The day I was cooking these mbuzi meatball mshikaki, I was really upbeat. Reason being, I was cooking as I was talking to you guys via Instagram when I had my first “Ask Me Anything” of 2016. I had a ball and quite honestly, I was pleasantly shocked by the response I received from you guys {{hug}}. The post is still up and if it passed you by, you can always pass by my Instagram and ask me your question, no matter how random it is :))

The good mood I was in reflected in the end result of these meaty beauties. I personally feel when you cook when you are in a good mood, it always shows. Always! These were so good, so easy to make and the love you guys filled my heart with this past Sunday is pretty evident in the end result. So here is something fantastic for your Friday :))

PREP TIME: 10 MIN         COOK TIME: 30 MIN          MAKES:5

Mbuzi Meatball Mshikaki Ingredients:

1/2 a kg of minced goat meat

1 red onion, finely diced

1/2 a cup of finely chopped coriander

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a thumb sized ginger root

1/2 a tablespoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/2 a tablespoon of garam masala

1/2 a teaspoon of salt

1 egg

3/4 cup of bread crumbs

Barbecue sauce

Onion chives or coriander for garnish

Method

Put your minced mbuzi meat in a bowl.  To this, add the finely chopped coriander, red onion, ginger and garlic, your spices and salt and roughly mix it all up. Add the egg and bread crumbs them mix it once more until everything is evenly distributed. The eggs and breadcrumbs allow the balls to stick together and not come apart during the cooking process. Ensure all the components are finely chopped so that they mix in well with everything else.

Roll your balls and set them aside. Do not roll your balls to big. For this mbuzi meatball mshikaki, plum sized meatballs are ideal.

I bought my goat meat from city  market. You select a cut and request them to mince it for you. If you do not have minced mbuzi readily available to you, you can use beef.

Heat some vegetable oil and shallow fry your meatballs until they get a lovely golden char on the outside and are cooked through. This will take 8-10 minutes.

Take them from the heat and let them rest for a while. Toss them in some barbecue sauce and proceed to skewer them. I bought my skewers from Nakumatt. I can’t remember the exact price but they were below sh.250 and have lasted well over a year. Great deal!

Garnish with your finely chopped onion chives ( finely chopped coriander) and serve. Wouldn’t you want to chow these mbuzi meatball mshikaki right now?? If only food on your screen was downloadable #slurpppp.

Goat meat has a distinct taste which is so great roasted or shallow fried. These meatballs not only amplified that, but the taste was also made to come alive with awesome herbs such as coriander and one of my best kitchen ingredients, garlic. If you prefer not to have your meat balls spicy, you can always eliminate the cayenne pepper or start with a smaller amount.

These mbuzi meatball mshikaki are a true feast for your eyes and party on your tongue :)))). These can go really well with viazi karai or bhajia or potato wedges or even ugali & kachumbari.

If you like this recipe and many more that are already on this blog, please feel free and vote for Kaluhi’s Kitchen in this years Blog Awards. I have provided a link just below the downloadable recipe. Tell a friend :)) But first, one last drool worthy picture…

To more great food!

-K

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Have you ever purchased or tasted a fantastic ingredient then had a hard time finding it again around Nairobi? You know the manufacturers are Kenyan, but you cannot seem to find that amazing product you cannot seem to  get out of your head in any store around. Many sellers sight this to expensive rates for renting out space in Nairobi which hinders them from getting a permanent physical location. Soko 254 has come in to save both vendors by providing a really cool pop up market  to sell their amazing products and us by allowing us to access the best products in the market at one venue.

Soko is a swahili name referring to market. This one in particular will be a pop up market, which gives it a warm, inviting feel  while checking out amazing products and allowing also fun and socializing. It is a market place for all foodies and everyone who loves cooking, amateur or pro, and those who enjoy to eat and drink. I don’t know about you but I will definitely be going! Read on to find out more deets:

The brain child of Soko 254 is Maggie Muthama. She was interviewed by UP Nairobi and when asked what we should expect while at Soko 254, this is how she put it:

“People should expect to have their senses excited and awakened. We have a number of different vendors that will be selling everything from cakes, cookies, to gourmet nut butters, jams and salad dressings, to extra virgin olive oil fresh off the boat from Italy, to outdoor ovens, to beautiful hand-made ceramics, to coffee grown on a family farm, to the most amazing natural extracts. You cannot find the majority of these quality foods, and equipment in your local supermarket. But you need to know that they are locally available, and within your reach. They say “Food is music to the body, and music is food to the heart”. With that in mind the first Soko 254 will also feature a live performance by Dela, whose Swahili cover of Adele’s “Hello” has taken Nairobi by storm. So don’t miss out on what is shaping up to be a food market unlike any other in Nairobi.”

You can read the rest of her interview here.

Brands you should expect to see

Some of the brands that shall be in attendance include:

-Naisenyan foods who sell a variety of natural extracts.

-Jars of Goodness who have out-of-this-world jams. Sangria jam? PinaColada Jam? YES PLEASE! How cute is their packaging?!

-Olive oil Kenya who have among the very best REAL extra virgin olive oil in the country

-AM cafe

-Sweet and Savory

-Kenyan hand made cultlery by Eastleigh Pottery.

-Binti’s butters. They have the most amazing flavors too! How heavenly does coconut-cashew butter sound? yum!

-Cookswell Miniature jikos. So good and perfect for our sunny outdoorsy weather

-Did someone say Mango Sorbet by Need Gelato? I.WILL.BE.THERE!

-African Kaya sweet chili jams and sauces. She has an AMAZING food blog too! I will definitely get a couple of her jams and make awesome recipes with them in the coming months. You had better get a couple of jars for yourself too. :))

And many many more!

Venue

The pop up market will be located at Zen Gardens. It is a serene place, a very beautiful one and perfect for the pop up market. There shall also be live bands playing and I am so excited to listen to Dela playing her hit swahili version of Adele’s ‘Hello’. There is something really soothing and inviting about live bands that make them perfect for outdoor events.

Get your ticket!

Tickets will cost 800 shillings if purchased on advance and 1000 shillings at the gate. You can purchase this on ticket sasa. I have also pinned a post at the top of my Face Book page with the link so you can find it even more easily. Share it with your friends so that they too wont miss out on the best thing happening this March. I encourage you to make an early bird purchase. Do not be that last minute person.

What’s up for grabs

In the event that you make an early bird purchase, the organizers have something  AMAZING that you stand to win. I am already JEALOUS of who ever will bag this! For one of you amazing readers of mine, you will walk away with a gift hamper which in my opinion is so bountiful. Here are some of the  things included in this hamper are:

7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and an afternoon with a celebrity chef who will prepare a 3 course meal for a lucky winner using Olitalia products and condiments

Get purchasing those tickets if you want to get your hands on the best goodie bag I have ever come across to date.

I will definitely be there. I cannot wait to get my hands on all the amazing products and try them out in my cooking. You know what else I am really looking forward to? Meeting some of you who will also be in attendance <3 <3. I shall capture everything on my snap chat -kaluhiskitchen, so add me :)). Hope to see you on the 19th. Let’s go down to Zen for Soko 254 next Saturday, indulge in the best of what the market has to offer, listen to great music, take cute photos and hang out :).

This is the very first Soko 254, lets make it the best ever!

-K

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If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember that I told you I used to enjoy walking home as opposed to taking the bus when I was in primary school. One popular shortcut was called “Wall”, which was basically a section of a wall around Ngei I estate that had collapsed and allowed passer by’s to cut through the estate enroute to other parts. Besides wall being a shorter route, we liked it because of the mango trees that grew close to the wall. We definitely helped ourselves to their sweet green mangoes before proceeding with our walk home. One evening, dogs from a nearby home  escaped and came furiously at us while we were lazily chowing down mangoes we weren’t meant to be eating. Was it a sign form God? Maybe. The boys immediately took to their heels and left us *rolls eyes*. It was too late to start running too so we started climbing the tree (of course we never reached high enough), screaming, with tears streaming down our faces. A watch man heard us, came and chased the dogs away. We descended and went home so fast without turning back! The collapsed wall was eventually repaired and our favorite shortcut was no more. We resorted to using the long route there henceforth.

This is the memory I always have when I see green mangoes. Green mangoes are common through out East Africa. I like them so much because they have a distinct sweet taste unique to just them. I used one of my favorite mango varieties to make what is now my FAVORITE dessert yet. Just three ingredients! Trust me, you can make this green mango posset too :))

PREP TIME: 4 MINUTES        MAKE TIME:1 HOUR          MAKES: 2

Green Mango Posset Ingredients:

1 cup of double/heavy/whipping cream

3 tablespoons of granulated/icing sugar

4 tablespoons of blended green mango pulp

Lemon slices for garnish.

Method

Peel your mango and put it in a blender. Blitz it until it becomes pulpy. Set aside. Ensure your mango is very ripe and sweet. Green mangoes can be found all around but in the event you cannot find this particular kind of mango, you can use any other you can readily get.

Put the cream in a sufuria, together with the icing sugar and bring to a boil while stirring on low heat. Stir continuously. You can purchase this cream in any supermarket in the dairy section. This will take about 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the heat once it has simmered and set aside.

Pour in the blended mango pulp and mix it in until evenly distributed. Allow this to cool slightly then pour into your glasses and proceed to freeze them.

