Happy New Month guys!!!
Heh! Si this year imekimbia!! Just one moment ago we were celebrating the new year and here we are wrapping it up. 2019 for me has been a year of immense mental self-improvement. It has been the year of the shadows of my inner child being dredged up and demanding to be dealt with and healed. 2019 has been the year I finally started savoring and deeply enjoying being single. 2019 has had me make some big girl purchases and making big girl investments *aggresively flexes muscles*. Overall, it has been a dope ass year and I am looking forward to the remaining 7 weeks!
As we take in this month, take stock and reflect, let us do that while enjoying something super delicious!! On my table today is the beeeeeeest ever beef pilau! I know you will love this!
I made a dope vid to accompany the blog post. Do watch below, and subscribe!
PREP TIME: 20 min COOK TIME: 40 min SERVES: 7
Ingredients
For the pilau masala:
2 tablespoons of whole clove
1 1/2 tablespoons of black pepper seeds
3 tablespoons of whole cardamom
1 1/2 cinnamon sticks
3/4 cup of whole cumin
For the Pilau:
2 1/2 cups of basmati rice
3 large red onion, diced
4 large potatoes, cubed
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of pre cooked beef
3 tablespoons of our freshly made pilau masala
Method
First step is to prepare our pilau masala. Pilau masala MUST be there for pilau and because I am going to show you how to make your own, if you are watching and reading from another country, you will be able to make and stock up on your own pilau masala. I pointed out this very fact in the video.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with pre-ground pilau masala, but if you can make your own, why not?
For the masala:
Place all the whole spices on an ungreased pan and toast them on low heat for about two minutes until fragrant. The reason why we toast them is so that we can intensify their flavor and release their oils which overall makes for a great masala.
You will find all of the individual whole spices from any spice aisle of any well stocked supermarket.
Set aside to cool for a couple of minutes then place them in a grinder and whiz until pulverized. You can grind them in a kinu (pestle & mortar) but it will take longer to pulverize. I like mine abit more of a rough grind but you can make yours alot finer if you prefer.
You can watch the process of making the masala from today’s video here (from 3.30 – 4.10 , just had to make it easy for you <3)
Once done, store in a jar. With the quantities I gave you, you will get 100g of pilau masala.
Now, let’s start off on the beef pilau:
Add the onions to the sufuria and cook on low heat until brown. Keep in mind I have said brown not burnt. Make sure you are alert so that they do not burn. Focus my people, focus!!! The darker the onions are, the darker your pilau will be. Pilau gets it’s color from the onions.
Add the potatoes and then the garlic. I added my garlic at this point because it will cook better with the potatoes taking most of the bheat. Pilau usually does not include garlic, but I personally find it tastes alot better with garlic included.
I also have to confess, I love my pilau having only meat, though traditionally it always has potatoes. Today I decided to add some too.
After a couple of minutes of simmering, it will look as it does below. Do you see how dark its already getting??
Next add a couple of tablespoons of the freshly made pilau masala and the pre cooked beef. You can use chicken or mutton, but whichever meat you use, make sure it is pre-cooked.
Let this simmer for a few minutes and once the potatoes are halfway done, add the rice + water/ stock and let this cook until the rice is done and the potatoes soft. Remember we also want ‘mchele moja moja’ with pilau just as we do for any other rice dish, so make sure the ratio of your stock/water: rice is 2:1
It will take about 20 minutes to cook. As that is cooking, prep some kachumbari that you will have this with or your favorite salad or as some people enjoy to – with just some sweet bananas.
I know I say this all the damn time, but how gorgeous does my beef pilau look? I know you want to reach out into the screen and eat it all up! Some of you have already swallowed your phones as we speak. And honestly, I do not blame you!!
You have seen it for yourself, making bomb ass beef pilau is truly a walk in the park. Just 5 ingredients and you are ready with the Kenyan beloved rice dish!
Incase you think the pictures are too good to be true (I get that alot *flips hair*), I welcome you to my YouTube channel, watch from beginning to end and see for yourself that making gorgeous AND delicious food is not impossible. Do subscribe while you’re at it coz I would very much love to have you as part of my tribe!
Can’t wait for you guys to try this out!
xx
Get your downloadable recipe here :))
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Hey there! My name is Kaluhi and I love food! Through my blog, I am happy to share with you my self-taught recipes, steeped in nostalgia and the happiest of memories. I hope each recipe you try out is as addictive as the previous one and is shared on a table full of love and hearty laughs!
Hey, what did you do with the onions there while making the kachumbari?
Thanks.
Soaked them in some hot water + vinegar so that you dont get onion breath
Which brand of basmat rice do you use? Also for general rice recipes which rice do you use? Am terrible at choosing rice aki
Honestly any! Ata ya kupimiwa. In my opinion rice is rice and it will always turn out well because the method of cooking it is standard
It looks awesome. I am a cooking fanatic and I have to try this…my biggest fan my daughter have to rate me in this…🤦 Thanks.
She will love it!!
Do you think this will work with pork? How about with brown rice?
Use mutton or goat. Not pork
What if I only have pork chops to cook with?—it’s raining ice and I don’t want to go to the store 😂 I know pork is the least healthy, but would it matter from a flavor point of view? Will pork work with your spices?
Kindly wait until you have beef. Just wait.
Hi Kaluhi,
Hii lazima hapa kwa diaspora tuijaribu: I had no idea that the pilau spices were such basic spices that i see all the time when i go to supermarkets; thanks for the insight. Now I really have to surprise wifey on Sunday with this recipee, just got back from the supermarket with all the ingredients. Wish me success…….(:
You will do really well! All the best!
Gosh I’ve made this today…walallaalla! It came out so nice! Just as you put it bomb ass pilau😋 I’ve loved it, my entire family loved it wah! We were just digging & digging into it! Thanks gal*
Thrilled to know you enjoyed it love!
I made this yesterday with my son, and oh my goodness, such mouthgasms. He had a second helping, as i did. Using the whole spices makes a HUUUGE difference (compared to store-bought ground spices!). Now i have a recipe i can flex, haha!
Oh this makes me so happy to know!! Keep flexing and shining and eating that good food!!!
Wow! No vegetable/olive oil at all for your recipe? Smh, how now?
???
Onions fry in oil, that goes without saying. Ama mimi ndio sikuelewi?
I got whole black cardamom for this recipe and just realised the one in the pictures is a different kind. Can I still use the black cardamom?
It will still work well babe
Trying this recipe today, wish me luck🥰😍
You will TOTALLY ace it!
Hello.This is book recipe list sent me to please.
The recipe is right infornt of your eyes on this blog post you are reading as well as the downloadable copy
Girl all I can say is you’re my cook book!! Youve made me a whole chef and I love it…. Thank you so much God bless you and continue blessing us with your content love you loads
Love you right back! I am happy I add value to your life!
Kaluhi, this was an absolutely finger licking recipe! I did it with goat meat and the pre-ground pilau masala. Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!
Oh I looooooove that you enjoyed it!! I live for a goat pilau!