When my friend and fellow food blogger, Funmi, came over to Nairobi from Nigeria, Wangeci, Lyra and I were obviously so stoked to show her how we Kenyans prepare our food. “I want to experience Kenyan food exactly as it is prepared by the locals and at common eat out spots” Funmi would say. While this was exciting, I have to admit it was also very challenging. This is because you may find some really bomb Kenyan food in a kibanda, but the ambiance is not really one you would like to have a foreign guest to eat at, you get what I mean? You always want to show your country in the best light. We managed to give her a great experience, but if she was to come back today, I know exactly where I would take her: Nyama Mama.

Thank God we now have Nyama Mama! They serve Kenyan food (yeeeiiii) with ingenious twists of their own in a cosy, clean, calm atmosphere that just feels like home! It does not get any better than this!

Here is my review:

Location

Nyama Mama is located at Yaya Center at their food court on second flour. Yaya center is not too far from the CBD, where on a traffic-less day you can make it there in under 5 minutes. They shall be growing and expanding their business and setting up camp in various locations in Nairobi and in major cities across the country so be on the look out :))

Ambiance

Nyama Mama is a cosy little place with huge character. It is tucked at the very edge of the food court where plenty of natural light floods in making the eating experience feel like you are light at home! This also works in your favor taking pictures of the delicious food you are having. The decor comes in shades of grey and natural wood tones which only makes the vibrant food colors stand out.

Service

The service is relatively swift and the attendants are professional, really warm and easy going. They understand what the restaurant is all about and happily guide you  through whenever you need help.

Prices

The prices range from 300 shillings to 2000 shillings. In my opinion, that is really pocket friendly considering the location, the ambiance and the standards of food preparation they put in that you cannot get in a kibanda.

Food

Now, lets get into what you are most likely looking for here :)) :food! As I had mentioned earlier, the food at Nyama Mama is totally Kenyan, but with Mama’s take and a touch of global feel. Let me take you through:

Starters

Do you ever get a starter menu in a kibanda? Nope! At Nyama Mama, they have a variety of starter in their menu. We sampled majority of them and I really enjoyed each one.

My favorite was grilled halloumi cheese served on a bed of sauteed sukuma wiki (kale) served with tree tomato sauce. I loved the smokey flavor the cheese had, which in my opinion made it actually feel Kenyan. The smokey flavor made me feel like I was eating food prepared from my grandmothers three stones and firewood, and with plenty of love!

We also had lamb samosas served with a rich pineapple chutney. The samosas were moist, and the crust was really thin and crispy which gave each bite an interesting textural contrast.  From the pic below, you can almost see how thin the crust is. These were cleared in seconds and another serving was quickly ordered. Yum!

We usually have our ugali as a starch in the main dishes at home right? Well, Mama thought that can’t be the only way to enjoy ugali and at her restaurant, ugali is served as fries together with a garlic sauce.  It was an interesting combination and an acquired taste for most of us, but still very much Kenyan. There are many ways to have the same dish after all, right?

Our final starter dish was their chapati quesadillas with kachumbari and guacamole. What else would give quesadillas a Kenyan feel other than swapping tortillas for chapati? The beef was very tender and the quesadillas were great, but I feel a monstrous amount of some cheese would make it all come together.

Other starters on their menu include corn on the cob with chilli salt rub (mahindi choma) and honey pepper chicken wings (yum!) Next time I am back at Nyama Mama, I must try those wings !

Main Dishes

We had some pilau and chicken stew. I really enjoyed the chicken stew, it was well balanced in flavor and the chicken was very tender. The pilau was nice, but I felt it would be on level 100 if they used whole pilau spices to make it spicier or have a couple of whole black pepper seeds thrown in for extra heat. Other than that, this was a winning dish.

We also had some chapati with some curries lentils and some vegetables. This is the classic way Kenyans would enjoy their flat bread and the curried lentils was a good accompaniment. The spices used in this curry had strong Indian feel which made it a lot more unique.

Finally, kuku choma, mukimo and barbecue sauce. First let me say, if there is something that will bring me back to Nyama Mama it would be this particular barbecue sauce. All their sauces are made in-house and this one was my favorite. It was really rich and its flavors were beautifully layered and it had a hint of whisky. Pairing it with the kuku choma was just heavenly. The chicken would use a bit more seasoning, and maybe a rich marinade, but the barbecue sauce made up for that.