I almost drunk this mixture in a second because it was so so delicious! My kitchen smelt really great too. Be careful not to gulp yours down too, the temptation is very real.

Your green mango posset  will take 2 – 4 hours for it to set depending on your quantities. So keep checking probably after 30-40 minutes. You can also make this in a bigger batch and just keep it in the freezer for future munching.

After is has set, remove from the freezer and garnish with your lemon slices or fresh mint if you have some and serve.

Let me say this again: This is my FAVORITE dessert yet!  And having incorporated my favorite fruit in it just made me love this green mango posset more. Really how easy was it to make? A bit too easy! I will be experimenting with different other fruits, strawberries, peaches and pretty much everything *drools*

No ice cream? No problem! This is all you will ever need!This green mango posset was very creamy, rich, perfectly sweet and absolutely perfect for sunny Nairobi! Doesn’t this bite belong on your tongue?

If you haven’t, please do vote for my blog as best food blog 2016. I have a feeling you kinda enjoy my recipes just as much as I enjoy preparing them for you :)). I have made it super easy for you by providing a link just after your downloadable recipe below.

Keep it sweet <3

-Kaluhi

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Fish has got to be one of my very favorite white meats! Not only is it so tasty to have, but it can be prepared in so many different ways so that makes it almost impossible for you to get bored with it. I had fish fillet in my freezer for some weeks and when my fish craving kicked in, I was so glad I had some at home. I immediately decided to make some fish masala, but to my dismay, I had run out of the premade fish masala mix usually available in supermarkets. Being the adventurous foodie that I am, I made my own fish masala spice blend and it was so bomb! I am excited to share the same with you and I hope you give this a try.

PREP TIME: 5 MIN  (excluding marination time)         COOK TIME: 8MIN     SERVES:1

Ingredients

1 palm sized tilapia fillet

¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

½ a teaspoon of black pepper

½ a teaspoon of coriander powder

2 Cloves, crushed

¼ teaspoon of turmeric

½ a teaspoon of mustard powder

5 cloves of garlic

½ a lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Salt to taste

Method

Give your fish a rinse and place it in a container. Add your minced garlic, soy sauce and salt and allow this to marinate overnight. An hour before cooking, add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Allow the flavor to infuse. As that is going, work on your masala spice blend. The lemon is added towards the end because it has a tendancy to digest the protein if left on the fish too long. Always add it an hour or two just before the actual cooking.

In a bowl, add your black pepper, cayenne, mustard powder, turmeric and crushed cloves and mix them all together. You can find all these spices in your local supermarkets. ALL OF THEM. I have noticed, especially among Kenyans, some fear of trying out a new spice.  I find that pretty bizarre. Let me tell you, you will keep having bland food if you keep fearing going to the supermarket to buy spices. It is not scary or complicated to buy spices that make your food taste good. Stop that silly fear! Stop it!! Just because you have heard about a spice for the first time doesn’t mean it is beyond your reach. Also, I cannot give you a recipe with exotic ingredients. Here is my advice: Have an open mind. Open yourself up to new things. Take your time while walking through spice isles in supermarkets, stop and observe. ALL the spices you could ever want are always there. I can bet my life on that.

Add some vegetable oil to the fish masala spice blend and mix it all up until you get a thick spice mixture with the consistency of honey. This will take about two tablespoons of oil. Slather this all over your fish fillet and proceed to shallow fry it.

It will take 5-8 minutes to cook through. Once it is done and has a lovely char on the outside, drizzle some more lemon juice all over your fish masala. Fish and lemon are a match made in heaven, you can never go wrong with that combo!

Plate and serve. How easy way that?! And whether you decide to have your fish masala with ugali and kunde or with roast potatoes and kachumbari, you will enjoy it either way!

Spicy, tender with the fresh zing of fresh lemon juice are the flavors I enjoyed while eating my fish masala. You can vary the quantities of the masala blend to suit your own taste, even add your own spices, but for me, this worked.

TGIF!!!

-K

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Admit it, that title made your mouth water, even just a little ;). For me, each time I read it, I literally drool like a wild beast. And when I remember how fantastic it tasted, I literally drive myself to the brink of insanity. My mango mint salad with passion fruit syrup is a taste of heaven. It captures the warmth of golden Kenyan sunshine and almost embodies the fullness of the hearts of the Kenyan people and beauty of Mango season. I am in love with this salad!

I love my mangoes. They are still in season for the next few weeks and I want to make the most of it. Last year, I was busy eating mangoes (duh!) and experimented very little with them in the kitchen. This year, I have really tried :)). As we head into the dusk of 2016’s mango season, let me leave you with a salad with flavors so beautiful it tastes like music <3.

PREP TIME:5 MINUTES           MAKE TIME: 25 MINUTES       SERVES: 2

Ingredients

1 large mango, diced

A handfull of mint leaves, finely chopped

Palm sized pineapple, sliced

5 passion fruits

3 tablespoons of sugar

3/4 cup of water

Method

In a sufuria, add your water, sugar and passion fruit pulp. Mix this and allow it to cook down for 10-15 minutes until it thickens. Set aside and allow to cool to room temparature.

Chop up your mango, pineapple and mint and add these to your bowl. Toss it all together. Remember to dice your fruit in small meat cubes so that you can have a taste of everything in one bite.

I know what you are thinking… “Where can I get fresh mint from?” And my answer is still very much the same: From your supermarket in the veg section. It usually comes and goes really fast but it is stocked.

I buy mine from Nakumatt/Tuskys/Food Plus/Zucchini depending on where I am. Yes, you can find mint in your local supermarket. If you do not find some at the moment you are there, you can ask the fruit attendants when they stock this herb and buy when you are sure its there.

Once it has cooled down, drizzle your passion fruit syrup over this, lightly mix then serve. How easy was that?! Very unique in taste but so easy to whip up.

As the Nairobi heat gets even more sweltering, nothing would be more refreshing than this cool mango mint salad with homemade passion fruit syrup. It is healthy, delicious and very refreshing! So perfect to take on the March heat.

The pineapple and mango goes so well with the mint. And the mint, for me, was the best part of this salad since it was so refreshing and cooling. It went so well with the pineapple and mango. The passion fruit syrup tied everything together. Believe me, each bite was ecstasy!

You know what also would be sweet, your vote for #KK as best food blog in Kenya. I have provided a link just below the downloadable recipe. If you have already voted, there would be no harm in sharing the link with friends :))

Stay hydrated and give this salad a try.

-Kaluhi

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As promised, I will be giving you more insight to my little busy thoughts once in a while in place of taking stock. I hope you enjoy the read. This Good Friday afternoon, wind down to a good read :))- Lessons and Musings III

On Support

I have in the most recent weeks learnt that I become great by allowing others to become even greater. By supporting others and uplifting them, I uplift myself. I am a very competitive person and I thrive on overcoming challenges and being the best, but it is even more satisfactory when I win alongside people who deserve it just as much as I do. We have been conditioned to want all the glory to ourselves. To want to learn from others, but not give what we know in return. It is such selfishness that blocks your own growth. As a creative especially, it is near impossible to survive alone. You may for a while, but stagnation is imminent if you do not open yourself up to support and give support. Do not be mean with information or opportunities that will let others in your niche grow. You are both contributing to the same field, so their win is yours too. There is no competition.

On growth

From the moment we can comprehend our surroundings, the world tells us what we should become. We are pumped with all the things we should aspire to. Become a lawyer. Become a [insert religion]. Become a good wife. Become the best. Become rich. Become. Become. Become. We have decided becoming is the only way we can decide growth is happening. While there is nothing wrong with becoming, is it the only way we measure growth? What if growth is also about unbecoming? What if real growth, i.e intellectual and mental growth, can also be achieved after unbecoming certain things we have been pumped with?

I feel after a certain age, we begin to really decide how we want to live. For most, they stick to what is decided for them for society. But for others, they question everything. They look for they ‘why’s’ of every circumstance and start embracing the ‘why not’s”. In many instances, this leads to the unbecoming and unlearning. Here are some of the things I am slowly unbecoming:

1. I am beginning to unbecome ‘beautiful’. By that I mean, I am not bothered to fit in the narrow definition of beauty someone decided should fit all. I talked about that here. I am unbecoming beautiful to western society standards and to some Kenyan standards and embracing who I am, as I am. I am unbecoming perfect, and becoming a whole happy soul. It is an everyday struggle, but very liberating with each passing day.
2. I am unlearning that being a good person does not need to have opinions and boldly express them. This is something that was ingrained to us while in boarding school. It was frowned upon to express strong opinions, to be a feisty person, to have a spicy personality. We were made to believe being meek and timid is the only way to go through life. I am unlearning that so hard and embracing me.
3.  I am unlearning to feel ashamed of struggle. It is ok to be starting from somewhere. It ok to be still working on your dreams. It is ok to be still saving up to acquire those assets at a future date. It is ok to struggle towards who you want to be. There is nothing wrong with working hard and breaking sweat while earning an honest living.
4. Unlearning that “when you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life”. While there is some truth to that, I am discovering when you actually do what you love, you push yourself even harder than when working for anyone. You will have countless sleepless nights and fatigue, but because you love what you do. You love it so much you push yourself to the brink of insanity. You love it so much, that you work so hard. But the resulting exhaustion feels so good!!!
5. I am unlearning hate which is meant to be channeled towards people of different race/tribe/religion etc. Why are we as humans so hateful towards that which is different from ourselves? Who made you the standard everyone should aspire to? Hate is too big a burden to bear. I am unlearning seeing people through societal clusters but just as amazing human beings. SITAKI! When I hear people say “I was raised to hate tribe xx or race xx?” But now you are old enough to see some things are not worth taking on. It is time to UNLEARN THAT. It is time for some growing up! Choose love always!
6. I am unlearning how not to buy new clothes every other time and be satisfied with what I have. Yes Kaluhi, you do have something to wear. Ok who am I kidding?! Unbecoming a clothes addict is a tall order. Ladies, you feel me :D?

