Pilau recipe

Basmati rice cooked in meat broth with a cumin-led pilau masala and deeply browned onions, which give the grains their brown colour.

1 hour and 55 minutesmedium12 ingredients

Ingredients

• 400 g basmati rice
• 600 g beef
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 stick cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 onions
• 5 clove garlic
• 2 potatoes
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt

How to make Pilau

1. Simmer 600 g beef cubes in 1 litre of water with 2 tsp salt and 2 crushed garlic cloves for 1 hour; lift out the meat and keep the broth.
2. Toast 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 6 cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 6 cloves and 1 tsp black peppercorns in a dry pan for 1 to 2 minutes, then grind them coarsely: this is the pilau masala.
3. Fry 2 sliced onions in 4 tbsp oil over medium heat for about 15 minutes until deep brown.
4. Add 3 crushed garlic cloves, the pilau masala and the beef, and fry 3 minutes.
5. Add 2 peeled, cubed potatoes and 400 g rinsed basmati rice and stir 2 minutes to coat the grains.
6. Pour in 700 ml of the hot beef broth, adjust salt, bring to the boil, then cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes.
7. Rest 5 minutes covered, fluff with a fork and serve, traditionally with kachumbari.

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