DAY 7 - Zainabu's Ugandan Lamb Pilau

Refugee Action Big Night In project: Zainabu stirring the rice into the Pilau That's it! Our final guest chef, Zainabu from Uganda concluded our enlightening and delicious couple of weeks with our guest refugee chefs for the upcoming  Refugee Action Big Night In on the 2nd May - VOTE NOW to help pick the recipe you'd like to see in the final menu! We're supporting Refugee Action as we've always been aware how much we've benefited as a business and as a country from the contribution refugees have made - find out more about our charity partnership HERE.   DAY 6 - Zainabu's Ugandan Lamb Pilau Another exciting day's cooking with our final guest refugee chef! Zainabu rounded up the recipe submissions with something usually reserved for celebratory occasions in Uganda, a Lamb Pilau served with salad and ripe bananas. The main dish was dark and rich, flavoured with freshly ground green cardamon seeds, ginger, garlic, tea bags and blackened onions! Once again this was an example of the fantastic diversity that can be produced with some unfamiliar techniques being applied to simple ingredients.   Pictorial highlights: Ugandan Lamb Pilau served with fresh ripe banana al la Zainabu Zainabu grew up with her extended family in a village in Uganda.  Her two passions were dancing and cooking, which she learned from her grandmother. At eight years old, she cooked and sold homemade chapatti and rolex (filled chapatti) to help support her family. She went on to study catering and worked as a chef in a hotel. At The Spicery, Zainabu cooked her favourite meal, Pilau rice. It’s a dish with special significance in Uganda.  “The main food for celebrations was pilau rice. That food is very occasional though – you can’t afford to get it every day.  When my grandfather was alive, he could afford to have pilau rice and I helped my grandmother to make it.”  Zainabu loved coming to the Spicery. “That kitchen, it’s a celebrity kitchen – I felt like a celebrity!” she says.  “James is very, very nice.  If you’re working for somebody and they care about the way you eat lunch, that’s a different person. I wish he could be my manager!” Zainabu’s message to people buying a Refugee Action Big Night In pack is “Go for it!  Because this is real, healthy food, and the taste will never leave your mind!” Take part in the Refugee Action Big Night In on the 2nd May 2015 and help to raise vital funds to support people like Zainabu who have fled conflict and persecution. *** Vote now if you'd like to see Zainabu's dish in the final menu HERE! Sign-up for your Refugee Action Big Night In box HERE