What are you or have you unlearnt or unbecome?

On jealousy

I feel it is a human inclination to think about the yourself before another. It is an innate human flaw that wants ourselves to gain over others and we feel bad if it goes the other way round. We want everything to be accorded to us. Even as children, you feel bad when your sibling gets that new toy or dress and you did not.  I remember during my mid-teen years when a friend of mine got the guy I had a ginormous crush on. Jealousy is an understatement for what I felt LOL. I mean, ‘why not me?’ I thought.

As we grow older and the pressures of life set in, these issues seem to multiply. You see Mueni rising in her career at speeds that are so fast yet you started out together. Kiprono is making so much money yet you are age mates. Kimani is has the perfect family and globe trotting yet he was way behind you a couple of years back. You see Kageha is getting awards and global recognition and you are putting in just as much effort, if not more, yet nothing. You over-analyse and begin to feel a little seething feeling in your throat. And you begin to question just like I did when my teen crush got away “Why not me?” You may even add “Am I not better?” or become bitter “He/She does not even deserve it.”

Here is the truth: what is meant for you, will be yours no matter what. And what is not, will never be yours no matter what. What ever happens in the lives of people is God’s perfect will. He may give to someone else what you are dying to have but still has something else more suited for you which will come to light later. You may feel you are more deserving when God blesses someone else over you.  We all have times we throw little tantrums and have those jealousy fits, but that won’t change the fact that God gave them what they have for a reason. I deal with my jealousy with one simple sentence. I say ” As you bless [name], bless my hard work too” Just that. It snuffs out all that otherwise negative energy and opens me up to receive whats coming my way. It has also made me learn to celebrate the victories of other people even when I am undergoing a tough season. When ever you feel jealousy creeping in, don’t allow it take root. Acknowledge the other persons blessing as their own, and pray to receive yours too. That little sentence does work :)).

How do you overcome/deal with negative energy?

On Thanksgiving.

I was in a matatu one morning and a lady was seated in front of me with one talkative toddler. As she razed through all possible topics and asked all questions she could think of she decided she wanted to pray, out of no where. ‘Mum, naweza omba sahi?” Her mother laughed and said its ok. Her impromptu prayer was simple. She thanked God for the flowers outside, for the sun that makes her see everything and the nice sandals her mum bought her. She then ran out of energy and fell asleep. Aren’t kids adorable?!

This got me thinking of all the things around us that we believe are just there for the sake of being there. But in the eyes of a child, they are worth giving thanks for and really make everyday special. We overlook so much as adults! I have since slowed down and deliberately appreciate as much as I can. I am thankful for the softness of the moonlight that makes our nights beautiful. I am thankful for the laughter of my parents since it makes me know they are happy and healthy. I am thankful for our bus stage that is far away since it gives my lazy self a work out. I am thankful for living in a continent that has both warm weather and warm people. I am thankful for cold fresh juice on a hot March afternoon. I am thankful for struggles that allow us to grow and learn. I am thankful for friendship. I am thankful for warm dusk sunlight. I am thankful for flowers too :))

Love and Light

-K

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I am always asked this question “But do you ever have kitchen fails?” And my answer is always the same “Like everyone else on earth, I make kitchen blunders” It does not matter if you are the best chef in the world with years of training, mistakes are bound to happen. Let me tell you, I make major messes, it’s just that I do not show them to you or you do not see them all. But that has never kept me from trying and improving. I am a food blogger, but that does not meat I am a demi god who has never made a cooking error. For me, I take each failure as a learning point. After each mistake, you get to learn what not to do next time of what to change up next time. I encourage each one of you to develop the same outlook. Mistakes will happen, but do not stop trying and growing.

Today, I am laying myself bare. I will show you some of my countless errors. And I must say, I would not have gotten as good if I did not make mistakes along the way. Let this serve as encouragement to you, mistakes will happen in the kitchen. You will make master blunders. But never let than prevent you from getting better and better. In no particular order, here we go:

1. Red Velvet Pancakes

As the title says, the pancakes are meant to be red since they are RED VELVET PANCAKES. Everything was going well, I had taken my pictures and I was progressing well. That was until the pancake batter hit the pan. My amazing red batter turned brown/orange the moment it landed on the pan. My pan is non stick, and my pancakes NEVER stick, but these ones stuck to the pan, almost as though they were reacting together with the aluminum and forming a new element. Instead of them having a smooth surface, it became bumpy and rough akin to pawpaw seeds. I just could not take it! FAIL!!!! I saved the picture of the batter, just to remind myself of this day. I wish I saved the actual backfired pancakes.

I canceled that post and bounced back almost immediately and made these drop scones with chocolate strawberry yoghurt ganache that same day. Always bounce back!

To be honest, I still do not know what went wrong with my red velvet pancakes. I still have nightmares about that rough orange/brown surface of what was meant to be my red velvet pancakes.

2. Pork Fail

A lot of trial and error goes into recipe development especially when you are a self taught cook. Ask any food blogger! That means disaster is part of the game. You guys never saw was the complete disaster of a pork recipe I had before I landed on the perfect ingredient combination. Look at the pictures below and compare them. Both are pork recipes but look at how different they look. After a pathetic disaster, I worked on my errors and gave you an outstanding recipe.

First try: Pork fail

After changing things up: masterpiece!

The later picture is hideous, even if it tasted ok, I could not bring myself to post it. It looks atrocious and tasted average. I could not bring myself to publish a mediocre post. This pushed me to try again, change things I thought never worked in the first recipe and the result was mind blowing. You guys really LOVE this recipe. Not a day goes by without it being viewed and downloaded. I am talking about my sweet and sour pork with pineapple salsa. You can also check out my other  phenomenal pork recipe, plum marinated pork and give both a try :))

So to you too, do not let yourself go through life with the spirit of defeat. When you stumble a little, get up and give it another shot. That is the only way you will get better.

3. Chapati Kuni

Yes, you read that right. I made chapati that were as hard as firewood. I usually make my chapatti dough with warm water, but this time I don’t know why I felt cold water would work just as fine. The kneading went well, so did the cooking. But after I finished cooking them and wanted to roll them up for the final photographs, they turned from chapatti to firewood right before my eyes. LOL. You could hit someone with this chapatti on the head and have a homicide in your hands. They were HARD!

I learnt from my mistake and made chapo ever since; nice soft ones. I have a chapo recipe for you guys in April and I am so stoked with how they turned out. You will def love the one that is coming in a couple of weeks! In the meantime, savor my butternut and dhania chapatti.

4. Cassava soup

LOL! How disgusting does that sound? Allow me to laugh at myself because I actually tried to make cassava soup! Cassava SOUP! ROTFLNBITH (rolling on the floor laughing naked because its too hot). This was the day curiosity actually killed the cat.  It was beyond disgusting. I made a huge quantity so that my sisters could have some too and their facial expression alone should have told me it was bad. LOL. I first tried to convince myself how bomb and healthy it was, but after several spoonfuls, my throat could not let anymore down. And I admitted to myself this is another entry in my list of fails. I unfortunately deleted all the images to this.

Look, I am all for experimentation. But you cannot transform anything to whatever you want just coz you have conceived it in your mind. Try it out, if it works well and good. If it doesn’t, try correct your mistake or just move on. But let that not kill your curiosity to try out new things. WE fail and we learn.

5. Sweet corn fritters.

Making fritters is one of the easiest things to make on this earth. I felt really ashamed failing at something so easy and basic. I wanted to make sweet corn fritters, and easy fast snack or meal if you will. The pictures looked nice, but as I went on, they slowly started to coagulate and transform to plasticine. They were too dense and could not just cook through no matter what I did. The mistake I made was using too much flour.

I bounced back a couple of days later and decided to make spaghetti fritters using come leftovers I had in the fridge. The result: Perfection.

6. Spicy fried drumsticks.

Is it just me or when you are most EXCITED about cooking something, that’s when the chances of it backfiring quadruple? I can’t be alone LOL. I had so much enthusiasm while making these drumsticks for Sunday afternoon lunch. The pictures looked awesome, but the actual outcome was lack luster. Something was off. I think it was the brine I used, yet I am more used to using dry rubs for chicken. The drumsticks were bland and some never cooked through. Salmonella anyone? FAIL!

I was disappointed. Not only did the fam not enjoy their Sunday lunch I volunteered to make but I had wasted money on something that was not enjoyed. And also, all my luhya ancestors had a simultaneous gasp when me, an offspring of theirs, messed up ingokho of all things.  I have since stuck to what I know works for my kuku: the family marinade recipe(check it out here) and dry rubs.

