Home
Kenyan Pilau - East African Pilau
Description
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.
Pilau has a wonderful balance of flavors. It is a festive dish, which is never missing during special occasions or events. It’s made with rice cooked in a well-seasoned broth of Meat or chicken. Unlike the Indian pilau, the East African version does not use curry and it’s less spicy.
The pilau seasoning or pilau masala also adds a bit of color to the rice as well as a unique flavor.
INGREDIENTS
PILAU MASALA - PILAU SPICES
- 1 Tsp Cloves
- 2 tbsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Stick cinnamon
- 1/2 Tbsp black peppercorn seeds
- 12 pods Cardamon
RICE PILAU
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 5 potatoes medium - peeled and cut into quarters
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 Red onions medium - thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons ginger minced
- 1 serrano chile finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon pilau masala
- 2 beef stock cubes
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 lb beef sirloin cubed
- 3 Roma tomatoes diced
- 4 cups water
- 2 Bay leaves
- Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
MAKE THE PILAU MASALA:
-
Place the cumin, coriander, black peppers, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves in a dry pan.
-
Roast over low heat until warmed through and fragrant and blend (I used a coffee grinder) until smooth.
-
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.
MAKE THE RICE PILAU
-
Heat a stockpot on medium-high heat. Add oil and heat until hot but not smoking.
-
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).
-
Add the garlic, ginger, serrano pepper, Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
-
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.
-
Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the tomatoes have released their liquid.
-
Stir in the potatoes and the water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Serve hot. Enjoy!