GOAT MEAT PILAU (PILAU MBUZI)

Pilaf or Pilau as we call it in Kenyan is a truly Authentic Swahili Dish that made its way from the Coastal lines in Kenya where the best cooks of this delicacy are found. Pilau, the word itself comes from the Persian word pilaw, pilav or pilaf. It is Rice that has a mixture of various spices like Cardamon, Garlic, Ginger, Cinnamon, Cumin and even Cloves. When cooking Pilau, the authentic way is to cook with the dried whole spices, after pounding or grinding them. You can even cook the Spices whole in your Rice and the flavor will be classic and unforgettable. If you want to avoid the hustle of grinding or even having whole Spices in your Rice, you can buy Ground Spices which are usually mixed in a single package. Pilau or Pilaf Rice is usually cooked on it's own or you can make a one pot dish of Pilaf Rice with Meat, Chicken, Goat, Mutton, Pork or choose to go Vegetarian and cook with Mushrooms, Potatoes, Peas and Carrots and even Pepper.It is a versatile Dish that can be made as simple or as complex as the ingredients you choose to incorporate in the Rice Dish. I love mildly spicy food, most times the only time I add Chili to anything is when I am eating French Fries, basically Junk food. Pilau is a spicy dish that can be made as hot as one desires by adding Chili or Pepper to the Rice Dish. Since Spices used in the Pilau Rice Dish are hot, adding Chili or Pepper to your dish will definitely give it that extra hot kick. For today's Pilaf/ Pilau Recipe I chose to cook with Goat Meat. Goat Meat is usually soft and will not require too much time to cook through. All those wonderful Spices will pull you in like a magnet which you won't be able to resist. He're my version of the Delicious Goat Pilaf Rice. Enjoy

Ingredients

-Parboiled Rice
-Goat Meat
-Ground Mixed Spices (Pilau Mix)
-Red Onions
-Ginger
-Garlic
-Vegetable Oil
-Salt

Method

Rinse the Goat Meat in water just to remove any unwanted particles that might be in the fresh meat
-Put the Goat Meat in a pan and cover and let it simmer until the juices from the meat have dissolved
-Add half a cup of water and let it continue to simmer. Water is added just to ensure that the Goat Meat is cooked through but not for too long since it will still cook in the Rice.
-Once the water has dried up from the Goat Meat, remove from the fire and set aside

-Place your cut Red Onions in a different pan. You can use the same pan you used to cook the Goat Meat if the quantity of your Rice is enough to fit in that pan

-Cook the Red Onions until they are completely burnt. This helps to give the Pilaf/Pilau dish a smoky texture and flavour which balances out the spices. Add the crushed Ginger and Garlic into the Onion and cook until they start to turn brown. Add the Pilau Mixed Spice

-Add the Goat Meat into the pan together with the Onions, Garlic and Ginger. Add salt o taste and fry the Goat Meat until is starts to turn brown and become crisp

-Add water to the cooked Goat Meat. When cooking rice, we usually use the Ratio of 1 Glass/Cup of Rice to 2 Glasses/Cups of Water.Use the same Cup/Glass that you used to measure your Rice to measure the Water to be used for cooking the Rice. Let the water simmer until it starts to boil
-Add your Washed and drained Parboiled Rice and cook on high for a few minutes

-Once the water has boiled down, stir the Rice and Goat Meat so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Turn down the heat to medium and let the Rice Cook slowly. When all the water is drained out, take the heat even lower so that the Rice can start drying as moisture is absorbed into the Pilaf/Pilau Rice. The rice will turn out fluffy and evenly cooked

-Remove from heat and keep it covered. If you find that all the water has drained and the Rice is still a bit hard, do not add water to the Rice, just keep it covered and the steam from the Rice will finish cooking it by the time you decide to serve your rice. Adding water to the Rice may make it to become soggy and spoil the flavors that had been infusing with each other

-Garnish with a Lemon wedge and serve with your favorite Stew. Pilaf/Pilau Rice can even be eaten on its own since all the ingredients and accompaniments like Meats and Vegetables that are cooked inside make it a complete dish. The best part about making a Pilaf/Pilau Rice dish is that you can never go wrong with the flavors of the spices you use to make the dish. Whether you use Whole or Ground, making this dish is simple it will only depend with how mild or hot you want your dish to be

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GOAT MEAT PILAF RICE

by Mulunga Alukwe June-30-2017

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Rice
• 4 1/2 Cups Water
• 1/2 Kg Goat Meat
• 1 Cup Red Onions
• 4 Tablespoons Pilau Mixed Spice
• 2 Tablspoons Ginger
• 2 Tablespoons Garlic
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
• Pinch Salt

Instructions

-Boil the Goat Meat on a low simmer until tender. Drain any left over water and set aside-In the same pan you used to boil your goat meat, add onion and cook until they are starting to burn and frngranced-Add the crushed Ginger and Garlic into the Onion and cook until they start to turn brown. Add the Pilau Mixed Spice-Add the Goat meat and cook until the meat starts to brown. Add Salt to taste-Pour the 4 1/2 Cups Water into the pan and let simmer until it begins to boil-Add the 2 Cups washed Rice, cover the rice and let it cook on high heat-Once the water has boiled down, stir the Rice and Goat Meat so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed.Turn down the heat to medium and let the Rice Cook slowly-Let the Goat Meat Pilau Rice cook until all the water has completely grained. -Fluff the Rice and serve while hot

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 4 Servings