**

If someone ever laughs at you for failing, just smile and ignore because you know you are learning in the process and you are growing and refining your cooking. We all mess up, but never let it paralyze you from ever trying again and improving. Do not be ashamed about your little stumbles. Wear them as badges of honor because one day when you are so good, you will look back and appreciate how far you have come.

What are your worst kitchen fails? Did you find out what went wrong? How did you bounce back? I would love to here from you in the comment section below.

-K

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I made these sweet and spicy chicken wings when my sisters were home over the weekend. It is always fun when we are all home. Suddenly, the house is loud and noisy, but in the warmest and most inviting way. We then catch up on stuff we have been doing, stuff we are planning to do and get some good laughs in. And what better way to do this than over delicious food. Not only were we eating these bomb chicken wings, but also enjoyed this orange and ginger cake my eldest sister had baked that very morning. I love my foodie sisters <3

These wings are very simple to make but they are so so sooooo good! The marinade used for them is very simple and passed down form my mum to us. Do yourself a favor and try  out these sweet and spicy chicken wings.

PREP TIME: 20 MIN                COOK TIME:30 MIN               MAKES: 12

Ingredients

12 chicken wings

6 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of dried rosemary

4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

½ a cup of ketchup

4 tablespoons of sugar

½ a tablespoon of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of royco all spice mix

1 tablespoon of blackpepper

Shalimar Indian spice blend

Method

Clean your chicken wings and place them in a container. Add the marinade ingredients: rosemary, garlic and the apple cider vinegar. You can never go wrong with chicken and rosemary! We have always used this marinade at home and it delivers on flavor! It is my mom’s marinade and I have never changed/added anything to it. It is the same one I will pass down to my kiddos.

Mix this all up then cover and allow this to marinate for 6-12 hours. The longer you marinate, the more intense the flavor. I marinated mine for two days and it was nothing short of magic. You HAVE TO keep your meat refrigerated while it is marinating to preserve its freshness.

Once the marination is done, pour all the content of this marinade in a sufuria and boil the wings until they are cooked through.  While that is going, put the seasoning spices (royco, black pepper and Shalimar) in a container and mix them until it forms a paste. Shalimar Indian Spices are found in ALL supermarkets and cost 99 shillings.

Once your wings are done, dip them in the spice paste one by one. These are yet to be cooked and look at how delicious they look already. Seasoning the chicken in addition to marination are absolutely mandatory if you want out-of-this-world-good chicken.

Heat some vegetable oil and proceed to flash fry them until they have a golden brown char.  Since they were already pre cooked, they will take just under 2 minuted to get this char. Set aside and drain on a paper towel.

For the sauce, put the ketchup, cayenne and sugar together with 1.2 a cup of hot water. Let this cook down on low heat until it thickens. This allows the sweet and the spicy to meld without tasting like separate flavors.

Once it has, remove from heat and slather it all over your chicken wings and garnish with your finely chopped coriander.

Dig In!

Lets take a moment and appreciate things that make life worth living e.g. these sweet and spicy chicken wings! I tell you, after you try this, it is all you are going to think about for the next 6 decades.

This recipe is easy! You can get all ingredients locally and you can make it right at home without too much sweat or trouble. Dont you just want to bite into these sweet and spicy chicken wings right now?? I know I do!

Nothing is more beffiting for a friday or the weekend that is upon us than these sweet and spicy chicken wings.

Don’t forget to vote for my blog for the BAKE awards. I have provided a link just below the downloadable recipe below. If you have already voted, share the link with a friend :))

TGIF!

-K

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On the night of April 1st, Nairobi and much of central Kenya received its first rain after the beautiful sunny months of Dec-Jan-Feb-Mar. There was no transition, just abrupt rain with the close of March. Being someone who lives for and thoroughly enjoys the dry months and the intense heat everyone complains about, I sadly welcomed April rains and already started looking forward to December. But I remembered how I pointed out in this post that I will be more thankful for everything and indeed, there is plenty to be thankful about even in grey, rainy April. Even as mango season is now behind us, I am happy that pear season is rolling in. Even as the warm sunny weather I love is gone, I am thankful that the air is clear and its green all around. Even though I can’t enjoy my flirty skirts, at least now I can rock my thigh high boots (ladies do you feel me?!!). There is always something to be thankful for.

For today, I am giving you yet another potato wedge recipe that will warm your heart and fill your tummy in the rainy days ahead.

PREP TIME: 20 MIN               COOK TIME: 15 MIN          SERVES:3

Ingredients

6 potatoes

1 sprig of rosemary

7 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a thumbsized ginger root

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

1/2 a tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of black pepper

1 cup of maize flour

2 eggs

Salt to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

Method

Peel your potatoes and slice them up into wedges. Put them in a sufuria together with some salt, your minced garlic and ginger, rosemary leaves . Put to boil until the potatoes have just softened. Drain the excess water if any and set aside.

Do you see hot beautiful the potatoes look just coz of the turmeric? At this stage, they also have the taste rosemary, garlic and a hint of ginger. Iknow some people who eat only boiled food for health reasons, but wonder how to make it tasty. Well, boil it with fresh herbs, you will have the same flavor as when you would have cooked it any other way.

Mix the garlic powder, maize flour, paprika and black pepper together until evenly distributed.Why did I choose to use maize flour as opposed to breadcrumbs? Because of their rougher texture, coating your potato wedges with this mixture will result in a much crispier coating.

Crack your egg and whisk. Dip your boiled potato wedges in the egg then proceed to dredge it in the flour until it is fully coated. The egg is mandatory for this as it acts as “glue” for the flour coating to stick onto the rosemary potato wedges.

Heat your vegetable oil and once it is hot enough, flash fry your potato wedges.

Ensure your oil is hot enough. If you fry the potatoes when the oil is not hot enough, they tend to soak up too much oil resulting in a soggy mess. Test and see if your oil is very hot since all you will need is to flash fry these wedges.

Remove from the heat and allow to drain on a paper towel. Serve

I had my rosemary potato wedges with good ketchup and some coleslaw and beef dry fry. For me, I am currently digging African Kaya sweet and sour sauce. It would have been too perfect with these potato wedges. My eldest sister went with the one i bought with her to Nakuru so I must purchase another one.  You should too. Its impossible to live without it once you try it out.

These wedges were crispy on the outside and totally soft and tender on the inside. The yellow of the turmeric really infused in the potatoes. The crust was flavorful and its flavors complimented those of the potato itself. Perfect.

Easy and fast in the usual #KK fashion. After you five this a try, ensure you also try out my other potato wedges recipes. The links are provided below in the related posts section.

Happy Eating!

-K

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I have been seriously into potatoes lately! Ok, maybe I have always been into potatoes :DD. Besides their wholesome taste, they can be made in countless different ways. The day I made this super delicious ginger matoke masala, I had originally planned to use potatoes. My heart was absolutely broken when I found out I had none. But in true food blogger fashion, all that was necessary was a change up the original recipe and use what I already had at hand. We had received plenty of matoke  from our kin in Maragoli and I decided that is exactly what I was going to use. That was the best choice I made that day!

Before we get into it, let me warn you, the chances of you getting addicted to this are real! This is one matoke recipe I can have every other day for the rest of my life. Yes, everything can be made delicious. And my ginger matoke masala pays tribute to that very statement.

PREP TIME: 15 MIN          COOK TIME: 35 MIN            SERVES:2

Ingredients:

4 matoke

1 tomato

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 a teaspoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of coriander powder

3/4 of a thumbsized ginger root

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a pan, heat some vegetable oil and add your whole cumin seeds, your finely chopped onion and minced ginger. On medium low heat, allow this to cook down for about 4 minutes. I bought my whole cumin seeds form nakumatt but you can find them in pretty much any supermarket. The price varies from brand to brand but in general, a pack is about ksh.70.

After the onions have softened, add your tomato, tomato paste and all the spices. Mix them all in and once evenly distributed and 1/2 a cup of hot water. Turn down the heat and let this cook down for 15-20 minutes.

Because of all the spices being used in preparation of this masala, it takes quite sometime for it to cook down and for the spices to really meld. If you cook it too fast, the flavors wont meld as expected and the result will be grainy and unappetizing. Take your time.

Also, when I started making this sauce, I added 1/2 a cup of water to allow it to cook down better. But as time went by, I added 1/4 cup when i felt the sauce got too thick or too dry. If you also feel the sauce is drying out, add 1/4 cup to make it thick again. Tafadhali, DO NOT pour in 6 cups or 3 thermoses of water then wonder why your sauce resembles boarding school sauce. A little goes a long way. For thick soup and sauces, always add 1/4 cup at a time to retain thickness.

The above should be your end result too. You can also use this very sauce in you pasta or for potatoes if you have some at home.

As the sauce is going, peel begin working on the matoke.

Peel the matoke and place them on a pot of salted cold water. Let them boil until they are just tender.Always put your matoke in some water IMMEDIATELY after peeling. This prevents them from oxidizing which produces that blackening. Also remove all traces of the peel. This is a trick mummy taught me and has worked for me ever since.

Once done, remove from the heat and cut them in half longitudinally. Add them to the simmered down masala sauce and toss them in. Let these stay in for about 3-5 minutes.

Serve and garnish your ginger matoke masala with onion chives or fresh coriander.

