The St Helena plo pilau rice recipe. A yummy plate of goodness bursting with colour and flavours, that smells so good.

The St Helena plo pilau rice recipe. A yummy plate of goodness bursting with colour and flavours, that smells so good.

 

A Yummy Taste Of St. Helena Island | Sharon Henry

When it comes to food St Helena plo, a pilau recipe is one of the island’s favourites, a spicy mix of curry and rice that hits the spot every time. Bursting with flavour this colourful, one pot wonder is a simple comfort food that will put you in a happy mood from the very first forkful.

Ingredients for making St Helena plo a one pot wonder, set and ready for their call up.

Ingredients for St Helena plo, a one pot wonder, set and ready for their call up.

 

Making St Helena plo / pilau. Piece bacon and pork sausages is our favourite type of plo but chicken, beef, corned beef and fish can also be used. Or even, omit the meat for a vegetarian option.

Making St Helena plo / pilau. Piece bacon and pork sausages is our favourite type of plo but chicken, beef, corned beef and fish can also be used. Or even, omit the meat for a vegetarian option.

 

Plo is otherwise known as pilau or pilaf to the rest of the world, a rice dish cooked in a seasoned broth believed to have originated from ancient Persia thousands of years before Christ. Paella, risotto and jambalaya are all thought to be derived from the Persian version.

As a consequence, there are possibly a thousand ways of how to cook pilau – and of course on St Helena we have our own spin on the rice pilaf recipe.

How To Cook St Helena Food

St Helena food displays a mishmash of our British, Malay, Indian, African and Chinese heritage. Our homestyle food is simple and wholesome, nothing showy and is quick and easy to make. Pilau, or as the Saint dialect has shortened it to ‘plo’ (too many syllables, man), is a testament to our Eastern roots.

Making St Helena plo. Adding three tablespoons of cooking oil.

Making St Helena plo. Adding three tablespoons of cooking oil.

 

How to cook pilau. Chopping one onion to be fried.

Every Saint has their own idea of what a good pot of plo is; some like it soupy, some stiff, some hot and others not. It can be made from bacon, chicken, sausages, corned beef, fish or combinations of the above. It’s a homemade food that is adaptable to tastes, you can use whatever is lurking in the fridge or what you happen have in your kitchen.  It’s great for anyone looking for healthy one pot meals.  Just be sure there is curry powder and rice to hand.

Plo is served as a main meal and is perfect for cooking over the fire on camping trips or picnics and is the usual hearty food people take on pub crawls or enjoy at events. It also makes a regular appearance on dinner tables.

Making St Helena plo / pilau. Cut the bacon and sausages into bite sized pieces.

Making St Helena plo / pilau. Cut the bacon and sausages into bite sized pieces.

The Ultimate Good Mood Food

Although it’s popular all year round, I especially welcome this feel good food in the winter months. The warm, rich colours and flavours has the power to brighten any dreary day and will have you feeling awesome and cosy from the first mouthful.

Making St Helena plo. Sliced carrots and chopped potatoes ready for the pot. The smaller the vegetable chunks, the faster the plo will cook.

The St Helena plo / pilau recipe. Sliced carrots and chopped potatoes ready for the pot. The smaller the vegetable chunks, the faster the plo will cook.

 

Making St Helena plo. Fry the onion until starting to brown.

Making St Helena plo. Fry the onion until starting to brown.

 

Making St Helena plo. Add curry powder, tomato sauce and puree and mix with fried onions - the basics of a curry paste recipe.

The St Helena plo / pilau recipe. Add curry powder, tomato sauce and puree and mix with fried onions – the basics of a curry paste recipe.

 

No matter your cooking skills, from beginning to end, plo can be on the table within 30 minutes. It’s perfect for quick one pot meals and you can make enough to heat up for next day’s dinner.  Also, this one pot wonder is blissfully easy on the washing up – definitely a bonus in my book!

