East African Pilau
East African Pilau is a traditional, beautiful fragrant rice dish made with many aromatic spices that adds an amazing depth of flavor to the rice. It can be made with either beef or chicken.
Ingredients
- cloves
- cumin seeds
- black peppercorn seeds
- Cardamon
- cinnamon
- basmati rice
- potatoes
- vegetable oil
- Red onions
- garlic
- ginger
- serrano chile
- pilau masala
- beef stock cubes
- fresh cilantro
- beef sirloin
- Roma tomatoes
- water
- Bay leaves
- Salt
Method
- 1
Section: MAKE THE PILAU MASALA:
- 2
Place the cumin, black peppers, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves in a dry pan.
- 3
Roast over low heat until warmed through and fragrant and blend (I used a coffee grinder) until smooth.
- 4
You need just 1 to 11/2 tablespoons for this recipe (depending on how fragrant you want the rice to be). Feel free to store the leftover spice powder in an airtight container for up to 3 months, or refrigerate for up to 6 months.
- 5
Section: MAKE THE RICE PILAU
- 6
Heat a stockpot on medium-high heat. Add oil and heat until hot but not smoking.
- 7
Add the sliced onions and fry for 10-15 minutes or till the onions starts to turn golden brown (be careful not to burn it).
- 8
Add the garlic, ginger, serrano pepper, Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- 9
Add the cubed beef, pilau masala, beef stock cubes, bay leaves, cilantro, and salt to taste. Cook until the meat browns and caramelizes stirring occasionally about 8 to 10 minutes.
- 10
Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the tomatoes have released their liquid.
- 11
Stir in the potatoes and the water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
- 12
Stir in the rice, and cover tightly with a foil paper (to keep the steam in) if necessary. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.
- 13
Once the rice is dry, remove the foil paper and fluff with a fork to ensure the seasonings are well distributed all around the rice.
- 14
Serve hot with fresh Kachumbari – salsa. Enjoy!
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