Have you ever eaten so fast and so greedily that you start questioning the state of your soul afterwards? Yup, that was me after chowing down this ginger matoke masala.  I ate mine with kuku kienyeji and it was one hell of a feast. Try that combo and you will see what I mean. Just imagine a plate prepared for you with ginger matoke masala na kuku kienyeji… wueh! *drools* !

You can taste the ginger, you can feel the heat of the cayenne plus all the spices just went so well together. As you eat, you feel small subtle bursts of cumin seeds. I am telling you, this one experience you wont ever forget.

As you rush down to get a copy of your very own ginger matoke masala downloadable recipe, please scroll down to the next section and vote for Kaluhi’s Kitchen and best food blog 2016. Just click on the “VOTE” picture below and it will take you to the BAKE site. I made it so easy just for you!

Cheers to fantastic food!!!

-K

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It rained hard last night while I was editing the pictures that I took during the Lamu Food Festival. I couldn’t help but contrast the Nairobi weather and secretly wished that I was editing my pictures from my room balcony overlooking the ocean, feeling the warm night ocean breeze and hearing the soft waves against the beach. I swear, I can still feel motion as though I am on a boat. It had always been a dream/goal for several food bloggers and I to attend Lamu food festival and we vowed to make this year the year. After few emails and several calls were on our way to a culinary adventure in one of the most dreamy destinations in Kenya, Lamu. I had a hard time choosing which images to use for this post. If I had it my way, I would just post them all!! I hope as you read through, you get to feel the tastes, sights and sounds of Lamu. Here is how the festival went down:

The festival itself lasts three days and that of this year was from 15^th TO 17th April. We departed on Friday at 2pm and arrived just after 4 pm after a brief stop in Malindi. The excitement was sky high! You know that group of people who make the most noise in the plane? Yup, that was us! And when we finally landed, I could hardly believe that our desire for attending Lamu food fest was actually a reality!

We all stayed in Kiwandani house which is a bed and breakfast and part of the Moon Houses of Lamu. It was one gorgeous B&B. The reason why we were housed in a B& B was so that we could actually venture out and sample the local food in all its glory. And it being a food festival, the timing and choice of venue couldn’t have been any better. We had a very warm welcome by Nina who is in charge of the Moon Houses.  I shall do a full review of Kiwandani House in the coming posts.

StrEAT Bazaar

The actual essence of Lamu food festival is showcasing all the local food Lamu has to offer and how the coastal people prepare and serve their food. The strEAT bazaar intended to showcase this right at the Lamu seafront. We got to sample Lamu street food, famous local delicacies and discovered new Lamu foods.

beef mshikaki roasted over embers of charcoal

Madafu is the coconut water in an unripe coconut which is a popular coastal drink for locals and foreigners alike

After touring Lamu Old town in the coastal heat, this was exactly what we needed to cool off

We were also shown food preparation and cultural practices that were passed down from generation to generation. While we indeed did get to sample a taste of Lamu, the general expectation with regard to the magnitude of the bazaar was not met. For food bloggers, foodies and guests alike, we expected tones of food lined up on the streets. I expected to actually see endless line of tents on the seafront. I imagined being bombarded by eager locals with their tasty local delicacies with each step I took. There were more brands selling their products, than locals showcasing their delicacies. I thought there would be a section of main meals, a section of sweets and deserts and a section of breakfast dishes, prepared in true coastal style.  However there were few tents that were far between so if you actually wanted to get full you had to go to hotelis.

Friday night dinner – grilled white snapper with tart creamy sauce

In my opinion, this food festival can be made more vibrant and offer more. There is plenty of room to make Lamu Food Festival the very best food festival in the world.

We dined at several restaurants and had varied experiences. My personal favorite was Lamu palace hotel which offers pretty good food.  I wanted to visit Majlis but time was not on my side. Wangeci and Gatuiri however managed to and judging from the pictures the experience was worth it. You can check out restaurant reviews from all the places we visited in Lamu from africankaya.com, leotunapika.com and foodsnfoodies.com.

Hunger games

I thought this would involve us eating like idiots until we get too full to function LOL! Maybe I am just greedy…. The Lamu Food Festival had the Hunger games segment that actually involved the youth who showcased their skills and talent with regard to food preparation. Several dishes such as mahamri and chapattis were made in front of judges and an audience composed mainly of passerbys and supporters of the contestants.  The crowd gathered at Mkunguni Square and they were cheering upon their favorite contestants. I caught up while they were preparing bhajia.

For they bhajia, they prepared them with kunde (cow peas) seeds. They soak them for about 8 hours to soften them. They then separate the husk from the bean and proceed to crush the seed on a stone. From what I learnt, the finer the paste, the better the end result of the bhajia.

They then proceeded to cook and the winner announced at the end of it all.

Dhow cruise

This is by far the most enjoyable and memorable activity we had during the Lamu Food Festival. Our dhow cruise was a 3 hour long sail off the Lamu seafront and into the narrow calm canals in between mangrove forests. It began at dusk into the early hours of the night. The dhow crew began by welcoming us and after we got acquainted, we set sail.

The mood was right, we were all excited to be in that moment and we could all feel it would be a great night and it was!!!!

The dhow was so smooth, very relaxing and so perfect to get a feel of the very essence of Lamu. We were provided with some snacks to have during our boat cruise. We had beef and fish samosas, some bhajia and viazi karai and Swahili pizzas.

For our drinks, we had a choice between tamarind juice, lime juice and orange juice. Throughout the trip I enjoyed fresh lime juice and I definitely selected the same during the cruise. But I also really enjoyed the unique taste of the tamarind juice.

With soft music playing thanks to Kaz, amazing company, hearty laughs and breathtaking sunset, our dhow cruise will forever be etched in my memory as one of my most enjoyable activities. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to go from another cruise after our dinner.

One ride turned into 27 rides and we ended up leaving the dhow at 3 a.m. It was that good of an experience that we just had to have more. If When you visit Lamu, a dhow cruise is a must activity!

On Sunday the 17^th, which was our final day, we attended the Swahili cooking classes. If you follow me on Snapchat, you saw a bit of what we got to prepare and eat.  I speak for myself when I say I enjoy learning new things. You can never know it all when it comes to cooking after all! We learnt three new dishes that I am looking forward to fill you in but separate post so that I get into all the detail.

Lime juice please!

This is the first of the four posts I will be publishing on Lamu. Since we have different take on the same event, I encourage you to check out the blogs of Onja bloggers and see what the island has to offer. Spare a minute or two and check out blogs of the awesome team I went down with to Lamu: Jayson of jaytakeapic.com, Wangeci of africankaya.com, Gatuiri of leotunapika.com, Kaz of  kathyskitchen.co.ke, Mohammed of foodsnfoodies.wordpress.com and Lyra of lyraoko.com.

Besides the scarce street food and food stands during the festival, one other thing I would change would be to add more days to enjoy Lamu and take in all the beauty the island has to offer. Until then, I shall reminisce of the amazing time we had and plan for the trips in the coming days.

Chicken pizza and seafood pizza served at Lamu Palace Hotel

Cheers!

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If you are like me, a trip is always made 100 times more exciting once you know where you are going to be staying. For Onja Food bloggers and myself, this was exactly the case. Our three day attendance of Lamu food festival was made better by being accommodated at Kiwandani house. Kiwandani house is located at Shella beach in Lamu and it is one of 8 moon houses. The moon houses are given that name due to their white glistening at night, just like the moon. You can check out the other houses here.This post is a full review of our stay at Kiwandani house.

Ease of access

Kiwandani house is located right at the beach where most boats and dhows stop. This makes it easy for all residents to get a ride to Lamu town whenever need arises. It takes roughly 7-10 minutes from the airport to Kiwandani via boat ride. You arrive at Manda and within 10 minutes, you are already taking in the breathtaking view of the vast ocean and beautiful beaches. I wish everyday life in Nairobi was this smooth.

Jayson Mbogo | www.jaytakeapic.com

Facilities and decor

Kiwandani house has 3 double rooms and all rooms en suite. The rooms are very spacious, decorated in minimalist style with plenty of pieces that have that have very strong coastal influence, intricate design and historical value.

Morning ocean view from one of the rooms. Paradise!

Food

Kiwandani house is a bed and breakfast; the best bed and breakfast I have ever been to personally. This means, you are entitled to receive only breakfast while lunch and dinner are totally up to you to  find. Food in Lamu can be found in various eateries so that is not much of a challenge. However, if you feel like you do not want to venture out and want to eat at Kiwandani, a chef is always at standby and they can prepare what you want upon request.

For our first breakfast at Kiwandani, we were pretty much underwhelmed by what we received. The food was not prepared by the chef, but bought outside and roughly served to us. We had chapati, mahamri and viazi karai. We expected to have an elaborate coastal style breakfast with plenty of fresh fruit but that was absent.

The chefs made it up to us the following day and gave us a more filling breakfast, but still, only after we had requested. In my opinion, this is an area Kiwandani house needs to work on. Food is a big deal anywhere you go whether you are a foodie or not.

Service

The staff at Kiwandani house are so kind and  always ready to help out. Majority are men since culturally, women are not allowed to work. When we arrived, our host, Nina told us that we need not worry about our possessions since no one will steal them. Being form Nairobi, I was a bit skeptical about that. But to my surprise, truly our belongings were always left untouched. That is one thing I will always love about Lamu.

