East African Pilau
Senior Editor
Abuja, Nigeria ·
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Abuja, Nigeria ·
Pilau is the spiced rice of the East African coast: rice cooked with cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and turmeric until every grain carries the spice. It is celebration food across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar, made for weddings, for Eid, and whenever a guest of consequence arrives. It reached the Swahili coast through centuries of Indian Ocean trade, and the family it belongs to runs from Persian polow through Central Asian plov to South Asian pulao. The East African version is milder than the Indian one and does not use curry, which is the distinction the source draws and it is a fair one. The defining spice mix has its own name, pilau masala, and there is a recipe for it on this site. An important note about this page. Its written description is of a full pilau: caramelised beef, potatoes, tomatoes and pilau masala simmered in meat stock. The recipe card attached to it is something else entirely, a plain spiced rice with no meat, no potatoes and no stock. The recipe below follows the card, since that is the actual recipe on the page, and the result is a good vegetarian side dish. It is not, however, the celebratory beef pilau the description promises. Browning the onions properly is the step that matters most in either version.
Pilau is a spiced rice dish of the East African coast, found across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar, and associated with weddings and religious festivals. It arrived through Indian Ocean trade and belongs to the same family as Persian polow and South Asian pulao.
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself.
Warm a large pan with a tight-fitting lid. Scatter the cumin seeds over the base and toast them for about 30 seconds, moving them around so they colour without burning, then tip them into a bowl.
Melt the ghee or warm the oil in the same pan. Cook the onion over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened and starting to colour, this is where most of the flavour comes from, so do not rush it.
Crush the toasted cumin seeds lightly with the cardamom pods. Work them into the pan with the cloves and turmeric and cook for a minute or two until fragrant.
Rinse the rice well under cold water until it runs clear, then tip it into the pan.
Pour in the boiling water, drop in the bay leaves and cinnamon, season with salt, and mix just enough to distribute everything.
Bring to the boil, cover tightly and cook over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until the water has been absorbed.
Leave it covered and off the heat for a few minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.
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