PILAU CUISINE.
The flavor of Tanzanian foods has left a profound impression after tasting them on ones tongue And, one will experience a fantastic feeling if you he or she gets a chance to try them. The flavor of Tanzanian food and recipes always makes people flutter and get the feeling to want to eat more and more. Despite all the recipes prepared still Tanzanian dishes taste the best mostly if prepared by the locals. There are a lot of amazing traditional Tanzanian foods you should definitely try when visiting the country, but not just that. There are also a lot of these dishes prepared internationally.
Like in many countries ,food is among the basic need required for survival and speaking of home made food ( Tanzania food),it is the best.The tasty meals made in Tanzania have not only made people to get their basic need but also food has served as a source of income and a tourist attraction to foreigners interested to learn our culture which includes the delicious meals that are prepared with uniqueness and which are nutritious.
Among all dishes served in Tanzania ,I would love to talk about the Tanzania most popular food which is the pilau nyama(spiced rice with meat).
Pilau also called pilaf(US spelling) is a rice dish which involves addition of spices with either beef,goat or chicken .Also some prefer to add vegetables like green peas ,carrots,onions and bell peppers to add flavor.This dish is cooked by spices like cumin ,cloves,cardamom and cinnamon also irish potatoes may be added,the mixture of all those when cooked to perfection it forms a nice tasty dish that will make one want to eat more and more.When cooking pilau one may prefer to use direct spices from the market or use pilau masala which is a mixture of black peppercorns, cloves,cumin, cardamom,ginger and cinnamon all in powder form.All that mixture in the masala provides a nice arouma and brown color of the pilau.
The pilau masala has got a lot of health benefits that is why is mostly preferred,these include,
⦁ It helps to aid one’s digestion
⦁ It provides strong antioxidants
⦁ It regulates blood pressure
⦁ It improved the heart health
⦁ It reduced inflammation
⦁ It lowers cancer risk
⦁ It fight oral bacteria
⦁ It enhances nutrient absorbtion
⦁ It defends against diabetes
In any restaurant one will never miss pilau in the menu since it is really a popular food. It is also preferred in different ceremonies like weddings,also in festivals like Christmas periods,New year and Eid.So one can frequently have taste of this delicious Tanzanian food. The outcome of pilau mixture is very similar to the western africa dish called jollof. However,the two meals are not the same and spices used to make pilau are very different from those used to make jollof rice.
The rice used to make pilau may be the normal rice or basmat rice but in most restaurants prefer to use the basmat rice. Pilau can be served along with salad or kachumbari or vegetables also roasted sauce. Tanzanian pilau rice is often difficult to separate from its indian roots .However when it comes to African cuisine,pilau in East Africa’s ubiquitous rice dish and often extends beyond its coastline from Zanzibar into the indian ocean islands such as Mauritius.
Origin of Pilau.
Basing on different literature pilau is said to organize from India though Tanzania pilau has more spices than that of india. It is said that pilau has been brought in Africa originally by the arabs and later on ,it was spread to America by the enslaved Africans. Also it is said that the name pilau derives from Persian term “polow” which is a rice mixed with things like spices ,nuts and meat. Pilau dish is also similar to Barris ( Basmati Rice Pilaf with raisins) but it is made with coconut milk and without tomato or raisins.
Pilau recipe.
Preparation of pilau involves many ingredients and one may use a charcoal stove or any other stove but majority of people in Tanzania use charcoal stove and prepare the mixture of spices on their own instead of using the pilau masala but either ways results to a perfectly cooked pilau.
Ingredients
⦁ 4 cups of rice
⦁ 1 kg of meat
⦁ 4 garlic cloves
⦁ Grounded ginger
⦁ Table salt
⦁ Water
⦁ Tomatoes
⦁ Clean water
⦁ Beef masala
⦁ 4 small potatoes
⦁ Boiled green peas
⦁ Cardamom seeds
⦁ Cooking oil
⦁ 3 well chopped onions
Directions
⦁ Cut the meat in small pieces and add salt then boil with water
⦁ Crush galic and cardamom together with salt by using mortar and pestle
⦁ Add oil in hot cooking pan then add chopped onions stir until the onions turn to golden brown.
