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Kenyan

Kenyan beef pilau

Non-vegetarian

Pilau

Rice cooked in a rich beef broth with browned onions and whole spices — cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper — until fragrant and deep brown. A celebration dish of the Swahili coast eaten across Kenya.

Kenyan beef pilau is a Kenyan rice dish, ready in about 1 hour 55 minutes and made with beef chuck, onion and basmati rice. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Kenyan beef pilau
Photo: vitaliy-m / Pixabay · Pixabay Content License
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 25 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 55 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
539

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the beef in the water with 1 tsp of the salt until tender. Strain, keeping the broth — you need about 900 ml.

  2. Step 2

    In a heavy pot, fry the onions (opens in a new tab) in the oil, stirring, until deep golden brown. This colours the pilau, so take your time.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the whole spices and fry 1 minute, then the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, garam masala (opens in a new tab) and tomato (opens in a new tab), if using. Add the beef and potatoes (opens in a new tab) and stir to coat.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the drained rice and stir gently for 2 minutes. Pour in the hot broth and the remaining salt and bring to the boil.

    • 4 min
    • high heat

  5. Step 5

    Cover tightly, turn the heat to its lowest and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed. Rest, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff.

    • 18 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate within an hour or two.

About this dish

Origin
Swahili coast, Kenya · Commonly attributedA Swahili coastal dish shared by Kenya and Tanzania, shaped by long trade links with South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.Also popular in Tanzania, UgandaMore food from Kenya
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Rice dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered, Sautéed
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury, peppery
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein
With the listed swaps: Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · One-pot · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Beef chuck · Onion · Basmati rice · Garlic · Fresh ginger · Cumin
Techniques
Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

539 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 421 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 21%
  • Carbohydrate 54%
  • Fat 24%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy539 kcal128 kcal
Protein28.5 g6.8 g
Carbohydrate72.7 g17.2 g
Net carbohydrate70.2 g16.7 g
Sugars1.8 g0.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.5 g0.6 g
Fat14.4 g3.4 g
Saturated fat2.7 g0.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol64 mg15 mg
Sodium868 mg206 mg
Salt equivalent2.2 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
559 mg
Calcium
83 mg
Iron
6.4 mg
Magnesium
55 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
2 µg
Vitamin C
4 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
2.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
333 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: tomato, potato.
  • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
  • Basmati rice: Generic long-grain white rice (FDC 168877); basmati has very similar composition.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Toast the whole spices until they crackle and smell fragrant before adding the garlic — that's where pilau gets its aroma.

Common mistakes

  • Pale onions give a pale, bland pilau — brown them well.

Serve with

  • Serve with kachumbari and a chilli sauce.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 2 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat until steaming hot with a splash of water, covered.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Beef chuck, cut into 3 cm cubes600 g
  • Onion, thinly sliced2 piece · 220 g
  • Tomato, chopped (optional)1 piece · 120 g
  • Potato, peeled and quartered (optional)2 piece · 400 g
  • Basmati rice, rinsed and soaked 20 minutes500 g
Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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