Pilau Recipe

Hey Everyone,

Here is a recipe for Pilau which I made last weekend.

This pilau serves about 6 plates. So you can make a smaller portion!

Let me know when you try the recipe, and share your photos if you can!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (8-10 pieces)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
Salt

1/3 cup of olive oil (or cooking oil of your choice)
3 cups of basmati rice
2 1/4 cups of hot water
6 cardamon seeds
2 large onions
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
3-4 potatoes
4 tbsp Pilau masala

Prior Preparations:

Soak 3 cups of basmati rice in cold water

 Clean Chicken pieces. Add salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 1tbsp lemon juice. Mix in a bowl.

Peel potatoes and cut them in halves.

Peel and chop 2 large onions.

Cooking:

Heat oil and add cardamon seeds. Leave for 1 minute

Add onion to oil and cook until translucent.

Add 1 tbsp of garlic and 1 tbsp ginger. Cook garlic and ginger paste for 3 minutes.

Add seasoned chicken in pot. Stir and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add potatoes to the cooking pot. Cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Add 1 tbsp of Pilau masala. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove chicken pieces and the potatoes from the pot and place on a plate, leaving the onions and any sauce in the pan.

Add 2 1/4 cups of hot water and 3 tbsp of pilau masala into the pan. Add salt to taste. Boil for 2 minutes.

Drain water from the rice and clean it once. Add drained rice onto the pilau sauce.

Reduce heat to low-medium, cover the pot and cook rice for 20 minutes.

Add chicken and potatoes to the rice. Stir. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with kachumbari! Enjoy!

Chicken Curry Recipe!

Well, here is another pictorial... this time it is chicken curry. (Indian chicken curry), or at least my version of it.lol. It is a lot easier to cook as well.

I will be making a beef dish soon, for you to try at home.

Ingredients:
Part one:
2 boneless chicken breasts( cut into bite sizes)
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of blackpepper
2 teaspoons of lemon juice, or 1/2 a real lemon
1 pinch cayenne pepper.

Part two:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup plain yoghurt
3/4 cup coconut milk
salt to taste

Prior preparations:

Place your chicken pieces in a bowl. Marinate with a pinch of salt, a pinch of black paper, a pinch of cayenne pepper and lemon juice. (I added some chilli on mine for extra hotness). Mix well. Cover with cling film, and place chicken in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

In another bowl, mix in your 3 tablespoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of white sugar and 1 bayleaf. Set aside.


Cook:

Set your cooker on medium heat. Heat olive oil in pan and add onions. Cook until onions are soft and translucent (p.s, mine are slightly burnt, lol).

Add 1 teaspoon of ginger, and 1 teaspoon of garlic. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Add your spice mix. Stir well.

Cook onions and spice mix for 2 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 cup of plain yoghut, and 3/4 cup of coconut milk. Mix well.

Add your chicken and mix well. Bring the curry to boil(bubble). Reduce the heat to medium low, and cover pot and let the curry cook for 20 minutes. You can stir from time to time.

After 20 minutes, taste your curry. Add salt if needed. If food is too spicy, add water and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. (if you add water, increase cookers heat to bring the curry to boil, then reduce it again to medium low)

Cover the pot and cook for another 20 minutes, untouched.

You are done. Serve with rice or paratha. This amount is enough for two days! 

Enjoy! 

Butter Chicken Recipe!

Here is another: "How to" pictorial, and it's "Butter Chicken" also known as Chicken Makhani. This dish is not that difficult to make, as long as you have all the ingredients. The only difficult part is chopping up onions and cutting up pieces of chicken, lol! Seriously, it may look complex but it is easy and tastes delicious. It is a little spicey, but you have the power to make it as spicey as you would like! Try it now, or try it in Uni.

I am still constructing a list of spices that you should purchase from shoprite, to bring with you, as a lot of dishes use the same ones.

Ingredients:
Part one:
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
2 Chicken breasts (cut into bite sizes, and season lightly with a pinch of salt and black pepper)
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
1 Pinch Cayenne pepper

Part two:
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
2 Tablespoon Butter
1 medium onion
1 Teaspoon Ginger paste
1 Teaspoon Garlic paste
2 Teaspoon lemon juice
1 Teaspoon ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon chilli powder ( put less if you don't want it too hot)
2 chopped chillis  (optional, if you want extra spicey)
1 Cup diced/chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 Cup Half and Half
1/4 Cup plain yoghurt
Salt
Black pepper



Cooking Part one:

Set the cooker on medium high heat, place your pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and your seasoned (salt and black pepper) chicken pieces. It should start to sizzle. Fry your chicken for 10-15, stirring frequently.

Chicken should turn light brown as shown, reduce the heat to Medium low.

Add 1 teaspoon of Garam masala and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Stir ingredients together and cook for 2 more minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and set in aside.

