Chandler Henderson, a journalism student, shares his recipe for fried rice,  —also known as Pilau. This recipe is inspired by Tanzanian culture and differs from fried rice traditionally found in Asian cultures. Rather than having to cook the rice prior to frying it, in this recipe you fry the rice prior to cooking it. This will save you time and create a different flavor profile.

“You can get pretty experimental with it,” Henderson said. “It’s almost impossible to make bad.”

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion

• 2 bell peppers 

• 2 cups of carrots

• 1 jalapeño 

• 8 cloves of garlic

• 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

• 2 cups of rice

• 4 cups of stock

• 1 tbsp African pepper blend spice

• Dash of salt

• 1 tbsp of mustard

• 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper 

• 2 tbsp fried rice seasoning

Instructions: 

1. Cut red onions and bell peppers into strips, dice carrots and jalapeños and mince garlic. If you want to reduce the spice profile, make sure to remove the seeds from the jalapeños.

2. Soak uncooked rice in cold water for about an hour. 

3. Pour olive oil in a wok or frying pan and fry onions on medium heat. Add garlic, jalapeño, bell peppers and salt and pepper blend.

4. Remove excess water and place rice on top of veggies. Add mustard, cayenne pepper and fried rice seasoning. Cover wok or pan and cook on medium-low heat for 30 minutes. After that time, your rice should become a solid “puck.”

5. Break rice apart with a pair of spatulas and add carrots and veggie stock.

6. Cook rice as normal and enjoy!