Here’s how to cook pilau / St Helena Plo. The recipe really should come with a…WARNING!   Danger of addiction and gluttony.

Bacon and Sausage Plo / Pilau Recipe – From The Henry Kitchen

Ingredients

3 tablespoons cooking oil

225g (8 oz) long grain rice (washed)

1 onion, chopped

2 medium potatoes, chopped

1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder

2 medium carrots, sliced

1 tbsp tomato sauce

200g (8oz) runner beans (sliced)

1 tbsp tomato puree

Can kidney beans

450g (1 lb) piece bacon, chopped

150g (6oz) peas and corn

4 pork sausages, sliced

water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

How To Cook Pilau / St Helena Plo

Brown onion in a medium sized pot on medium heat. Add curry powder and stir until onion is covered. Mix in the tomato sauce and puree. Add 4 tbsp water to the mixture, stir and reduce to thicken the sauce.  This is a basic curry paste recipe.

Making St Helena plo. Add 4 tablespoons water to the mixture, stir and reduce to thicken the sauce. A basic curry paste recipe.

Making St Helena plo. Add 4 tablespoons water to the mixture, stir and reduce to thicken the sauce. A basic curry paste recipe.

 

How to cook pilau. Stir in the meat and coat in curry sauce. Cook for 3 minutes.

How to cook pilau. Stir in the meat and coat in curry sauce. Cook for 3 minutes.

 

Stir in the meat to the curry sauce and cook for 3 mins. Stir in rice, vegetables, salt, garlic and add enough water to cover all ingredients.

Bring to the boil, stir then simmer gently partially covered until the water has evaporated and the meat, rice and vegetables are tender and cooked.

Add more water if necessary.

Stir regularly to prevent the mixture sticking to the bottom of the pot, although ‘burn’ is what determines a good pot of plo for some Saints.

Serves 4-6

Making St Helena plo. Stir in the rice. We use long grain. White rice has the tendency to turn mushy if overcooked.

Making St Helena plo. Stir in the rice. We use long grain. White rice has the tendency to turn mushy if overcooked.

 

How to cook pilau. Stir in the rice, vegetables, salt, and garlic and add enough water to cover all ingredients. A pilau recipe.

How to cook pilau. Stir in the rice, vegetables, salt, and garlic and add enough water to cover all ingredients. A pilau recipe.

 

Making St Helena plo. We added kidney beans for an extra pop of colour. Partially cover and simmer until water has evaporated and meat, rice and vegetables are cooked. A one pot wonder in the making.

Making St Helena plo. We added kidney beans for an extra pop of colour. Partially cover and simmer until water has evaporated and meat, rice and vegetables are cooked.  A one pot wonder in the making.

 

 

Sharing how to cook pilau aka St Helena plo. Be careful of overloading the pot, remember rice expands as it cooks.

Sharing how to cook pilau aka St Helena plo. Be careful of overloading the pot, remember rice expands as it cooks.

St Helena Plo Variations:

To make this plo as a fish recipe add the fish 10 minutes after the rice and vegetables. White plo can be made for non curry fans, simply omit the curry powder.

This dish is just as tasty without meat, making it excellent for one pot vegetarian meals and it can be easily adapted to make vegan curry recipes.

Saints use Robertsons Rajah curry powder imported from South Africa as opposed to mixing our own. According to the Robertsons website, the Rajah medium curry powder recipe is a blend of turmeric, coriander, garlic, Bengal gram, chilli, yellow mustard, fenugreek, bay leaves, salt, cumin and fennel.

Let us know how your plo turns out, if it gets thumbs up plodits from your household or deploting thumbs down reviews. We’d love to hear from you.

A pot of St Helena plo cooked and ready for eating. This is a 'stiff' dry version. Add enough water to suit your preference. A tasty and easy pilau recipe.

A pot of St Helena plo cooked and ready for eating. This is a ‘stiff’ dry version. Add enough water to suit your preference. A tasty and easy pilau recipe.