Beach bum friendly

Kiwandani house is not necessarily located right at the beach though you still get treated to fantastic oceanic views from nearly each room. The beach is however 30 seconds away as there is a passage that directly connects the house to the beach. So do not feel shy about dipping in the ocean.

Gorgeous lifestyle blogger Lyra Aoko (www.lyraoko.om) and I

Just to note, Lamu is a conservative town, whose majority population are Muslim, so you cannot walk around with super short shorts. However, at the beach it is totally ok to dress down and enjoy the ocean in whatever swimming attaire you choose. So don’t be afraid to let loose and let everything hang!

Cheers to the good life!

-K

The post The Lamu Moon Houses- Enchanting Kiwandani House appeared first on Kaluhi's Kitchen.

My elder sister Sieva LOVES pears. She loves pears with the same intensity that I love my mangoes, so you can imagine how much she loves her pears. Growing up, I never really enjoyed pears. I watched Sieva eat her pears with such deep enjoyment and theatrics that accompany chowing down of good food. As I grew up and became a lot more open minded to trying our new things, I came to really love this cute little fruit. Now that they are in season, I am also trying to incorporate them in as many meals as I can. I am having plenty of fun in the process :))

These pear and nutmeg pancakes will warm your heart and fill your tummy. There are so full of flavor and easy to make, in true #KK fashion. Do yourself a favor and whip yourself these beauties soon!

PREP TIME: 5 MIN        COOK TIME: 25 MIN              MAKES: 6

Ingredients

1 cup or flour

3/4 cup of mala (or buttermilk)

1/2 a teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda

1 small pear, grated

4 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg

1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon

Method

Peel your pear and grate it. Set aside. NOTE: It is pear season in Kenya but if you do not have pears in the region you are reading this from, you can use apples or any other fruit with the same texture. The pear variety that grow in Kenya have the same texture as apples while those in other countries have the same sandy texture but are softer in texture.

Beat the egg and the mala for about 4 minutes or until it becomes frothy and becomes pale yellow. Mala is a curdled sour milk drink popular through out Kenya and usually taken as a meal accompaniment.  It is however an excellent cooking ingredient and is used in a variety or ways. A great substitute for mala would be buttermilk.

You may already be wondering: Why use mala and not milk? Well, mala is denser than milk hence it helps maintain the thickness of the batter. It also makes the pancakes a lot more lighter and airy, and really, who wouldn’t want their pancakes nice and fluffy? ;))

Then in a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, nutmeg, cinnamon,baking soda, baking powder, sugar) then add this to the egg-mala mix .

Be careful not to over mix, or try to smooth out the lumps. Make sure your batter is thick enough so that the pancakes are nice, full and fluffy. There after you can begin your cooking.

Lightly grease your frying pan, and laddle your batter on it once it is hot enough. Add your grated pear on the top surface of the pancake i.e the side that faces you,  before it sets.

Allow at least 2 minutes on each side, with your pan on medium high, this allows the inside to cook and the outside to have an appetizing golden brown color. The pear slightly caramelizes and adds amazing crispiness to the pancakes.

Then once they are done dust them with some icing sugar then serve.

How amazing do these pancakes look? They are absolutely sof and airy and you can still taste and feel the light crunch of the pear. The nutmeg and cardamom makes them extra fragrant too. You can get your nutmeg in any supermarket, do not be afraid to search :))

In case you do not have pears, you can use grated apples to achieve the same effect. If it were up to me, I would have this dish every single morning. Feel free to check out other pancake recipes at the very bottom of this post and try all of them. You shall not regret!

Also, this is the final week for votes for the 2016 BAKE awards. If you are yet to vote for Kaluhi’s Kitchen as the best Kenyan food blog, please do so by clicking on the voting tab below. I have a feeling you really love my blog ;)). If so, I would really appreciate your vote.  It will take you just 37 seconds, promise!

Cheers to many more!

-Kaluhi

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After attending the Lamu food festival, we returned home with a ton of new memories after falling in love with the  rich culture of the people of Lamu. Lamu Food Festival presented to us a beautiful way of experiencing all that Lamu had to offer. Besides just food, we were captivated by other aspects of the Island that we felt were so captivating and just showed how beautiful our country  is. If you are yet to read my first two Lamu posts, check them out here and here.

Jayson suggested that we do a 30 photo road trip challenge to try capture the essence of this beautiful island and I thought this would be the best way to give you a visual feel of Lamu. If you are yet to, ensure Lamu is on your list of places to visit this year. 30 pictures are not enough to capture the beautiful architecture, warm people, amazing food and rich heritage, but I shall try. To really feel this, you just have to go and experience Lamu. I hope one of these fine days we shall bump into each other on the narrow streets of Lamu <3.

Morning

Nothing feels better than waking up to warm sunshine and the sound of soft waves beating on the beach.

Shadow

Harsh lighting and swahili decor. I’d give anything to be seated on that couch reading a book of working from there. Kiwandani house grows on you I tell you!

Something I want

I want my own beach front home in Lamu, with my own dhow and possibly learn how to sail it. Bae if you are reading this, let’s work hard make this dream come to life!! :D

In my bag

But a visit to the coast can never be complete without sunglasses!

Self Portrait

#TembeaNaKaluhi

What I Wore

Clouds

Dreamy Lamu skies. This was on our way to Manda Airport to make our way back to Nairobi *wipes tear*

After Dark

Kiwandani house after dark. This image in particular reminds me of the late night dips and after dark conversations we had in this pool after our rounds in Lamu town and it’s environs.

Technology

And a trip is never complete without gadgets. In this picture, Kaz was snapping (@karenkazlucas) my session of her rapid fire series on SnapChat. Did you follow the series she documented for all Onja bloggers that were down in Lamu? It was so dope!

Feet

chipolata toes are the new black #sexyandiknowit

Animal

Donkeys are the main mode of transport within Lamu town. With the narrow streets, cars simply cannot make it between town blocks, so donkeys are the go-to. With the intense midday heat, I had to catch my ride around town. My donkey’s name was Bahrain and he was the most gentle, sweetest donkey ever!

5.00 P.M.

Our visit to Lamu Museum was the final activity we did on Saturday evening before heading out to our evening sunset dhow cruise. This is a portrait of Lamu in 1912 and the last image I took before heading out. The Lamu Museum is another #mustvisit location! So much rich heritage and preserved culture for you to savor.

Locals

Eyes

If you follow me on Snapchat, you must have seen my excitement while in Gallery Baraka. They have the best African artifacts not only from Kenya, but from the entire continent. If you are ever in search of cool memorabilia of Lamu when you visit the Island, stop by Gallery Baraka.

Something there’s a lot of

Donkeys. Lots and lots and lots of donkeys. There are also plenty of cats. I love cats so I enjoyed seeing them all over.

Lamu Ubers i.e. Donkeys!

A sign

Something glass

How beautiful is the detail on the table that this vase is placed on! Kiwandani house is a visual feast if you are into interiors.

Reflection Portrait

Music

Doesn’t this drum set make you want to make some music? I especially love how they are wrapped in kitenge fabrics

Your Breakfast

Can Kaluhi turn down anything Mango? NO! I loved the fresh mango juice we had during our breakfasts at Kiwandani house along with fresh fruit, eggs, mahamri, viazi karai and other coastal foods.

Something Wet

Loud

The strEAT bazaar happened at night on the Lamu sea front. Not only were we eating out hearts out, but we chowed down our goodies to the music played by the locals. This was one of many bands. Their music was loud but really catchy too, and I am not the one to shy away from a dancing opportunity, so I did just that!

Taking a picture

Jay takes a pic! For all of us who attended the Lamu Food Festival, the sunset dhow cruise was without doubt our favorite part of it all!

A wall

Bougainvillea is located all over the island and is the most common flowering plant there. It adds so much charm and looks so beautiful against the white washed walls and buildings.

Smile

Plants or a tree

Black and White

How gorgeous is this image captured by Lyra Aoko? Let me tell you, I was sweating as though I just ran a marathon and she made me look composed and ethereal :D. This was during our first night in Lamu and we had just arrived in Lamu Town from our residence, Kiwandani House in Shella beach.

Click on the image to read Lyra’s full post and feast on her awesome photography.

Close-up

A special thanks to Lamu County Government for providing the opportunity for Onja bloggers to have a magical Lamu experince and to gracious Nina of Kiwandani house for hosting us.

Do check out the posts from Onja bloggers; a group of independent  food, lifestyle and culture bloggers I experienced magical Lamu with: Jayson, Lyra, Gatuiri, Mohamed, Wangeci and Kaz. Follow our documentation of Lamu on social media using the hashtag #OnjaLamu and follow just mine with the hashtag #TembeaNaKaluhi. Look out for my fourth and final post on Lamu, where I will take you through the three dishes we learnt during the Swahili cooking class.

Best!

Vote for #KK  ‘Best Food Blog 2016’

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While in Precious Blood Riruta, like all other boarding schools, visiting days were always the most anticipated days of the year. Those were the days we would spend those lovely hours with our siblings and parents who we left back home. It was the day we got reminded how the outside world feels, smells and tastes like beyond the school walls. Most importantly, those were the days we were treated to delicious food from home that we normally wouldn’t have in school . For us, this day was even more anticipated because we had just one visiting day for the entire year (I know, that sucked!) To make the most of it, we would specify the exact foods we want brought in from home. For me and my friend Gaciku, we had to have chapati. It is not only delicious but it could be kept a bit longer compared to other foods long after visiting day was over. I hear these days they have chapati as part of their school menu. How lucky! They will never understand our struggle :DD

Today, I have put a twist to my all time favorite flat bread. I hope you like it too.