At this point, I had stopped using my fork and went all in with my fingers. How else would I clear the chicken off the bone other than going all in? Def not with a knife and fork! Don’t shy away from letting loose and enjoying the meal just as you would at home. You won’t feel self-consious doing so. Trust me, Nyama Mama is home away from home :))

Drinks

The drinks are served in  tin cups with bright vibrant colors. For most of us, this reminded us of our grand parents. These tin cups reminded me of the tea my guku serves us whenever we are over at Maragoli. I was having serious nostalgia and this was my favorite Kenyan touch to a modern  eatery.

Mama’s Mule: Ketel one vodka, Kisampa honey, fresh ginger, lime and mint.
This was my favorite drink. I especially enjoyed the sweetness of the honey against the subtle sourness of the limes.

Blue Mount : Chili infused Don Julio Tequila, sparkling wine, fresh pineapple, aperol and lime. Just pause and take in how good that sounds… #yum. This was a really assertive drink and if you like to have something unique and with lots of character, go for the Blue Mount.

Lion’s Share: Johnnie Walker Black Label, Martini Rosso, pomegranate, lime, watermelon and fresh ginger. I loved how the ginger tied everything together!! Delicious!

Final Thoughts

It is very rare that you get a restaurant that offers both good ambiance, great service and fantastic Kenyan food at affordable prices. For me, eating at Nyama Mama was an experience, not just getting my tummy full. I loved that I could just feel as though I am eating from home! Aspects of global food prep were beautifully  combined to our Kenyan cuisine. I am all for trying out new things and that will have me going back.

I hope to bump into you at Nyama Mama one of these fine days :))

Much love,

-K

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Am I the only one who cooks according to their mood? Sometimes I just want something rich and sweet sometimes laziness doesn’t even allow me to step next to the cooker and I settle for leftovers. On this day, I was feeling the former. I woke up with the sole goal of having something absolutely delicious for breakfast. And since I had nothing sweet ready for me, that meant some experimentation and lucky for us, a new recipe :)) Side note: Have you subscribed to my YouTube channel? You should!!!

Since I had had a tiny bit of Amarula Creme Liqueur in my fridge, I decided to make my breakfast one hell of a feast. Let me tell you, my mouth is watering as I am typing this out since I can remember how out-of-this-world good! Guys, easy does not have to be tasteless. You can have it good right at home! Warning: Chances of you getting addicted to my amarula and lime zest french toast are very high!

Ingredients

2 eggs

½ a cup of amarula crème liqueur

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of whole cardamom seeds

½ a teaspoon of cinnamon

3 slices of bread

1 teaspoon of lime zest

Method
In a container crack your eggs and add the amarula crème liqueur. Beat these together until mixed through. Set aside. Let me say, you CANNOT get drunk while cooking with alcohol. You will get the boozy flavor in your food, but because alcohol has a very low boiling point, it evaporates during the cooking process. So next time someone “gets drunk” after eating food cooked with alcohol, slap them in the eye and tell them to stop pretending :DD.

On an ungreased pan, add your cardamom seeds and toast them until they are fragrant. Put them in a pestle and mortar and split the pods open. Place the black seeds inside and crush them. The cardamon seeds are toasted so that their oils come out and their aroma become more potent.

I purchased my whole cardamom seeds  in Tuskys at around sh.100 ($1.00) and they last a really long time. Their smell and flavor reminded me of Lamu.

Add the freshly crushed cardamom seeds, the cinnamon and sugar to the whisked eggs and mix them in. Once they are just mixed, add the lime zest and give this one more mix. You can also use orange zest for this recipe :))

Take your slices of bread and place them in the egg mixture.  For me, I prefer to just dip my egg so that it just covers the bread. However, other people like to allow the bread to soak in the egg mixture a bit more. It is a free world so you are free to go by the method you feel works for you :)). Cook coated slices on your buttered pan for about 2 minutes each until they turn golden brown.

Once they are done, plate them  and serve.

I have made several french toast recipes in the past, like these ones with coconut and these other ones with tangerine zest, but I think this one is my best one yet. The flavors were superbly balanced out! You could taste the cinnamon, smell the Amarula creme liqueur and pick up hints of its silkiness and get bursts of the lime zest. These Amarula and lime zest french toast unleash a grand party on your taste buds!

