Fall-off-the-bone long ribs, fluffy basmati rice and bold Swahili inspired spices…cooked together in one pressure cooker. This is your new favorite comfort meal, and the internet agrees!
This Recipe Has Over 14 Million Views on Instagram!
Yup, you read that right. This one-pot ribs and rice recipe has gone viral with over 14 million views (and counting!) on Instagram. The magic? Tender, juicy meat, layers of warming spices and a hearty rice base. Best part? All done in under an hour using a pressure cooker. My kind of meal!
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One-Pot Spiced Ribs & Rice
Ingredients
For the Ribs
- 1.5 kg beef or lamb ribs; thick cut
- 1 bulb garlic peeled and smashed
- 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 4-5 cardamom pods whole
- ½ tsp chili flakes adjust to taste
- ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
- salt to taste Himalayan salt by Al Wali brand recommended
- 4-5 cloves whole
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions sliced
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander stems and leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp vinegar white or apple cider
- water enough to cover the meat
For the Rice
- 2 cups basmati rice washed and soaked for 20 minutes
Instructions
How to Make One-Pot Ribs & Rice in a Pressure Cooker
- Using the sauté mode, heat olive oil in your pressure cooker. Add the meat, garlic, cumin seeds, cumin powder, cinnamon, cardamom,chili flakes, black peppercorns, salt, whole cloves. Brown the ribs on all sides to lock in flavor.
- Add sliced onions and coriander.
- Add tomato paste and cook it out. Then pour in enough water to just cover the ribs and add vinegar.
- Secure the lid. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
- Once done, release the pressure and stir in the soaked rice.
- Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes (I find this to be the sweet spot). Let the pressure release naturally for 5–10 minutes before fluffing.
- Gently fluff the rice and serve hot. Garnish with extra coriander or a wedge of lemon if desired.
Notes
My tips for the best results
- Use fresh whole spices for maximum aroma and flavor.
- Don’t skip browning the ribs, it creates a deep, meaty flavor.
- Do NOT add too much water to the meat during the first cook.
- My go-to ratio for perfect rice every time? 1½ cups of liquid for each cup of uncooked rice.
- Leftovers can be stored and taste even better the next day.
- Serve with kachumbari, plain yogurt or a fresh salad.
Did you try this recipe out?
How did it go? Comment below and if you took a pic, tag me @swahilifood on Instagram and hashtag it #swahilifood.
Can I make this without a pressure cooker?
Yes, absolutely you can make this without a pressure cooker. 😊
I made this last night and it turned out great. I made a few adjustments, but I think in part because there were features I didn’t know how to use on my own pressure cooker. I felt that the meat wasn’t browning enough with the sauté feature, so I took it out and browned it in a frying pan until it got just a bit crispy and put it back in the Instapot. Then, I cooked the meat on medium pressure instead of high for 45 minutes, because I didn’t realize that there was a low, medium, and high setting for the pressure. Apparently I always just cook on the default pressure setting, which is medium. Now I know! When I put the rice in, I realized my error, and cooked it on high pressure for 8 minutes (and added a bit of vinegar, as I had forgotten to put it in for the first round in which the meat was cooked. As the meat would continue to cook for 8 more minutes, I thought the vinegar, which I assumed was to tenderize the meat, would still help). It turned out great. The meat was soft, edible, and delicious, but not melt-in-your-mouth tender, and I attribute this to not having cooked it on high pressure but on medium pressure. Still, it was wonderful and my family loved it. I would make it again, and look forward to learning other, similar meat and rice dishes from the Indian Ocean Rim and beyond.
That’s such a thoughtful cook’s note—thank you for sharing it 🤍
You did exactly what many experienced cooks do: proper browning outside the pot makes a huge difference in flavour, and you’re absolutely right about pressure levels affecting tenderness. Medium pressure will give you soft, sliceable meat rather than fall-apart, which honestly is a preference thing in many Indian Ocean dishes.
And yes—you’re spot on about the vinegar. Even added later, it still helps balance and gently tenderise as the meat continues cooking. I love how you adjusted as you went; that’s real cooking, not just following steps.
I’m so happy your family loved it, and I’m excited to share more meat-and-rice dishes from the Indian Ocean Rim with you—inshallah many more to come
I love these foods and thankyou for sharing with us
I made this recipe last night, but made some changes. I used 1:1 water to rice ratio and the rice turned out perfect! I also used ghee instead of olive oil. The meat needs less cook time though as mine turned out more like pulled pork consistency. Still delicious though!