East African Pilau – Kenyan pilau - Chef Lola's

 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

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.

Rice is, without a doubt, one of my favorite food in the world. Not only is it my to-go dish when I need to prepare a quick meal, but it can easily be turned into an elegant dish for special occasions.

With the right combination of spices, plain rice can be turned into the main attraction like this Rice Pilau or the West African jollof rice, my go-to one-pot chicken and rice, and much more!

Pelau is delicious on its own and can be served as a stand-alone meal, however, if you want a full Kenyan experience simply pair with Kachumbari – a cool and refreshing salad made with tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and a spicy pepper like serrano chili pepper. 

Ingredients

Meat

1 lb Beef sirloin

Produce

2 Bay leaves

1/4 cup Cilantro, fresh

4 cloves Garlic

2 tbsp Ginger

5 Potatoes (medium - peeled and cut into quarters), medium

2 Red onions, medium

3 Roma tomatoes

1 Serrano chile

Canned Goods

2 Beef stock cubes

Pasta & Grains

2 cups Basmati rice

Baking & Spices

1 tsp Cloves

1/2 tbsp Peppercorn, black seeds

12 Pods cardamon

1 Salt

1 Stick cinnamon

Oils & Vinegars

1/4 cup Vegetable oil

Nuts & Seeds

2 tbsp Cumin seeds

Frozen

1 tbsp Pilau masala

Liquids

4 cups Water

HOW TO MAKE THE EAST AFRICAN RICE PILAU

1. Toast and blend the pilau masala: In a medium saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Brown the onions by frying it in oil until it caramelizes. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the Garlic, ginger and serrano pepper.
3. Add the meat stock cubes, pilau masala, cilantro, bay leaves, and salt to taste and brown the meat for about 
4. Stir in the tomatoes and cook till it dissolves. Then stir in the potatoes.
5. Add water and bring everything to a rolling boil and leave the potatoes to cook for about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the rice then cover tightly. You can use an aluminum foil to cover it first, this will help keep the steam in. Then place the lid over it and leave to cook on a low heat for 20 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
7.  Serve hot! You can sprinkle the rice pilaf with some chopped cilantro, then fluff with a fork. Enjoy.