COOK TIME:  45 MINUTES                                                    MAKES: 10

Ingredients

All purpose flour

1 cup of hot water

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 a teaspoon of sugar

Ghee

1 small red onion, grated

Method.

In a bowl, pour your water, sugar and salt and mix it in. Bit by bit, add the all purpose flour, mixing in after each addition. Add your grated onion and ghee and kneed them into the dough. Once the dough becomes set, stop adding flour and kneed it until it stops sticking to your fingers and/or your bowl. Cover with a damp cloth or cling film and allow it to rest for an hour.

I bought my ghee from Nakumatt and it has lasted ages, and I do not think it will get finished anytime soon. Besides just chapos, you can use it to sautee your veggies and basically nearly anything else. But today, lets do chapos!

Divide your dough into tangerine sized balls and roll them out.  Cut it from the center outwards and roll it around its circumference to form a cone. Fold the tip of the cone into its inner part to form a ball. Set these aside.

There are so many methods of making chapati. It all varies from individual to individual. This is the one that works for me. You are also free to stick to the one you find works for you.

Begin rolling out your chapatis. First roll the dough into an oval. Flip it horizontally then proceed to roll it out to a circle. It takes sometime to really get perfect round ones, but with practice you will :)). But almost round is still ok, don’t sweat it.

Put some oil on a heavy pan and let it become hot over a medium heat. The heavier the pan, the more evenly the heat shall be spread out. Put your rolled out chapo dough on your hot pan. Once one side is done, flip it and smear a small amount of ghee onto the surface. It will take about 1-2 minutes for each side to get the golden brown color. Do the same for the other side. The chapati will be ready once they are beautifully golden brown.

Remove from the heat and serve.

The ghee gives chapati an inviting aroma and a soft sweeter taste. It also makes the surface mildly crispy while the inner layers remain soft. Truly amazing to have! The onions make this a lot more savory and adds richness to this which make them a perfect starch with any accompaniment.

You can serve this with meatballs, cabbage or with my pea and potato stew and fried chicken. Chapati goes with nearly anything and you will enjoy it just the same.

As you download your recipe below, spare a minute or two to vote for my blog in the best food blog category for this year’s blog awards. I have provided a link below. It will take you just 37 seconds :))

Happy Eating!

-K

Get your downloadable recipe here :))

Vote for #KK  ‘Best Food Blog 2016’

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What would a trip down to the culturally rich Kenyan coast be without learning a couple of new dishes to make?! I wouldn’t have lived with myself if I came back to Nairobi without new knowledge about food preparation and new recipes in my head. As part of our trip’s package, we were privileged to witness and learn the preparation of three signature Lamu dishes. As a food blogger, this chance was not to be skipped since it is through learning new things that we grow. And no one never ever knows it all, right?

Our teacher’s name was Ummu Ahmed. We could tell from the way she spoke, handled her food and engaged us that she was one foodie at heart. We learnt how to make Faluda, Mkate wa Mkono and Makaki wa Kulisha (swahili pizza) but today I will take you through step by step of the latter so that  you don’t get too overwhelmed. Makaki wa Kulisha also known as Swahili pizza is basically a flat bread stuffed with a selection of ingredients but most popularly veggies and sauteed chicken. The recipe isso easy and you can definitely try these out at home too. In my opinion, this is one way you can get a feel of the Lamu sunshine right at home.

I have outlined the recipe as we were actually taught. I have however left some notes after certain pictures showing how I would add my own #KKtwist to this already magnificent dish. Since no recipe is written on stone, I would encourage you too to play around and build on the flavor that this makaki ya kulisha inherently has.

Swahili Pizza Ingredients

1/2 a kg of wheat flour

1/4 kg of cooking fat

1/2 a kg of boneless chicken, diced

1 large red onion, diced

1 large green pepper, diced

1 tablespoon of black pepper

1 chicken cube spice (maggi or knor)

1 carrot, diced and steamed

a bunch of dhania, chopped

Salt to taste

5 eggs

1 cup of peas

1 cup of corn flour

2 handfuls of broccoli, chopped and steamed

Method

First, cut up your chicken into strips. In a pan, fry the chicken along with black pepper, chicken cubes and salt. Once the chicken is done, set aside for incorporation later.

#KKTwist: To make my chicekn more flavorful, I would add 5-6 cloves of minced garlic for it to cook down together with the chicken. Garlic and chicken are a match made in heaven and this would be no different

In a bowl, mix the flour, cooking fat, salt in with warm water. Add the water bit by bit and knead until soft. Once done, proceed to divide the dough into small balls  about 2 inches in diameter.On a flour dusted surface, roll the balls into a flat circle, like you would a chapati dough, only difference is that these should be extra thin and light.

If you follow any of the Onja bloggers on Snapchap, you got a load of some of the action as it was going on live! This was Mohamed (Snap name: @moharez) documenting the steps as we went along. I dis too on my snapchat (@kaluhiskitchen)

Apply some cooking oil on one half of the circle then fold it into half, then again into a quarter. Roll it out once again towards the edges of the quarter circle. If you prefer not to use CowBoy Fat or simply cannot access some, butter or margarine can work just fine too.

Take the pastry and lightly heat it on a pan until the layers separate. This will take roughly three minutes. Then set aside.

In a separate sufuria, add your onion, steamed broccoli and carrots and dhania.

After they have softened, which will take about 3-5 minutes, add your pre-cooked chicken. Allow this to stay on the heat for another 3-5 minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool in a bowl.

To this bowl, add your eggs and mix them in. Take the pastry and add the veggie mixture in a layer that’s about 1/4 inch thick.

#KKTwist: I would add a ton of cheese at this point, maybe both parmesan and mozzarella for extra cheesiness. Is there a thing such as too much cheese? I think not!

Let the this fry on a pan for a few minutes, or preferably until each side is golden brown. How fantastic does this look already?!

Allow to slightly cook then enjoy with your favorite drink. I would def hve this right now, right by the beach away from cold Nairobi with some fresh mango or lime juice!!! Can we all just pack up right now and head down to Lamu??!

Making the Swahili pizza had quite a number of steps, but they were all pretty straight forward if you ask me. You too cam make this at home. Or better yet, lets go to Lamu and make this together with Mwalimu Ummu, yes? Yes!

Keep it #KK for the next two Lamu dishes which are so easy to make, but so mind numbingly good!

Best!

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I love experiencing how different people from different regions enjoy their meals. It opens up your mind to a lot more and that is how you grow. When I go to a new place, I try as much as possible to try out new things for that very reason. Lamu was the perfect place for an adventurous culinary experience.

I noticed that the people of Lamu like to incorporate as many flavors as possible. You will find something savory, something sweet, something a bit tart and something a bit spicy. They make their banquets a whole experience. Our Swahili cooking class reflected exactly that. Now that we made something savory, it was time to delve into the sweet. Faluda is a jelly-like dessert with soft floral notes and mild nutty taste. And guess what, it is so easy to make!!!!

Faluda Ingredients

1 liter of milk

1/2 a cup of sugar

Agar Agar 1/2 a cup

Rose flavoring

1 tablespoon of freshly ground cardamom seeds

Almonds and Raisins for garnish

Method

In a bowl, Put your agar agar in a bowl with some water and allow it to soften. The set aside.

#KKTip : Agar Agar is a gelatin substance which when mixed with any other liquid produces the jelly like texture. Gelatin comes in many forms and agar agar is one of many. In Nairobi, you can get gelatin powder in Walibhai Karim along Biashara street. It fulfills the same purpose

In a pot, add your sugar and ground cardamom seeds.  Once the milk has warmed slightly, add the liquefied agar agra and mix it in for about a minute or two. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

For a more intense cardamom flavor, toast them slightly on an ungreased pan. Once they become fragrant, proceed to crush them. It may seem like a small step, but a necessary one and makes a huge difference. This brings out and intensifies their flavor a great deal.

Pour the milk in a jug and add your coloring. Ummu used a rose coloring, which added the pink color, floral taste and aroma. I loved that flavor!

Mix it in then pour these into a bowl and allow to cool.

#KKTwist: For color, you can use any you want. I personally would still go with pink so Raspberry colorant would be my choice. For  aroma or maybe even more flavor, I would add orange extract or vanilla extract (not essence).

You can put this is the fridge to hasten the solidifying process. Since Lamu is one easy going town, we went turned to the air to get the solidifying going. It took quite sometime, but the solidifying still its is a rapid process. Plus, being at the coast, the coolness of a faluda solidified in the fridge would be very much welcome :))

After that, Ummu garnished with some skinned almonds and some raisins and decorated the tray with some flowers <3 Can you see how the Lamu people take presentation seriously?!! I loved that! We eat with our eyes first always!

In the picture above and the one below, you can almost feel the jelly texture of the faluda by looking at the surface. The agar agar worked its magic!

