Chicken Pilau
There meals that are so typically Kenyan. Meals that you will rarely miss at most gathering. You know those meals that ALL Kenyans think they can cook just by virtue of them being Kenyan. Sort of like the way you imagine all Italians should know how to make great pasta meals or pizza or that a Spaniard should have their paella skills locked down. Well pilau is one of those meals for Kenyans. Its always in every wedding or party but only thing is they do not really make pilau but some version of it where they put meat and some pilau masala and call it pilau, HAA!! What a shame.
Then there my relatives from central who made the term pilau Njeri famous. What we do is add everything we have then some pilau masala and call it Pilau. BIGGER HAAA!! I was never really in this league but in the league of those who just used pilau masala and came out with something sort of, kinda like pilau. That was until a few years ago when my gal Angie’s mum tried to teach me how to make it right. I never really got the measurements right but she did make a mean Pilau and she told me that she would sometimes add pilau masala for the color. Well the knowledge she passed on to me kinda faded away and I forgot all about cooking a good pilau till sometime last year when I discovered Fauzia and begun to try again.
I promise you this is the simplest pilau recipe you will ever come across. And it’s really tasty too each time I make it I have to stop myself from eating the whole sufuria.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken cut up into pieces
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 500 grams of rice
- 3 onions, chopped
- 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 pieces each
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin/coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground roasted cumin powder
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 5 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste (extra)
- a bunch of coriander,chopped
- 1 level tablespoon whole cumin
- ½ teaspoon whole pepper
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 2 cardamom
Instructions
Soak the rice in 4 cups of water for at least 30 minutes
Put the chicken with 1 tablespoon of garlic,1 teaspoon ginger, black pepper and salt. Add the water. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes ONLY. The chicken will cook later
Put a big pot on heat. Once it is hot add the oil and butter. Once butter is melted add the spices in the spices coloumn. Stir and once they begin to splutter add onions and cook till they are translucent then add in the potatoes, turmeric and cumin/coriander powder. Stir and fru for a few minutes then add in the remaining garlic and the chopped coriander.
Add in the boiled chicken stir well then add the stock ( the ratio of stock:rice is 1.25:1, 1 and ¼ cups of stock for every cup of rice) and some salt. Let it simmer then taste for salt. It should be “too” salty for your liking so that it’s just right when the rice is cooked.
Drain rice and add to the pot, stir well then sprinkle with some coriander on top. Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes then reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Once the water has reduced reduce the heat to very low. Let this cook for about ten minutes then switch off the heat.
Fluff rice with a fork and leave the lid on for about 3 minutes.
HAPPY EATING!!
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/chicken-pilau/Satay Chicken skewer
Sometimes you get home from work and you can’t even be bothered to think let alone cook and eat. But our bodies are our bodies they need nourishment and at 8pm you start to starve and you think what would be a quick tasty meal to fix and …………….. you come up with this. Serve it with a salad and call it a night. Goodnight………. HAPPY COOKING!!
Ingredients
- 2 boneless chicken breast cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- salt and ground pepper
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
If you’re using wooden skewers soak them in water for 30 minutes so that they don’t burn.
Mix the spices, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, oil, ½ tablespoon garlic, ¼ chilli flakes and salt and pepper. Rub this on the chicken, then thread the chicken onto the skewers
Heat a grill pan or frying pan. Cook the skewers for 4-5 minutes on each side.
To make the dip mix all the remaining ingredients, you could add some water or coconut milk if you want it to be more saucy.
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/satay-chicken-skewer/
Chinese Pork Dumplings
A few weekends ago we had an Asian Night with most of my lady colleagues where we were taught how to make a few Asian dishes. Tomoko and Sampathi were our teachers that night and we had a mighty good time (see the previous post of photos). Sampathi taught us a Sri Lankan dish and Tomoko, who is Japanese, taught us how to make this lovely Chinese dumplings.
Tomoko
My first encounter with dumplings many many years ago was not a nice one. We had a few Chinese guests and they made some dumplings. I was young and I could not for the life of me imagine why anyone would enjoy eating steamed dough with steamed meat inside…..aaargggghh. So a few years later I had fried dumplings and I really enjoyed them and then one day I tried the steamed ones and I was in love. Funny how our preferences change as we grow.
Chinese Pork Dumplings
Kenyans are funny people too, when we were cooking some of these women kept asking whether we would eat the dumplings looking raw, to them the dough just has to be browned 😉 heheh they did enjoy the end product though.
finely chop and wash cabbage
Mix cabbage with pork and all the other ingredients
roll dough up into a sausage
cut into small pieces
roll dough then cut into circular shapes using a mug
put about a teaspoon of the meat mixture in the centre of the dough
this is how the other side should look
I attempted to make one
Laura doing one as well
Jane proudly showing off her work
and now the recipe,
HAPPY COOKING!!
Ingredients
- 200 grams minced pork
- 6 leaves of cabbage chopped then washed (do not dry)
- 2 tablespoons of Sake
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons ginger
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- 2 cups Flour
- ¾ cup hot water
- salt to taste
- Soy sauce
- Vinegar
- Chilli paste
Instructions
To make the dough, dissolve the salt in the water. Put the flour in the bowl and make a well in the center. Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour while you add 3/4 cup water slowly. Aim to evenly moisten the flour. When all the water has been added, you will have lots of lumpy bits. Knead the dough in the bowl to bring all the lumps into one mass; if the dough does not come together easily, add water by the teaspoon or flour by the spoon.
Transfer dough to a work surface; flour your work surface sparingly. Knead the dough with the heel of your hand 2 minutes. Press on the dough; it should slowly bounce back, with a light impression of your finger remaining. Wrap the dough in cling film and set aside to rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. The dough should become soft.
Mix the pork with the cabbage. Add in all the other ingredients. Set aside
Divide the dough into 2, make a sausage and cut into small pieces roll them into balls. Roll the balls in corn flour and set a side.
Using a rolling pin roll into large circles and use a mug to cut out a clean circle. Flatten the edges of the dough with a rolling pin.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the mixture to centre the already rolled out dough. Apply some water on the edge of the circle using your finger. Fold the dough to seal it and form a pleat on the side of the dumpling using a fork.
Boil some water in a sufuria, Place a steamer on top of the boiling water and place dumplings on the steamer. Steam for 10-15 mins till a fork inserted comes out clean.
For the sauce mix all the ingredients together in whatever proportions you like, use it for dipping.
*you can substitute the Sake for shaoxing wine (not as smooth and sweet) OR vermouth (dry) OR white wine OR sherry (dry)
Substitute oyster sauce with soy sauce as it provides color and some flavor to the dish. You may also add half a teaspoon of sugar to the soy sauce. Some people add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce to the soy sauce or use fish sauce
*Please note that all substitutes give different flavours and it is best to invest in this sauces especially if you will be cooking often with them.