Tomorrow being a public holiday in Kenya, make your brunch the bestest with this recipe :)).

If you decide to have these for brunch, make the whole dish come together by throwing in some fresh berries such as these macerated strawberries or any berry compote. Go all out! And if you shall be hosting people at your home, please whip this up; minimal effort with magnificent flavor!

As we bid goodbye to May, may you all go into the new month with renewed energy, a ton of joy and optimism and a heart ready to bless others.

Happy cooking and eating!

-K

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I always love it when I get feedback from you guys on social media. I usually try my very best to answer as soon as I can, the best I can. One of my readers asked me on Instagram how to make their oats a lot more palatable. I gave an answer based on what I had in mind at that time and with help of some of my readers.

After some thought and landing on the best brand for oats, I think I have landed upon a gold mine of flavors for your oats. @muthonirene, this one is for you <3, and everyone else. I personally love oats, and I do not know why many people don’t. I think their flavor make the perfect canvas for adding more flavor and character. For this recipe, I maximized on that and made my oats super indulgent, creamy and fruity. An easy oat recipe that is a #MUSTTRY!

PREP TIME:4-12 HOURS        COOK TIME: 8 MINUTES           SERVES:2

Ingredients:

1 cup of Oatibix oats

1/2  cup coconut cream

3/4  cup regular milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped strawberries

1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of sugar (optional)

Garnish:

Sliced strawberries

1/2 and apple, sliced

1 teaspoon of sesame seeds

Method:

Add your cup of oats into a bigger cup or bowl. To this add some water and allow to soak overnight or at least 4 hours. I love having my oatibix oats for breakfast since they are very filling, which makes it good for people with high metabolism like me, or those who are watching what they eat and want to stay fuller for longer and reduce snacking.

With oatibix however, you can totally skip the soaking and add the oats straight to your milk, cook for 5 minutes or pop it in the microwave for 4 minutes. Real time saver when you are in a rush!

After this, add your regular milk into a sufuria and bring to a simmer. Add your oats followed by the coconut cream and cinnamon. Allow this to simmer until they are warm, thick and creamy. If you choose to add sugar, add it at this point.

Oatibix has been my go to brand for my oats since I am always sure the quality is top notch. And when you cook with a great product, the outcome is usually good too :)).

You can of course adjust your milk quantities depending on your preference. Once done, take from the heat and fold in your diced strawberries. You do not have to completely mix them in, just ensure they are folded into your oats. If you do not have strawberries, bananas would work well too.

Strawberies have a ton of vitamins which make them a great compliment to the nutritional benefits of oats, which help in the lowering of high cholesterol. You can give your uji a break form time to time and have oats instead. Your body will thank you!

Garnish with your apple, remaining strawberry slices and some sesame seeds. Serve hot!!!

This is my current morning craving. Hot oats with the soft aroma and flavor of coconut cream and mild acidity of the strawberries is all I want all day everyday! So delicious!

This bowlful of oats is so comforting swear these can cure everything! From broken hearts to snatched edges to confused minds, this is all you need. Plus it is so soooo easy to make, as usual when it comes to K!

Join the ongoing conversation on twitter: How do you like your oats? What/who do they remind you of? What flavors are you thinking could work with your oats? Lets chat on Twitter.

Keep it healthy!

-K

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Nothing excites me more than a good choma! Regardless of weather, or location or mood, I will almost always be present where there is a good choma. To make a choma really good, preparation that goes in plays a key role. This Saturday at the Arboretum, we are being treated to the best mbuzi choma at ‘Brothers of the grill’ where the best restaurants  will serve us the best of their choma, while sipping on Jack Daniels cocktails and just hanging out. I spoke about this on Instagram but I will explain more about this at the end of the post. Let me tell you, I just cannot wait!!!!! But since Saturday is still a couple of days away, I decided to make this garlic chicken breast with whiskey bbq sauce as a prelude of whats to come. Feast upon this, and hope to see you all on the 18th for good mbuzi  choma and fun in the sun.

Ingredients

For the bbq sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons of honey

1/2 a cup of Jack Daniels whiskey

1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

For the chicken

Marinade

1 tablespoon of rosemary

5 cloves of garlic, minced

400g of chicken breast

3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

For the wet rub

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 of thumb-sized ginger root

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 tablespoon of black pepper

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

1/4 tablespoon of mustard spice

1 tablespoon of mayo

Method

Take your chicken breast and place it on a seal-able dish. Add all the marinade ingredients until well combined. Put them in the fridge for 24 hours so that the marinade really sinks into the meat. The longer you marinate, the deeper the flavor.

