Kenya — Pilau

Kenyan coastal pilau is known for its combination of rice and spices. Beef versions bring meat, onions and flavourful cooking liquid together with the rice. A blend including cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin gives a warm aroma. Ingredients and amounts vary by cook.

Brownish rice is not necessarily very hot or spicy. Fried onions, stock and spices shape both colour and flavour. Rice cooked without becoming mushy and tender meat matter here too. Plenty of spices cannot make up for poor cooking.

Pilau also appears in Mombasa's everyday meals. Served with tomato-and-onion kachumbari salad, the fresh vegetables' juiciness complements the warm spiced rice. It is useful to understand this dish through its own spice profile and place at the coastal table, rather than through its name's similarity to Uzbek palov alone.