| Biriani is traditional Swahili wedding food. It is usually | | | | · Peel the potatoes and let them soak for a few |
| cooked overnight before the wedding day, so that is | | | | minutes in food colouring, so that they get an orange |
| ready to be served at lunchtime. | | | | glow. |
| Ingredients needed (serves 6-8 people) | | | | · Fry the potatoes in oil, like crisps, but do not slice |
| For the stew: | | | | them up; simply cut them in two's or four's depending |
| Half a raw papaya | | | | on the size of the potato. |
| A glass of fermented, sour milk (Maziwa Mala) | | | | · Add the fried potatoes to the stew. |
| 6 big tomatoes | | | | · Slice the onions and fry them in the same oil as |
| 6 big onions | | | | the potatoes. |
| 5 cloves of garlic | | | | · Add three quarters of the fried onions to the |
| A stem of ginger (or approx. 100 grams) | | | | stew, save the rest to add to the rice as decoration |
| 100 grams dried cumin seeds | | | | when serving it. |
| 2 small tins of tomato paste | | | | · When the potatoes and onions are fried, add a |
| Salt to taste | | | | cup of the oil used to fry them to the stew. |
| For the rice: | | | | · Add (little) water and/or salt to taste, depending |
| 1 kilogram of rice | | | | on the texture of the stew. |
| Yellow or orange food colouring | | | | Preparing the rice: |
| Preparing the stew: | | | | · Wash and clean the rice if necessary. |
| · Grind the dried cumin seeds to a powder | | | | · Cook the rice according to the instructions on |
| · Slice the tomatoes; grind the garlic, ginger and | | | | the packet. |
| papaya. | | | | · When the rice is almost dry, add a little food |
| · Put the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and papaya in a | | | | colouring to it by making a small hole on top and putting |
| blender, together with the tomato paste and 2 cups of | | | | in the food colouring. Spread out the food colouring |
| water. | | | | over different parts of the rice, but not everywhere. |
| · Blend the ingredients to a smooth paste. | | | | When the rice is ready, gently stir it so that the colour |
| · Cook the paste on medium heat, including the | | | | is spread out. |
| cumin seeds, for about 10 minutes. | | | | · Sprinkle the leftover fried onions on top as |
| · When the stew is boiling, add the chicken and | | | | decoration. |
| the sour milk and add salt to taste | | | | Serve the rice and stew separately. You can serve |
| · Let the stew cook until the meat is very tender | | | | this dish with fresh chilli paste and a salad. Bon |
| (the sour milk and raw papaya soften the meat). | | | | appetite! |