Vegetarian Mushroom Pilau

This vegetarian mushroom pilau, inspired by my childhood in Tanzania, is an easy and flavourful way to elevate rice to a whole new level. I spent the first decade of my life in and out of Tanzania and I fell in love with the country. The people, the food, the flavours, the climate and everything in between. This recipe and many more to come is an ode to my time in Tanzania. Tanzania is a melting pot with cultures from across the Indian Ocean — from the Indian subcontinent, South East Asia and the middle. As I always mention, food is a mirror to learning about other cultures and this dish is an example of that. It highlights the connection of eastern Africa with spices and ingredients common also in Indian cooking. I am not Tanzanian but I do hope to showcase the many cultures in this country through the food I share.

Swahili Food 101

If you have not had the pleasure to visit coastal Kenya, Tanzania or the Islands off the shore of East Africa, you are missing out on incredible food culture and history. As one of the major stops on an extensive spice trade route, Eastern Africa has had centuries of history that involved the mixing of Indian, Arabic and African cultures. The language — Swahili– is a mixture of Bantu and Arabic words and the food follows the same trend.

Swahili food is full of spices found in many Indian and Arabic cuisine like the use of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, and peppercorn. Flavours combine typical Indian ocean flavours like coconut with more indigenous African flavours like tamarind. Swahili food is perfect for people who do not like pepper but love to try various warm spices.

It is important to note that Swahili food does not encompass the food culture of all Eastern African countries as cultures found more inland ( which are mainly Bantu/black Africans) have different cooking methods and flavours they enjoy. This is also the beauty of East African food culture.

What is a Pilau?

The word pilau comes in different forms depending on where you are. In Trinidad, it is pelau; in Central Asia it is palov and in India, it can be called pulao. They all refer to a rice dish cooked with spices and a few add-ins. The rice is truly the star of the dish. This makes it different from biryani which is a one-pot rice dish with protein, veg, and sometimes potatoes, where rice is not THE STAR of the dish. The pilaus I had the pleasure of devouring in Tanzania were made with one animal protein and lots of onions sauteed in oil, basmati rice and a combination of spices (mainly lots of cumin, with cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper). It is super simple and addicting. My vegetarian mushroom pilau is not 100% authentic as I have included coconut-based products and omitted the animal protein but it is just as delicious.

What you will need for Vegetarian Mushroom Pilau

• Mushrooms: I used dried shiitake mushrooms as I love the flavour and they can be cooked for a long time without disintegrating. But you can use any kind of mushroom you want. I will suggest using dried mushrooms.
• Onions: This adds sweetness to this dish and colour from the caramelization
• Pilau Masala: Everyone makes their pilau masala different but the base of pilau masala is a lot of cumin followed by a few cinnamon sticks, a couple of cardamom pods and black pepper. Some people include cloves others include star anise. It all depends on preferences
• Rice: the only right rice for this dish is basmati rice.
• Coconut: Most people do not include coconut milk, but I love the flavour of coconut so I include it.
• Broth: I am using my favourite Better than Bouillon Vegetable base but any stock cube can work. You can even substitute the water for a veggie broth for more flavour.

FAQ + Substitutions

1. Can I use brown rice? Yes, you can use brown basmati rice but you might want to add some more water to account for the extra cooking time. Make sure to cook it long and low so that the rice cooks well and evenly.
2. I am allergic to coconut, can I omit it? Yes, you sure can. You can just replace the coconut oil with water.
3. Where can I purchase these spices? Grocery stores now carry a lot of these spices but here are a few places that offer single-origin and more sustainable spices: Diaspora Co or Burlap and Barrel. Local Indian/Middle Eastern grocery stores also carry a huge selection of spices.
4. I do not have whole spices, can I use the powder version? Yes, you can! you will probably need to reduce the quantities by 1/3 – 1/2 depending on how fresh the spices are as ground spices are a lot more concentrated than whole spices
5. Can I make this oil-free? You certainly can but it will impact the sweetness of the dish as the onions need oil to caramelize well.
6. Can I use fresh mushrooms? Yes, you can! They will get soft so make sure to use hardy mushrooms like portabello or brown cremini mushrooms.

What can I serve this dish with?

• Mishkaki Tofu Skewers are another East African dish that will pair perfectly with this rice.
• For an East-West African Fusion, you can try my super popular Yassa Tofu.

If you like this recipe, make sure to leave a comment below and tag me on all socail media platfroms @eatwithafia

Print Recipe

Vegetarian Mushroom Pilau

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 heaping tbsp of coconut oil
• 1.5 cups mushrooms
• 2 small onions
• 2 large cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tbsp of minced ginger
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anises
• 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1/2 tsp of whole cloves
• 1 tsp of black peppercorns
• 2.5 cups of basmati rice washed
• 1 tbsp of better than bouillon paste
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3.5 cups of water
• Parchement paper

Instructions

• Heat the pot to toast the spices. Toast the spices for a few minutes till you start to smell them. Take the spices of the heat, separate out the cinnamon stick and the star anise then grind the rest of the whole spices into a powder.
• In a pot at medium heat, melt the coconut oil and saute the onions till caramelized.
• Once the onions have caramelized, add in the ginger, garlic and mushrooms and saute for a few minutes.
• Add in the spices and mix around. If the pan is looking dry, deglaze with a little bit of water.
• Wash your basmati rice well then add to the pot.
• Add in your water, and coconut milk, and better than bouillon. Mix everything well, cover the pot, then turn the heat high for a few minutes till the water starts to boil. Once it boils, turn the heat to low and leave the pot still covered for about 30 minutes.
• Check the rice after half hour to check if it is cooked. You can cover the pot with parchment paper to allow the steam to cook the rice well.
• After 10 minutes, check in on the rice to make sure it is cooked. If it is cooked, turn off the heat and let the pot cool down. This allows the rice stuck to the bottom of the pot to cool down and come off easily.
• Serve with choice of protein.