Cookbook: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

 * 250 g beef, cubed and rinsed
 * 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
 * 1 tbsp salt
 * 1 tomato, grated
 * 1 onion, grated
 * Vegetable oil
 * 1 tbsp cumin powder
 * 2 pods cardamom, seeds removed
 * 1½ tsp whole powdered pepper
 * 2 cinnamon sticks
 * Cloves
 * 2 onions, finely chopped
 * 1½ tsp turmeric powder
 * 1½ tsp coriander powder
 * ½ tsp garlic paste
 * Chopped fresh coriander
 * Salt
 * 400 g rice, washed and soaked for 10 minutes

Procedure

 * 1) 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.
 * 2) Remove the meat and set aside. Save the resulting broth for cooking the rice.
 * 3) 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.
 * 4) Add the chopped onion. Cook, stirring, until translucent. If you want a darker pilaf, fry the onions until they are caramelized.
 * 5) Stir in the turmeric and coriander powder. Let fry for a few minutes.
 * 6) Stir in the garlic paste and a bit of chopped fresh coriander.
 * 7) Add the cooked meat, and stir together for 2 minutes.
 * 8) 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.
 * 9) Stir in the rice and a little coriander. Cook on high heat for about 3 minutes.
 * 10) Reduce the heat to medium, and cover the pot. Cook, stirring periodically, until the rice has absorbed the water.
 * 11) Reduce the heat to low, and let the rice finish steaming for 5 minutes.
 * 12) Remove from the heat and serve with kachumbari.