Pilau - Everyone's Favorite!

Hi everyone, it has become tradition these days to have Pilau on the menu whenever there is any function within the family, be it a wedding, a birthday, just a little get together or (Sorry for this) Funerals.
I have seen eyes go big and excited whenever the word Pilau is mentioned when deciding the dinner menu with my love.




It is believed that Pilau originated from somewhere around the middle east but due to its high level of deliciousness this dish actually conquered the world. The Arab world and the Indian sub-continent developed their own variations, perfecting their recipes and sharing this good news to the rest of the world. Thanks to the trading on the Indian ocean that landed the Arabs and Indians to our coast where the Swahili culture embraced this and made it their own.



This meal is made within a mixture of spices(garlic, ginger, cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon), fried onions, broth and a selected set of meat and or vegetables. These ingredients are cooked within the rice in all the same sufuria.



Coming from an Indian Muslim family, This was a must eat meal on Fridays after the Juma Prayers and thus I started looking for this in the restaurants in Nairobi. Most restaurants I visited were not able to feed my appetite for this until one day when I was taken to Swahili Delicacy, a very modern Swahili restaurant on Moi Lane in Nairobi.



Having arrived there first thing I ordered obviously was Pilau. When the food arrived and I began to eat, I was so enthralled and wrapped up with my taste buds that it was almost impossible for me to differentiate if this was cooked by my mum or the chef at the restaurant. And this was the sole reason I added this restaurant to my favorite restaurants in Nairobi.



I am sharing this recipe for all of you who would like to have this made at home but don't know how to.
Ingredients (6 servings)
1 pound goat, mutton or beef cubes
4 garlic cloves
Salt
9 cardamom pods
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cups rice
10 whole black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
8 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ cup cumin seed powder
4 small tomatoes
6 cups water
Preparation
Boil the meat in salted water until tender.
Crush the garlic and cardamom together with 2tbsp water using a mortar and pestle.
Sautee the onion until it is golden brown.
Add the rice, meat, garlic and cardamom mixture, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and cumin seed powder.
Cook covered over medium heat until all are nicely brown, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes.
Cook and stir until the tomatoes are thoroughly cooked down to the consistency of a sauce.
Add the 6 cups water to the rice mixture, bring to a boil and then cook over very low heat, (while covered) for another 15-20 minutes, until all water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.
Serve with Kachumbari.

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