Cooking Part two:

Set cooker on Medium heat. Heat up 1 tablespoon olive oil, add chopped onions.

Cook onions by stirring frequently until they are soft and slightly brown.

Add 2 tablespoon of butter, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, 2 teapoon lemon juice, and chillies (optional) and mix ingredients and cook for 1 minute.

Add 1 teaspoon of Garlic paste and 1 teaspoon of Ginger paste. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Add 1 cup of diced/chopped tomatoes. Stir and cook for 2 minutes

Add 1 cup of half and half, and 1/4 cup of plain yoghurt. Mix and bring to the boil. Once it starts to boil(bubble), reduce heat to medium low. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add salt and black pepper to your liking. Taste it ofcourse! Cover the pot and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium, Add your previously cooked chicken and bring the sauce to boil. If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of half and half. If it's too watery add 1 teaspoon of peanut butter (or boil the sauce with the lid open, this should let some water evaporate.)

Once sauce is at your desired thickness, taste it, see if the salt is enough, and then reduce the heat to medium low.

Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes.

Pour your butter chicken on your serving dish, or serve immediately with steamed rice or paratha! Enjoy!

P.S I garnished my sauce with cilantro, hence the green leaves. you can do the same if you have them

I can't wait for you guys to try it and ofcourse, this is enough to eat for two days, lol! If you want to cook less, just half all the ingredients!

Heart ya!

Steamed White Basmati Rice with a little kick!

I introduce to you, some kitchen fun! I know you will all be in Uni, and sometimes you just want to fix yourself something good to eat as oppose to all the junk you end up eating around campus (and what have you). Well, I will be sharing with you some of my favourite recipes and offer some pictorials to assist you in creating the different dishes. So it is only proper to begin with a staple.... plain old steamed rice, with a little kick! No more boko boko rice!lol!

P.S I will give a list of spices that you should carry with you from home, as they are fresh and pretty inexpensive.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Basmati Rice (or long grain rice)
Cold water
1 and 1/4 Cup hot water
3 Cardamon pods
1 Cinamon Stick
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Prior preparations:

Sock rice in cold water, making sure the water covers the rice, for about 15 minutes (This method helps soften the rice grains)

Pour out the cold water and wash the rice once. Drain all water out from the rice.

Cooking:

Place cooking pot/pan on cooker, and set it on medium heat. While the cooker begins to heat up, pour in your oil, cardamon pods, cumin seeds and cinammon stick, and let them cook for 1 minute. 

Then pour in your drained rice

Stir all ingredients together, making sure all grains of rice are covered in oil.

Add your hot water, and salt to your liking. You can taste the water to know if the salt is enough.

Cover your pot and reduce the heat to medium low. Leave the rice to cook for 20 minutes. Do not open the pot any point. 

Once the 20 minutes are up, remove pot from cooker, with the lid still on, and let it cool for 3 minutes. Follow by forking the rice(that is mixing the rice with your fork), and Voila....! Bon appetite! You can try it at home!

If there is anything you would like me to cook, let me know. 

One of my favourite Indian curry "Butter Chicken" will be up next!

Waterloo Bridge

To get to class, for the last couple of weeks i've had to walk through Waterloo Bridge to where the programs were held.
When I think back to when I first had the thought of studying in London and thought this place would be all gloomy with just tall boring buildings and no atmosphere- if I saw this, it would have changed my mind.

There is only a river across the bridge, but it makes a big difference! It feels like you're walking by the sea (probably only during cool during summer days like now)... but imagine it being like walking through Salandar Bridge.



The view is of Canary Wharf. Basically one of the two major business districts here in London. Like the Posta area in Dar. There they have UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest and they're now finishing the tallest building in the European Union.

I don't know if....

... I am the only one who has been living under a rock, but I found out that google has an audio translate!!!! Well, I have been cracking up at all the swahili pronunciations and have been learning some french. Check it out if you haven't already!

http://translate.google.com/

Have a nice Sunday!

Thames River Cruise

I took this one on a cruise over Thames River. They call it CanaryWharf. It's maybe has got the New York City look and feel (notice shorter skyscrapers), but it's defiantly London!
I guess cities look extra special when surrounded by water, even when it's only a river!

We also managed to cruise through the Tower of London.

St Paul's Catholic Church

I thought i'd start sharing some of the photos i've taken whilst here in London before anyone else got to see them, so here will be their exclusive debut/launch before they show up on places like Facebook.

Here is a photo I took of the St. Paul's Catholic Church here in London.
It would have been nice if that whole street in front of the church was shut to get a better view of it, but London is way too busy. If you click on the photo you'll get a better view. Enjoy!

Fun facts:
The church sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London.
Also St Paul's is the second largest church building in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral.

UPDATE:
After our presentation at the London Stock Exchange, which was on the buildings to the left of church, I got a second chance to try get a better photo of the church building.