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.

Course Lunch/Dinner

Cuisine African

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Servings people

Calories 550kcal

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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

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 with fresh Kachumbari – salsa. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

I used beef in this recipe, but chicken or any other type of meat can also be used.
I used basmati rice which takes about 20 minutes to cook however, your cooking time may vary depending on the type of rice you use.
For even cooking, I seal my pot with aluminum foil during the cooking process so as to have well-separated rice grains after cooking.
It’s also best to cook on low heat.
I love to use freshly ground spices that’s why I choose to grind my spices myself it imparts so much flavor!

Nutrition