Prepare your wet rub. Mince your ginger and garlic until they turn into a paste. Put these in a bowl and add your turmeric, black pepper, mustard, salt, mayo and vegetable oil. Mix it all up until totally combined. It is this wet rub that will give the breast beautiful garlic flavor.

Slather this all over your chicken and pan roast it until the chicken is totally cooked through. Once done, set aside.

Then you can begin working on your sauce. In a pan, add some vegetable oil then add your garlic and grated red onion. Cook these until they become fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. Then add your ketchup, ACV, cayenne, salt, whiskey, Worcestershire sauce, honey  and let this simmer down for about 15-20 minutes.

If you feel its becoming too thick for your liking, add water, bit by bit, until you get the consistency you want. After the sauce is done, taste it to see whether you need to adjust the spices to suit your taste then remove from the heat.

Drizzle your Jack Daniels infused BBQ sauce over your chicken. Garnish with some onion chives or finely chopped coriander then serve. I should do a video on this soon. Speaking of videos, have you subscribed to my YouTube channel? Have you checked out the videos that are already there? Pass my my channel today HERE.

This was so juicy, so flavorful and absolutely unforgettable. You can make the sauce in large batches and keep some for future use. If this is what I made at home, I wonder what waits for us at Brothers of the Grill on the 18th at the arboretum. For just sh.2000, your ticket will not only give you a pass into the event, but will give you 5 food vouchers (nom!), 5 Jack Daniels cocktails and 5 water vouchers. Can we ever get that anywhere else?? No! This is one event you juts cannot miss. Get your ticket HERE and bring all your friends along.

Don’t forget to give this recipe a try and see you all on Saturday !

-K

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Is it just me or the more you don’t want your mom to find out about something, the more likely she is to find out about it? I don’t know it that sentence makes sense, but if you get what I mean, I think you can relate. Moms have a inbuilt “mischief sensors” that kick in whenever we secretly do what they tell not to do. My mom is TOTALLY against food wastage. I had bought some strawberries to make this cheese cake with. I got so busy in between and I kept postponing. Slowly but surely, the strawberries got spoilt. I felt guilty, but knew I had to throw them away before mom saw them. I hid them amongst some veggies so that I could throw them away when she was not around and guess what, she found them in just a few minutes. Did she sense I was up to something? I think she did. One lecture on food wastage later, I realized that was stupid of me and decided to use oranges instead. The result: stellar as always. I will show you what to substitute a bread or biscuit crust with to give you the same A+ results.

For the crust

4 oatibix biscuits

3 tablespoons of desiccated coconut

5 tablespoons of butter

For the cheese filling

100 g of white chocolate

125 g of crème cheese

1 orange, zested

For the orange compote

2 oranges, peeled and sliced

3 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 a cup of orange juiced

Method:

Take oatibix biscuit and crush it with your hands until it forms fine crumbs. You can use a food processor if you please, but your hands works just as well :)). To this add your desiccated coconut and mix it all up. Normally, the base for cheese cake are usually crushed biscuit of choice however these usually have high amounts of salt. I settled for oatibix as a substitute since it has a lower amount of salt at just 0.01g. What a win!!!

Also, unlike a biscuit base for your cheesecake, using an oat base via oatibix helps in lowering of cholesterol which in turn keeps our blood vessels and heart healthy. Also, unlike a biscuit base, an oatibix base has high fiber making you get fuller faster. This means a small piece of the cheese cake will satisfy you instead of eating a mountain load. You can indulge without over doing it, and enjoy all the health benefits that come along with having an oatibix cheese cake base.

Melt your butter in the microwave for a few seconds and add it to these two ingredients. Mix it all up until combined throughout then press it to the bottom of your container.

Prepare your cheese filling. In a bowl, add your crème cheese. It should be at room temperature. I bought my creme cheese form Nakumatt and chose Happy Cow brand. Buy Kenya Build Kenya, yes? :)) Whisk it for about a minute then set aside. Melt your white chocolate and add it to the cheese followed by your orange zest. Because the chocolate is already sweet, I did not add more sugar to this.

