COASTAL SWAHILI CUISINE

Your visit to Tanzanian coastal  areas from Tanga down to Mtwara in the south and from the  Zanzibar Archipelago will not be complete without tasting their  famous rice dishes, the Pilau and Biryani. These rice dishes was greatly influence by the Arabic and Indian cuisine. 

Pilau is usually serve with katchumbari

Ingredients of Pilau

• one-half teaspoon cumin seeds
• one-half teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• several whole cloves ("cloves" not "cloves of garlic")
• one cinnamon stick (or a few pinches ground cinnamon)
• a few cardamom pods (or a few pinches ground cardamom)
• oil for frying
• several cloves of garlic
• two teaspoons fresh ginger
• three cups of rice (uncooked)
• two to four onions, chopped
• one to two pounds of meat (beef, chicken, mutton, fish, shrimp, or prawns), cut into bite-sized pieces
• two to four potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• one cup raisins (optional)

Cooking procedure

• Cook the meat with salt and spices until when it is tender. Combine cumin, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom in a teacup, cover with warm water, stir, and set aside. (Cooking tip: The spices can be tied up in a small sack, like a tea bag, or can be put into a tea infuser before being placed in the warm water. This avoids having whole spices in the dish when it is served.)
• Pound the garlic and ginger together and set aside. Wash the rice, drain, and set aside.
• Heat oil in deep pot. Fry onions and potatoes until brown. Stir and remove some of the oil to reduce cholesterol. Add garlic and ginger. Continue stirring and frying until the flavors have mixed -- it should develop a nice aroma.
• Add the meat, stir and cook over high heat until meat is browned on the outside. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Remove the meat and potatoes, and set them aside. Add boiling water and the rice. Stir it thoroughly and add the watering spices. Stir. Wait five minutes. Cover and simmer for a few minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Check every few minutes to see if more water is needed and add water (or broth) as necessary. Stir as liquid is added. After ten minutes add the potatoes (and/or the optional raisins) and the meat and onions. Keep covered, keep checking, and add water if bottom of pot is dry. Continue cooking over low heat for ten more minutes.
• Remove pot from stove, keep covered. Place entire pot in warm oven for an additional ten to twenty minutes. All moisture should be absorbed by rice and potatoes should be tender. Serve hot.

Biryani is greatly influence by the arabic and indian cuisine. However, the Zanzibari biryani  has more leaning towards the   turkish biryani.

Ingredients of Biryani

• 10 ms dried Turkish saffron flowers
• 4 cloves garlic ( minced )
• 1 tea spoon minced fresh ginger
• 11/2 kg. Meat ( mutton, beef, goat, or chicken) cut into serving sized pieces
• 2 cups sour milk or plain yogurt
• 2 dl. Fresh lime juice
• 3 dl. Red vinagre
• 50 gms. Peeled almonds
• 4 hard cooked eggs
• 5 - 4 spoons ghee
• 1 kg. Fine sliced red onions
• 1 kg. Potatoes cut in big cubes
• Spices
  • ½ teaspoon cardamon grains
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 5 pcs. Cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tea spoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tea spoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• salt
• 3 spoons pilau masala mix
• 4 ripe peeled tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 5 cups of rice

Cooking  Procedure

• Heat oil in a large skillet. Deep fry the onions in hot oil until they are golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Deep fry the potatoes, in the same oil until golden brown. Remove the potatoes and set them aside. Do not throw the oil from the skillet, keep the oil, you will need it.
• Add the rice and salt.
• Boil the meat apart. Strain and keep aside.
• Saute all the spices using the oil from the skillet. Place the mixture in a large pot, add yogurt or buttermilk and lime juice, cover and let it to cook over low heat, stirring regularly. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and few spoonful of oil from the skillet. Stir and continue to cook over low heat. Add buljong from the cooked meat if sauce becomes too thick. Prepare to taste by checking salt, add meat, potatoes and red vinagre. Simmer the dish until the potatoes and the meat is cooked. Finnish the sauce by adding the dried saffron flowers.
• Cook rice in the usual way. ( one part rice to two parts water ) with a little bit of oil from the skillet. The meat should be done by the time the rice is cooked. Pre-heat oven to medium heat.
• Cover the Biriani sauce with the cooked rice. Mix 1 dl. Cold water with the remaining dried saffron , and pour it on the rice. Put some dried raisins , peeled almonds and insert cooked eggs in Biriani. Cover it and bake it a little bit in the oven, about twenty minutes before you serve it.
• Serve your Biriani hot with traditional Zanzibar Kachumbari.

Biryani of Salem Cafe in Wete, Pemba

In Wete, Pemba, the best biryani is served in Salem Cafe while the most delicious pilau is served in Afay Restaurant. In Unguja, Passing Shows serve the best biryani because  of it thick sauce and you can easily recognize the taste of the cloves  in it while Lukman's pilau is well recommended.

 Acknowledgement: recipes are courtesy of http://www.zanzinet.org/recipes/dishes/dishes.html, photos are mine.