⦁ Then add beef masala,crushed ginger and garlic
⦁ Add tomatoes and stir well until they are well cooked ,then afterwards add pilau masala and stir.
⦁ Add boiled meat and then stir throughout
⦁ Add a cup of water to the mixture then leave it to boil
⦁ Wash the rice and put it in the boiled water mixture add potatoes,add boilrdgreen peas then cook(while covered for 15-20 minutes over low heat until all water is dissolved and the rice is cooked through.
⦁ If you are reusing the charcoal put the hot charcoal on top of the sufuria lid and leave there few pieces of charcoal on bottom of cooking stove( jiko).
⦁ Check after 15 minutes remove the lid and stir your pilau add some water in your pilau,if its not yet ready
Then serve the pilau with kachumbari or salad and enjoy your meal.
Sometimes its not necessary pilau to contain meat ,some people prefer to prepare pilau without me at which is nick named as pilau bubu.As a substitute people prepare roasted meat aside which is very nice too as the normal pilau nama since the same spices are used to prepare the pilau bubu.
Where to find pilau..
Pilau can be made simply at home but also in restaurants.The famous restaurant which has been operating for almost four decades is the Butiama restaurant located at Magomeni town in Dar as salaam,it serves a delicious spicy pilau at an affordable price of tsh2000-tsh 4000. Other restaurants include Harare city restaurant,Chefs pride restaurant,Swahili kitchen restaurant,sanara grill restaurant and many others.
Why should one eat pilau…..
As for many food types are like two sides coin ,they have advantages and side effects too. Despite this fact pilau has been chief leading food with a lot of healthy benefits which include:
It is a source of carbohydrates and proteins which are essential to provide energy and also body building, pilau contains rice which is rich in carbohydrates that is a energy source and the meat of either beef,goat or chicken is protein for body building and the salad served along with the dish is rich in vitamins hence making pilau dish to be a well balanced diet.
It helps in loosing weight,pilau is rich in dietary fibers that help one to be full for along time,so choosing fiber rich food like pilau may help one to consume fewer calories overall per day.
It aids in digestion,along with the spices present in the pilau,this dish is a helpful staple that can be easily added to a daily diet to optimize the digestive system. The fibres present in pilau helps to regulate instinct movements and keep ones bowel movements regular.
It controls blood sugar level,to control blood sugar low carbohydrates and fats should be included in ones diet. Pilauis beneficial to control blood sugar levels as it has low glycemic index which means the food that one consumes digests slower and it doesn’t cause ones blood sugar to spike after that. Pilau contains phytic acid fibre and essential polyphenols that help in the slower release of sugar, keeping one healthy.
Drawbacks of Pilau.
1. Measurable levels of arsenic have been found in rice
Arsenic is a toxic carcinogen and exposure has been linked to cause several types of cancer. So one should control control the amount of rice is she or he eating and where is it from that includes pilau too since it contain rice.
2. Rice has relatively high glycemic index
We obtain energy from rice( pilau) and it’s a good thing but at the same time rice has high glycemic index meaning it spikes one blood sugar quickly and can lead to fatigue and headache.
Physicians do not advice people with ulcers to consume pilau due to the mixture of spices that are used in the preparation and if any person takes pilau he or she is advised to drink a lot of water to at least neutralize the acidity as a result of spices used.
Food has always been part of travel because tasting delicate of new destination is a satisfying experience. Tanzanian foods have not only provided this wonderful experience but they’re also inclusive when one is talking about a healthy diet( balanced diet).Among tanzania’s great pride is to be able to cultivate a lot of food stuffs which even can be used for exportation and these food stuffs are so natural and healthy.For sure,it’s a pleasure and delight to taste Tanzanian meals and meat the hospitile people who serve them.
It’s really tremendous 👏 👌
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.