I was really tired on a Friday night and was vegging out watching YouTube after a long work week.  While I was surfing for videos to watch, I caught a Tasty video about African party rice recipes.  I love a good rice recipe.  I also love a good ethnic recipe.  I had never heard of any of the recipes they presented.  They all looked great.  I decided on Kenyan Beef And Potato Pilau By Kiano Moju because I haven’t made a dish with beef in a while and it reminds me of Mujaddera.   Mujaddera is crispy onions, lentils and rice.  It’s one of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes.  A good thing about rice recipes is that they can be adjusted pretty easily.  Many rices dishes are also gluten free.  So let’s see how this African party rice dish looks with the Your Level Best treatment.  Here are the original stats:

• 392 Calories
• 15g Fat
• 35mg Cholesterol
• 887mg Sodium
• 308mg Potassium
• 50g Carbohydrate
• 18g Protein
• 14% Vitamin A
• 34% Vitamin C
• 2% Calcium
• 11% Iron

I will need to up the protein a little and lower the calories.  The sodium is high, but one of the ingredients is a beef stock cube.  Stock cubes are pure salt.  It needs more vitamin A and C too.  Here’s what I changed:

• I deleted the stock cubes and replaced the water with low sodium beef broth
• I deleted the tomato and replaced it with red bell pepper
• I lowered the vegetable oil by half
• I increased the servings from 8 to 13 to lower the calories
• I increased the beef to 2.25 lbs for protein
• I replaced the waxy potato with sweet potato for vitamin A.

Here are the final stats:

• 299 Calories
• 10g Fat
• 48mg Cholesterol
• 145mg Sodium
• 257mg Potassium
• 34g Carbohydrate
• 19g Protein
• 112% Vitamin A
• 100% Vitamin C
• 2% Calcium
• 9% Iron

Here is the final recipe:

Kenyan Beef And Potato Pilau

13 Servings

For the Pilau Masala

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

For the Pilau

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 1 serrano chile, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon pilau masala
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ¼ cup (10 g) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 10 ounces red bell pepper, chopped
• 2.25 lb (455 g) beef sirloin, cubed
• 1 lb sweet potato peeled and cut into 1 inch (2 cm) chunks
• 4 cups low sodium beef broth
• 2 cups brown basmati rice

1. Make the pilau masala: In a medium bowl, combine the cumin, paprika, cardamom, black pepper, and cloves. Set aside.
2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and red onion and sauté for 10-15 minutes, until dark brown.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, serrano chile, pilau masala, cinnamon stick, and cilantro. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
4. Add the beef and cook until browned, about 8 minutes.
5. Add the red bell pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes, until soft.
6. Add the potatoes and the beef broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
7. Add the rice, stir, and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.