knowledge — compact, affordable, and culturally precise.

How to Use

1. Burn the sugar: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add 1–2 tablespoons of sugar and cook, stirring, until it turns deep brown and caramelises. This is the flavour foundation.
2. Brown the chicken: Add seasoned chicken pieces and brown on all sides in the caramelised oil for 5–7 minutes.
3. Add Cook-Up Seasoning: Add 1.5–2 teaspoons of Chief Cook-Up Seasoning, onion, garlic, and tomato. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add pigeon peas and rice: Stir in cooked or canned pigeon peas and washed rice. Mix everything together so the rice is coated in the seasoned fat.
5. Add liquid and cook: Add coconut milk and/or water (2 cups liquid per 1 cup rice). Cover tightly and cook on low heat for 25–30 minutes until rice is cooked and liquid absorbed.
6. Rest and fluff: Remove from heat, leave covered for 10 minutes, then fluff gently. The bottom of the pot should have a slightly crispy layer — the prized “bun bun.”

Serving Suggestions

• Classic Pelau: Serve Cook-Up Rice with coleslaw, fried plantains, and a cucumber salad — the standard Trinidadian complement for a pelau feast.
• Beach-style: Cook-Up is traditionally eaten at the beach or after sports events — make a large pot and serve family-style.
• With pepper sauce: A dash of Caribbean pepper sauce adds heat contrast to the slightly sweet pelau.
• Complete your Chief range: Use alongside Chief All Purpose Seasoning to season the chicken before browning, and Chief Fish Seasoning if making a seafood pelau variant.

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