#KKTwist: While eating, I enjoyed the contrast between the texture of the crunchy nuts and the soft faluda. But once the garnish was done, only the soft faluda was left and I kept adding more almonds for some textural difference. In addition to garnishing with the nuts, I would incorporate some into the faluda so that each bite has some textural contrast from the first bite to the last. In addition to the skinned almonds I loves, I would probably add pistachios and finely chopped dried mango rind.

After that, it was time to dig right in!!! We made this at the Sea Suq restaurant which is right at the sea front. Sitting down to enjoy our own creation, overlooking the sea and enjoying the breeze and great conversation was very much worth it. Incase you missed the first dish we made during our swahili cooking class, Makaki ya Kulisha aka Swahili Pizza, please do sheck it out HERE.

I hope you recreate faluda at home and enjoy it just as much as we did.

Happy Eating!

-K

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By the time we reached to our final dish of the cooking class, we were all buzzing with excitement. After making makaki ya kulisha and faluda, which were both very very delicious, I could barely hold in my excitement as we delved into our final dish, mkate wa mkono. “Mtapiga picha kwanza ama niendelee?” (Would you like to take pictures now or shall I just proceed) Our teacher for the day, Ummu would politely ask. We would then snap away and attentively watch her as she cooked. I must admit, following Ummu in her kitchen, watching her as she cooked and learning new techniques reminded me how I used to follow my mom around in the kitchen when I was young.  Its safe to say, the learning process never stops.

Today I show you how to make mkate wa mkono, which is a snack with the texture of a biscuit, popularly served at weddings and other major occasions. It has very beautiful intricate designs which mirror the culture of Lamu. But they are so easy to make and I will show you :))

Ingredients

1/2 a kg of wheat flour

1 cup of sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 cup of your choice of syrup

Freshly ground cardamon

Icing sugar for garnish

Method

In a small basin, add your flour, egg , sugar and some water. Knead this dough the same way you would chapati or maandazi dough. Keep it soft and flexible.

Divide the dough into small cylindical shapes and proceed to roll them into strips. You can vary the strips’ sizes, you could use the thickness of a USB cable as a guide as to how thick you should roll your dough stips.

Then proceed to shape the strips into the shapes you want. You can make anything! Please do not overthink this step. If you want to make a car, a fruit, a flower etc make it. As children I am sure most of us molded with plasticine and mud like pros so molding your mkate wa mkono should not really be that hard ;))

After you have made your shape, heat some vegetable oil and proceed to fry it. Each side will take 2-4 minutes. Once golden brown, set aside.

In a separate pan, warm your syrup and lightly toss the mkate wa mkono in your syrup. Once totally coated, sprinkle your freshly ground cardamom all over.

How mouth watering do these look?!!! Thank you Ummu!!!!!! <3

#KKTwist: Using syrup for coating the mkate wa mkono is actually my twist to this dish. Ummu used sugar, that is melted. It is very easy to burn so only use it if you know its heat threshold. Also, I prefer a syrup over sugar since the sugar caramelizes and can make the mkate wa mkono quite hard. In contrast, syrup will preserve the softness of the mkate wa mkono. Lastly, caramelized sugar has a tendancy of sticking on teeth, which irks me, so syrup is my go to. Check out my homemade orange syrup here which would be so perfect with mkate wa mkono.

Because of time, we could not make the more intricate designs, so we made the smaller versions which you too can make at home. Ummu showed us enormous pineapple designs and various other breathtaking shapes they managed to make. As a beginner, I will start with the small ones then work my way up. I hope to be as good as Ummu!

I am typing this and I sweat my stomach is rumbling! I want to wake up to mkate wa mkono each day and eat it on a beach in shella. If When you are down at Lamu, pass by Sea Suq restaurant have Ummu and company  whip up their amazing juice for you as you overlook the sea.

A special thanks to Lamu County Government for providing this opportunity to experience Lamu in all its splendor. It was an enriching experience and I hope each one of you reading this will make room to visit Lamu this year.

Happy Friday!

-K

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It has been an exciting past week. Thanks to you guys, Kaluhi’s Kitchen had the honor of being crowned as the best food blog 2016 in Kenya. Once again, thank you for everyone who believed in me, voted for my blog and enjoys my recipes. Asanteni sana. Now, we carry on with more recipes and more amazing food :))

Drop scones have always reminded me of my high school holidays. Mom used to whip some up for us so that we get to enjoy good home food before we returned back. Drop scones, like many other foods, can be prepared in so many different ways. I have done several posts on the same in the past, included another one in my ebook and now, I have an exciting coconut and chocolate chip drop scone recipe for you. The weekend isn’t too far off, and this is so perfect for it.

PREP TIME: 10 MIN       COOK TIME: 20 MIN          MAKES:8

Ingredients

1 cup of selfraising flour

1 cup of mala (or buttermilk)

1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg

¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

¼ a cup of dark chocolate, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons of sugar

½ a cup of dessicated coconut

1 egg

Method

Beat the egg and the sugar for about 4-5 minutes or until it becomes frothy and turns pale yellow.

Then in a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, dessicated coconut) then add this to the egg-sugar mix. Self raising flour already has a raising ingredient therefor it is not necessary to add the baking powder  and baking soda or yeast. As for my dessicated coconut, I used the one by the brand Kara available in out supermarkets.

Mix this in while adding your mala to it bit by bit until it becomes slightly thicker than yoghurt but still heavy and sticky. After it is all evenly distributed, fold in your dark chocolate and once it is just mixed, you can begin your cooking. Do not overmix or try to smooth it out.

I decided to use dark chocolate since I did not want to overwhelm my scones by using too much sugar. But if you prefer our drop scones sweeter, purchase milk chocolate of your choice, roughly chop it up, and add it in your batter. Yum!

Add some vegetable oil to a small sufuria. Once it is hot enough, take spoonfuls of the dough and drop one at a time into the oil.

To test whether your oil is hot enough, drop a tiny bit of the batter into the oil. If it sizzles, the oil is ready. Cooking with oil that is not hot enough makes the drop scones soak up too much of it and become soggy.

Allow each side to have 2 minutes until they turn golden brown then take from the heat. Drain with a paper towel then serve.

How great would these be with some hot tea or coffee for those who love their coffee? Nothing beats the taste of freshly cooked drop scones. Well, apart from freshly cooked chapati :-p.

I used dark chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate since the  batter already had plenty of sugar. Dark chocolate is also avlot more healthy and is high in anti oxidants so that’s another plus! The taste of the chocolate together with the nuttiness of the coconut as you bite through these soft drop scones was simply unforgettable. Those two flavors complimented each other really well too.

Perfect for brunch or if you have a sweet tooth, they would do well as part of your breakfast.

Easy. Fast. Tasty! You have to try this out :))

Much love

-K

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Will all potato lovers please get into formation!!!!!! This one potato recipe I absolutely love and I am so excited to share with you. Nothing beats an easy recipe that is so so delicious it would make any grown human being cry. Before all ye fellow potato lovers get into formation, have you guys seen this absolutely silly formation cheerleading video? It cracks me up each time :DDD. Life its indeed about the small pleasures.

This recipe was inspired by my elder sister Cheredi. She was home for a couple of weeks and we cooked up a storm. Remember the raisin and coconut pancakes I once showed you on my snapchat? She made those! This potato recipe has my own little modifications to her original one but nevertheless, my garlic and paprika potato sautee will not disappoint you.

PREP TIME: 10 MIN          COOK TIME: 30 MIN            SERVES: 3

Ingredients

7 new potatoes, peeled

A handful of finely chopped spring onion

5 cloves of garlic

1/2 a teaspoon of whole cumin seeds

1 thumb sized spric of fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary)

1 tomato, blended

1 heaped tablespoon of tomato paste

1/2 a teaspoon of paprika

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

Salt to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

Onion chives for garnish (or finely chopped coriander)

Method
In a sufuria, add some cold water the peeled potatoes, the fresh rosemary, salt and cumin seeds and allow this to boil until the potatoes are cooked through and tender. Always boil your potatoes in cold water so that as the water gets warmer the potatoes cook through evenly. Using hot water will result in a soft exterior and under cooked interior. And we don’t want that :))

Also boiling the potatoes with the cumin and the  rosemary allows the flavor to really penetrate the potato. I bought my cumin seeds form tuskys at around sh.70 a pack.

As that is going, you can begin working on your sauce. Add some vegetable oil in your sufuria and add your spring onion and the garlic. Allow this to sautee until the onion has just softened and fragrant. Be careful not to burn your garlic since this will make your entire dish really bitter.

There after, add your tomato, tomato paste and the spices with a tiny bit of water and let this cook down for about 5 minutes until all flavors meld and the sauce thickens. Remove the potatoes from the heat, drain any excess water and add them to the tomatoes.

Mix them gently until the tomato mixture coats them evenly. Allow this to stay on the heat for about 3-5 minutes then garnish with your onion chives or fresh dhania. Go ahead and eat your heart out!! Lets have a moment of silence and appreciate how fantastic these potatoes look. And honestly guys, how easy was that dish??!

You can enjoy this with meatballs, some beef stew or my favorite, some kuku kienyeji. It was so easy to make and that makes it perfect for week nights. But since it has a ton of amazing flavor, it is also befitting for a festive dinner. Why don’t you give this a try and add your own twist to my recipe :)). Id love to see your take to this :))

Happy feasting!

-K

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