Mix these all up then spread evenly these over the oatibix crust. Refrigerate for a few hours. Since I do not own a detachable baking tray, I improvised by lining an ordinary storage tin with translucent paper which would then make it easy to make the cheesecake detach without any hurdles.

You can of course make your cheese layer thicker if you so please. I personally prefer a slimmer cheese layer since that gives me a chance to also savor the crust and enjoy amazing textural contrast.

Then you can begin working on your compote. In a pan, add your sliced orange, together with the sugar and the fresh orange juice. Let this simmer, on low heat, until it thickens and the orange buds burst.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool down to room temperature. Of course you can use any other fruit, mangoes, passion fruit, and strawberries too :)) The compote will add sweetness to the cheese cake, but not make it cloyingly sweet.

After your cheese cake has set, add your orange compote on top as the final layer and serve!

The oatibix crust made the perfect substitute for breadcrumbs. Not only did it hold up well, they tasted a lot more wholesome compared to bread/cracker crumbs. The cheese has notes of white chocolate and the zest in the cheese was picked by the fullness of the orange compote which tied it all together.

Dead simple no-bake orange kissed layers of creamy goodness!!!. Be it for brunch or dessert, or just to satisfy those cravings, this is for you!!!

Much love!

-K

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Let me first start by saying, nyama choma induced commas are a very real thing. This past weekend, we had our very first Brothers of the Grill at Nairobi Arboretum. Judging from how this went, I think I will go for every other single one in the future. The very moment I entered the grounds, I could smell all the meat that was roasting from different restaurant stands and I just wanted to start eating. I am so so glad my expectations were exceeded! The the mood was right, the music was mellow and the food was more than enough. I am telling you we ATE!!! Nothing beats good food and lovely company! I now understood the meaning of this:

“Nilikula hadi nikaskia mjinga”

Kenyan Proverb

Here is how it went down:

What made this event one of a kind

You see, unlike other events, your ticket only guarantees you entrance to the grounds. For Jack Daniels Brothers of the grill, you not only get a pass to the grounds, but you also get 5 meal tokens, 5 cocktail tokens and 5 water tokens. YOU. CANT. GET. THAT. ANYWHERE. ELSE! At the entrance, we were handed the tokens, which were “Jack Currencies” which once handed in at restaurant stands, we got our food. In most events, you pay maybe 1500 for entrance then spend an additional 2000 for food and drinks once you are in. For brothers of the grill, your 2000 shilling ticket ($20) gave you your pass, food prepared by top restaurants, cocktails and water.

I thought that the meal portions would be very little, but they were huge portions and well balanced out with an array of salads, sauces, starches of choice and of course nyama choma. I was dead full after 2 servings and I still so many other meal tokens to use. Too good to be true!!! It was a foodies paradise!

Pilau, kachumbari, mbuzi choma and mutura served by Mel’s Kitchen

Fries, chicken wings, mbuzi choma with Jack Daniels sauce with a pineapple melon salad.

There were also a variety of cocktails being served all with their own distinct qualities. My absolute favorite was Tennessee Breeze JD cocktail. It had orange and cranberry juice, tonic water, ice together with Jack Daniels Honey. It was so refreshing and beautifully balanced.

Nyama choma provided by the very best

At the brothers of the grill, the food is not provided by rookies, neither was the food provided only to a tiny select percentage of the crowd. The food was provided by top Nairobi restaurants and offered to every single person in attendance and to their filling. The participating restaurants included: Mel’ Kitchen, Monikos, Carnivore, Party Hog, Road House Grill, Orwa’s Kitchen, Havana, Y-Not Barbeque, Coco Jambo and Privee.

The nyama choma they made for us was not just any nyama choma! The participating restaurants brought their A-game and were so eager to give the crowd  a culinary experience away from what we are used to. In general, the meat was tender; the kind that literally melts in your mouth. The soft meat made the eating experience even more heavenly! Guys were just ooooh-ing and aaaaah-ing at every bite.

Ribs! Ribs! And some more riiiibbbbsss!!!!

My favorite restaurants

Soni, Jayson, Lyra and I were not only attendees of the festival, but we were also judges for the meat restaurants provided. If Chopped ever comes to Kenya, now they know who they should have on their panel of judges :D. We judged mainly based on taste and tenderness of the meat. It was tough since the standards were so high. I will give you a summary of my most memorable restaurants.

