About Pilau

Pilau, a fragrant spicy delightfully tasty rice dish has quickly become one of the favorites, when it comes to food, in many East African homes.
You will rarely miss pilau on the menu in many occasions you might attend especially in Kenya.

How I got Introduced to Making Pilau

I love pilau. When my siblings and I learned how to make this rice dish during culinary art in school, we introduced it to our home.

Since then, it’s become a favorite and one of our weekly or biweekly recipes on the menu in our household.

I made it multiple times to an extent that I gave it my own twist that I felt would work best even for a beginner.

No-meat Pilau

I later learned from a dear mentor that I don’t need meat to make this delightful rice.

This was a welcome discovery because there are days you just need a vegan dish for a guest or yourself. You want a meal you can relish. No-meat Pilau comes in handy.

Needless to say, in these challenging economic times, when meat can be quite costly and unaffordable, no-meat pilau is a go-to dish that is budget-friendly.

Sharing this No-meat Pilau Recipe

With the discovery of no-meat pilau, as I made it over the years, came the realization that several of those who relished my pilau, didn’t know you could make very delicious pilau without meat.

Actually, most didn’t even know that the pilau I was serving them had no meat! They also didn’t know how to make it in a way it would turn out beautifully and taste great!

The thought came from this discovery: Why not share this recipe with others?

I did- first on YouTube, with an overwhelmingly positive response, then here, where I know you too will enjoy this pilau without meat.

The Video Tutorial

You will find the video at the end of this post. Just like this post, the video tutorial of this no-meat pilau rice recipe is very easy to follow.

From the feedback I have received, those who have followed the instructions have not been disappointed. I trust you too won’t be disappointed!

Pilau Masala Spice

I need to say something about the spice.

I love Tropical Heat’s ground Pilau Masala. The best of the best though, is freshly ground pilau masala spice at home. No store-bought ground pilau masala can beat the aromatic fragrance of homemade freshly ground pilau masala.

You can buy it at the store whole and grind it in your grinder at home, then use it to make pilau.

You can also buy the spices separately and combine them at home in the ratios I’ve used in this recipe here that explains how to make your own pilau masala at home.

In the the same recipe, incase you don’t have a grinder, I show you how to grind your pilau masala in a mortar and pestle at home.

Pilau is very simple to make, as you will see. I can’t wait to show you how. So, let’s get started!

Kenyan No-meat Pilau Recipe - Best Pilau Recipe Without Meat

Clara Karushi

This is a very delicious easy-to-make pilau recipe without meat. The fact that it doesn't have meat makes this no-meat pilau rice recipe budget-friendly and a delightful vegan dish too. Accompanying the recipe is a very easy-to-follow video tutorial incase you'd like to watch the video for more clarity.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Course Main Course

Cuisine African, Indian, kenyan

Servings 8

Equipment

1 Cooking Pan
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Fork
1 Mortar and Pestle
1 grater A grater can also be used in the absence of a mortar and pestle

Ingredients

3 Cups rice (Preferably pishori or long-grained rice, heaped and washed and all the water drained out of the rice
2 large onions sliced into small pieces
2 medium size tomatoes grated or skinned and cut up into small pieces
2 tbsps finely grated fresh garlic
2 tbsps finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp finely grated fresh turmeric or ½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 & ½ tsps pilau masala spice
1 & ½ tsps salt
10 tbsps cooking oil to fry
6 cups hot water -work with the cup you used to measure the rice

Optional

1 small grated green bell pepper
3 tbsps dhania/ coriander

*Note that you can crush your garlic, ginger and fresh turmeric in a mortar and pestle rather than grating it for better results. You may use about 5 to 6 cloves of garlic and an equal amount of ginger and a small piece of fresh turmeric. Ensure to peel and cut them up into smaller pieces to make crushing easier. Adding a little salt too will help ease the crushing process. If you, however, grate as I did, use the finer side of your grater.

Instructions

Step One:
In a suitable clean pan you’re using to cook the pilau, add the salad oil and place it on the fire. Let the oil get hot; not smoking hot.
Step Two:
Add the onion and fry to a golden color. Stir frequently.
Step Three:
Add the garlic, ginger, and fresh turmeric. If you’re using turmeric powder, wait and add it with the pilau masala spice later. Keep stirring until the entire mixture turns a dark golden brown.
*This dark brown color is key because this is what will give your pilau the characteristic golden color of pilau without having to use a darkener. This means you'll need to ensure to fry your mixture until it looks like it’s about to burn, but don’t let it burn.
Step Four:
Add the tomato at this point. Stir a little, cover, and significantly lower the heat. Let the mixture simmer for a minute or two.
Step Five:
Stir in the tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of dhania, and the green pepper.
Add the pilau masala and the salt and evenly stir the mixture.
Cover again for a minute, still on low heat, to allow the ingredients to blend well together.
Step Six:
Next, stir in the rice and continue stirring until all the ingredients are evenly blended together.
Pour in the hot water and stir the mixture. Bring it to a boil.
Cover the pan and significantly lower the heat. Let the rice cook on this very low heat for about 20 minutes or until most of the water in the rice is gone.
Step Seven:
Use a fork to gently turn the rice, allowing the ingredients to mix into the rice evenly, now that they tend to collect at the top.
Step Eight:
Cover again and let the rice cook for another 10 or so minutes.
Step Nine:
Gently turn your rice again with a fork then cover. Give it another 10 minutes or until the rice is ready.
Garnish with the remaining dhania (coriander) and, or any other suitable garnish.
Finally... What we've been waiting for!
Serve with a vegetable salad, kachumbari, guacamole, or with a suitable curry, sauce, or stew.

Video

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Kenyan No-meat Pilau Recipe – Best Pilau Recipe Without Meat