Aunt Sarah’s Rice and Cabbage is a what we eagerly await all week long here at the Sseko workshop, and we are so excited when Friday rolls around and she starts whipping up her signature dish. Do you like trying new things? Do you want to try an easy to make meal packed full of vegetables? Give this recipe a try and let us know what you think!
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups rice
- 4 cups water
- 5-7 carrots
- 1/2 of a medium onion
- 5-7 tomatoes
- 1-2 heads of cabbage
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
PILAU MASALA
A traditional East African recipe for a classic blend of curry-style spices that is traditionally used to flavor curries and rice-based dishes.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp cardamom seeds
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp whole cloves
- 1 tsp dried piri-piri chillies (optional)
- 3 tablespoons onion, chopped
- 3 tomatoes, diced
DIRECTIONS:
To make the pilau masala spice mixture, heat a dry frying pan over moderate heat and add the cumin seeds. Dry for a minute, and then add cardamom seeds and cloves. Continue dry frying until the spices become aromatic then tip the spices into a spice or coffee grinder along with black pepper, cinnamon and chilies. Grind to a fine powder and use immediately or keep in air tight container for several months.
Heat a few teaspoons of cooking oil in a large saucepan. Chop onions and tomatoes. Add onions to pan and let them brown for a few minutes. Add 1/2 pilau masala spice mixture, tomatoes and salt. Fry the mix together. After a few minutes add water and bring to a boil. Add rice and stir only once. Cover and let rice cook thoroughly.
For the cabbage, place diced carrots, cut onions, and cut up tomatoes in the bottom of a cold saucepan. Next place shredded cabbage on top of mixture and bring the pan to moderate heat. Wait 20 minutes before stirring and discard extra water that comes from the cooking cabbage. Add salt and the rest of the pilau masala spice mixture. When almost all the water has cooked away, add a few tablespoons of oil and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately over rice.