1. Privee

Lord have mercy! I an literally salivating just remembering how awesome their chicken wings were!!!!! I could not have enough. You know when you are full already, but you force issues to eat just to eat something delicious your tummy magically gets more space when you eat something tasty?  That was how great the chicken wings by Privee were. Their mbuzi choma was also really tender, really flavorful, well marinated and seasoned. The flame grilled chicken wings were their house specialty and they completely knocked me off my feet! Wah!

Yup! I ate these wings like I was being paid. Can we please rewind to Saturday?!!

2. Havana

This was a close second, and almost a tie with Privee. Their house specialty were their pork ribs. They were sooo sooo tender, so juicy, so flavorful I just wanted to marry them right there and then!! They also had a wide array of sauces, really fresh, flavorful and balanced salads, cheeses and so many other sides. Where else can you get such an elaborate sides other that Brothers of the grill??! Another hit of theirs with the crown were their tacos. Nearly everyone I asked what they liked most pointed out the Havana Tacos!!!! If they are ever at Brothers of the Grill next time, I am ready to get me a havana taco pregnancy. Those were so good, you literally feel like you need to eat 17 before you feel satisfied.

#licksscreen

3. Monikos Kitchen

Let me explain to you guys what team Monikos did to their mbuzi (goat). Two weeks before the event, they began feeding their goat some milk mixed with Jack Daniels along with the normal greens and grass. This made the Jack Daniels flavor to really get infused into each and every tissue of the goat. And when it came to roasting time, you could tell the effort they put in paid off! Eh!

The meat is then slow roasted over coals as it is slathered with a wet rub with loads of freshly chopped herbs such as thyme and rosemary. Each bite gives you a taste of everything that went into preparing this. Absolutely mind blowing!

They also had the option of having your mbuzi thinly sliced and stuffed in pita bread along with kachumbari and other sauces. I’m telling you, guys were not playing when it came to mbuzi choma at Brothers of the Grill!!!

4. Party Hog

Another stand-out for me was Party Hog. The event was all about nyama choma and all other kinds of meat, but what was particularly memorable from their stand was their sorbet. This was not just any kind of sorbet, but their Jack Daniels sorbet. The taste of the whiskey was mild, yet discernible and to my surprise, went really well with the other ingredients of this cold treat. For me, it was the perfect way to end all the feasting we had embarked on.

That was just a summary of all the eating  and fun we had just for 2000 shillings. If you did not come, I am so sorry, but you missed out big time!!! To all my readers I met and chatted with, the pleasure was mine <3. To gorgeous Thabisa Faye, who won a ticket from the interactive I held on Instagram, I hope you ate your brains out too and enjoyed yourself :)).

Next time Brothers of the Grill  is on, you all need to get into formation and show up!! For all such events in the future, lets make it bigger and even more fun!

That moment when you want to clear your friend’s plate too.

Bought those boots in a dark street just before city council team came to chase the hawkers. I got home only to realize they are different shades of brown… Nairobi thrifting is indeed a gamble :D. Don’t judge me by the state of my shoes :D

To good food!

-K

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When I hear  the words food and layers, what will automatically come to mind is  something with actual layers. Several food and lifestyle bloggers including myself challenged ourselves to creating blog posts revolving around layers. Instead of making something with actual layers, I decided to make something with layered flavors. Something where you get note after note of the different ingredients that went into it. For me, that is my banana and cardamom oat pancakes. I will be sharing the links to the posts by fellow food bloggers taking up the same challenge on my social media channels so keep it K :))

Not only are the flavors in these pancakes beautifully layered and balanced, these pancakes are so much healthier than the wheat alternative. These will definitely rock your world!!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup of oatibix wholegrain oats

1 egg

3/4 cup of milk

1/2 a teaspoon of cardamom seeds

2 tablespoons of sugar

A handful of desiccated coconuts

1 banana

Method

In a food processor, add your oats. Blitz them until they are just pulverized. I prefer mine to be semi fine as I prefer to have a bit of texture in my pancakes. Also, by allowing the oats not to completely become fine allows my body to still get the fiber,that the are are so rich in. However, I you’d like to have it fine, blitz it longer, but i’d advice against that :)).

Put the oat flour into a bowl. Add your desiccated coconut and mix it in. Crush your cardamom and add it to the bowl followed by the sugar. Mix this all through until evenly mixed.

