#SundayRice: Swahili Pilau

I always wanted to learn how to make Pilau and last August, while I was in Arusha-Tanzania, I took a class and learnt to make it. 

To begin with:

Heat up some oil in a pan with sliced onions. Cook, stirring often till the onions turn golden. Add garlic towards the end otherwise it’ll burn.

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To the oil, add the ground Pilau spice. This act and I daresay art of frying the spices releases both flavour and fragrance

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The meat  – beef –  had been cooked prior to making the rice, with salt and ginger. It went into the pot with the stock.

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As did a couple of cooking spoons of blended, cooked down tomato mixture

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 It was covered with foil and left to simmer till the onions literally melted into the stock.

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Coconut milk was added to the stock and then the rice. The rice was basmati, cleaned, fluffed, washed and added to the mix. Gently stirred, covered and left to simmer.

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Towards the end of cooking when the rice was almost done, hot coals were piled unto the lid. I’m not sure what the point of this is, but I expect to dry out the top, maybe add smoky flavours.  I remember being intrigued the first time I saw this on my African Food Map.

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The result is dry, slightly sticky, creamy and choc-ful of flavour rice. I loveeeeeeeeee it. 

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And I, of course came home with different Pilau spice blends to try.

Yum and into the regular rotation! I’m closer to my east meets west rice dream.

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