Sub-Saharan Africa / Main
East African Beef Pilaf
This beef pilaf is a fragrant East African rice dish made by cooking the rice with meat or vegetables, ginger, garlic, and spices. It is usually served with kachumbari, which is a mixture of tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.
Ingredients
- beef, cubed and rinsed250 g
- ginger garlic paste1 tbsp
- salt1 tbsp
- tomato, grated1
- onion, grated1
- vegetable oil
- ground cumin1 tbsp
- cardamom, seeds removed from pods2 pod
- pepper, whole powdered1 1/2 tsp
- cinnamon stick2
- cloves
- onion, finely chopped2
- turmeric powder1 1/2 tsp
- ground coriander1 1/2 tsp
- garlic paste1/2 tsp
- coriander, fresh; chopped
- salt
- rice, washed and soaked for 10 minutes400 g
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 12 steps
Place beef in a pot with water, ginger-garlic paste, salt, grated tomato, and grated onion. Bring to a boil, and cook until the meat is tender.
Remove the meat and set aside. Save the resulting broth for cooking the rice.
Heat a layer of cooking oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin, cardamom seeds, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves; then, cook until the spices splutter.
Add the chopped onion. Cook, stirring, until translucent. If you want a darker pilaf, fry the onions until they are caramelized.
Stir in the turmeric and coriander powder. Let fry for a few minutes.
Stir in the garlic paste and a bit of chopped fresh coriander.
Add the cooked meat, and stir together for 2 minutes.
Add the broth, and bring to a simmer. Adjust the seasoning with salt to taste—make sure to add enough salt because you still need to add the rice.
Stir in the rice and a little coriander. Cook on high heat for about 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium, and cover the pot. Cook, stirring periodically, until the rice has absorbed the water.
Reduce the heat to low, and let the rice finish steaming for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and serve with kachumbari.
Region evidence: place name in title — Title: “East African” in “East African Beef Pilaf”