Beat your egg and add it to the bowl together with the milk and mix it all in. You can of course adjust the milk:oat ration until it reaches the preference you want. Using oats instead of wheat flour is a great alternative for all people’s health but particularly great for people with diabetes since it helps keep glucose levels steady.

Ladle the batter onto your pan. Before it sets, add some banana slices on the pancake surface facing you then proceed to cook as usual. I added bananas as a garnish of sorts instead of blending it all up and mixing it in the barter since I feel if I did that, the banana taste would completely overwhelm everything else. So for me, a little bit was best. For extra texture, I sprinkled some oatibix whole grain oats onto the surface too. The textural contrast between them and the bananas is phenomenal!

You can use any other fruit too. Oats on have plenty of vitamin B1, zinc and magnesium and adding fruit to this makes it such a nutritional powerhouse!

Give each side about 3 minutes on the heat then serve.

If I could, I would have these every single day! They are so full of flavor so full of character and they kept me fuller for loner compared to regular wheat pancakes.

The bananas gave these a nutritional boost by adding to the levels of magnesium that the banana naturally have. They also caramelized amazingly during the cooking process. Don’t they look so nice? You could taste them without them overwhelming the taste of everything else.

These oat pancakes were so rich in flavor.  All the flavors were so beautifully layered. You could taste the bananas, which gave way to the coconut mixed in with the oat flour and get the warm aftertaste of freshly crushed cardamom. Layer after layer of fantastic warm flavors!

Have you tried out oat pancakes?  If not, this recipe, which is a more healthy alternative is for you is for you <3

Much love

Kaluhi

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My second ever baking post on the blog. People usually say if you love to cook, you don’t love to bake. But I absolutely don’t believe that since I actually have a knack for baking. It is just that, my oven has not been working for almost 2 years now. Remember this post where I told you all about it? :(. But whenever I can, I shall be sneeking in baking posts for you guys.

As we move closer and closer to the colder months of July and August, I am usually more into really indulgent foods. I like having my sweet cake with while enjoying rainy foggy Sunday afternoons in. One of my favorite cakes to have is my crumb cake with some strungi of course. Let’s whip some up and hopefully you’ll be into it too :))

Ingredients

1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup prestige margarine

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup  plain yoghurt, at room temperature

For your streusel (the top layer)

1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1/2 a cup of all purpose flour

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons of prestige margarine, cold and cubed

Method

Preheat oven to 177°C. Grease and lightly flour a round or square 8-inch pan and set it aside. Then proceed with preparation.

The top layer of the cake consists of a streusel, which is super duper easy to make. To make your streusel, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a bowl. If you fancy, you can add some nutmeg too. Cut in the chilled prestige margarine and with a fork until the mixture resembles pea sized crumbs. I used my hands since I found that faster.  Set aside.

Make sure the margarine you use is cold and not at room temperature or melted so that it remains at the top of the cake during baking.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using mixer, beat your prestige margarine on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together fairly well.

You can get these measuring cups in any large Nakumatt which make your baking a lot easier. Unlike cooking, you cant eyeball with baking and have everything turn out well. You have to be precise; 1/2 a cup MUST be 1/2 a cup, no more no less. Get yourself measuring cups, total must have!!

Then, on medium-high speed, add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and your plain yogurt. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula or spoon as needed.

With the mixer on low speed, beat in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Do not over mix this batter. Spread it on your buttered and dusted baking pan. Once its evenly spread out, sprinkle your streusel over the top of the batter then proceed to bake.

Bake for around 30 minutes or until the cake is baked through. To test whether it is ready, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done.

Allow cake to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 20 minutes. In the mean time, prepare some tea and get ready to dig in.

I enjoyed using the new prestige margarine in the baking of my cake. I feel it contributed to the airiness and moistness of this cake. I also loved the vanilla flavor it added to the cake as it was already infused in the margarine. Because of that, you can also use it for your pancakes and maandazi for that extra vanilla kick.

On the downside, baking with it made my cake yellow by default, even when I did not use food color.

