Pilaf Mombasa Style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• ½ chicken, cut into smaller pieces (or diced beef goulash)
• ½ bell pepper(s), green, cut into fine strips
• 2 m.-sized potatoes, peeled, halved
• 2 cup(s) rice (long grain rice)
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 large onion(s), finely sliced
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 piece(s) cinnamon, approx. 2 cm
• 8 peppercorns, black
• Cardamom, 6 capsules
• 3 cloves
• Salt
• oil
• n. B. water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Spicy rice dish in Swahili style (East Africa)

Bring salted water to a boil with the cinnamon piece, peppercorns, and cardamom pods. Add the chicken or beef and simmer. Briefly soak the cumin in water, then crush it in a mortar. Peel the garlic and crush it with the salt. Peel the onion, slice it into thin rings, and fry it in a large pot with just enough oil until golden brown. Then briefly fry the garlic, then the cumin, and finally the finely sliced ​​bell pepper. Add the rice, stir briefly, and pour in the meat broth (including the spices). Add more salt if desired and simmer gently for a few minutes. Then add the meat (beef first, chicken later), along with the halved potatoes. Cover and do not stir. Now simmer gently. Add more soup or water if needed (but not too much at the beginning; it’s better to add a little more). Just before the rice is cooked, place the covered pot in a preheated oven at 180°C to 200°C and bake for another 30 minutes. The pilaf should be neither too dry nor too wet. In Mombasa, this tasty dish is served on a large, flat plate, always with a banana on the edge of the plate—but this isn’t necessary, of course. The spices are removed only during the meal. Chicken or beef pilaf is one of the classic and popular dishes of Swahili cuisine in the coastal region around Mombasa, Kenya.