You can make this even more indulgent by adding a glaze or a rich cream cheese frosting. This moist crumbly beauty would go so well with either choice. This is what you should be warming up to this cold season. And I hope you enjoy it as much as I did <3

-K

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I have always loved indugent food. But even though I am not one to gain weight easily, I still know that I have to take care of my body and try keep it as healthy as I can but still keep the flavor. As I always say, healthy does not have to be boring, right? :)) One way of keeping it flavorful but still very healthy is to substitute something which is not too great with something that has equivalent qualities but overall better for your body.

On the day I made these,  I wanted something sweet but still keep it healthy so sweet potatoes were obviously the go to :D. With this recipe, I decided to think outside the box and explore more with substitutes that are often overlooked. Are you ready? Lets make magic!

Ingredients

5  half an inch  thick inch sweet potato slices, cooked

1 weetabix biscuit, crushed

1 egg

1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

2 large oranges, juiced

2 tablespoons of honey

Method

In a sauce pan, place your freshly squeezed orange juice, honey and rosemary. Let this simmer on medium low heat for about 10-20 minutes. It will change consistency from being runny to being thick like honey.

For syrups, I usually use sugar, but for a healthier substitute, I chose honey. Honey not only adds the sweet element to the syrup but is rich in anti oxidants, it is anti bacterial, anti fungal and ability to prevent certain types of cancer. These are qualities you cannot get in your regular sugar. You can get the sweetness through honey and a whole other extra benefits :)).

As the syrup is going, get working on your sweet potatoes.

Beat your egg in a bowl and set it aside. In another bowl, crush your weetabix biscuit until the particles are very fine and set them aside too. Why did I choose weetabix crumbs for my coating over regular breadcrumbs?

Weetabix are packed with  iron which make sure you are at your peak. Compared to breadcrumbs, they also have much higher fiber content which helps in digestion and keeps things moving in your alimentary canal (cant remember the last time I used ‘alimentary canal’ in my writing :D) It is also low in sugar, which in this recipe we are also trying to keep out. That for me is a huge plus!

Take your sweet potato, dip it in the egg, the toss it in the weetabix crumbs until fully coated.

Shallow fry in some oil until crispy. The point is to flash fry  so that very little oil is soaked up and the coating stays super crispy.

After they are done, drain them on a paper towel and plate them. Check whether your sauce has thickened and when it has, drizzle it over the coated sweet potatoes. So delicious! so easy! And still wholesome.

I especially loved how the rosemary flavor balanced out the sweetness of the honey and complimented the flavor of the sweet potato and that of the orange. You can also make this sauce with fresh sage in place of rosemary and lemons in place of oranges. Next time, I will use lemons just for extra zing :)). This sauce is very rich and a little goes a long way. The weetabix breadcrumbs not only made the perfect crispy coating to a soft interior, but are the perfect healthy substitute to ordinary breadcrumbs.

In the event you have some syrup left after eating the crispy sweet potatoes, you can keep it and use it on your toast and on your pancakes like we did here. Do you have some weetabix, ngwaci, and oranges lying around? Give them the #KK treatment. And remember, healthy does not have to be boring :)).

Thank me later.

To great food!

– K

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Whenever mom comes back to Nairobi form her trips out west, she usually brings with her a bounty of goodies. For her most recent trip, she brought with her plenty of green mangoes, which are among my favorite kind of mango due to their very sweet unique taste. I shared this story with you guys on Instagram on Sunday as I pondered on what I would make with the newly brought fresh produce.

I decided to make a cocktail. All the flavors in this green mango and ginger cocktail married beautifully and exploded with such fullness with each seep. And in true K fashion, it so easy to make and delivers on taste too :)).

MAKE TIME: 15 minutes                         SERVES: 2

Ingredients

1 ripe green mango

1 orange, peeled and seeded

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

1 tablespoon of honey

1/4 cup of your favorite whiskey

Sparkling water

Ice (Optional)

Method

Peel your mango and your orange. Place them in a blender and run until they are smooth. Sieve into a separate cup and it aside. Since I did not have a barristers shaker, I used an ordinary coffee travel cup. There are always substitutes when you lack the original, right?

Peel and grate your ginger and place it in a cup. Add your, honey, freshly blended mango, orange juice and  whiskey shake this all together until evenly mixed.

Ginger and mango are such a delicious match! In whichever dish you choose to make, these two always beautifully compliment each other. This cocktail was no exception.

Pour the blend into a glass then if you fancy, add some ice. Top up with some sparkling water. You can also top with some stoney if you cant find sparkling water.

Garnish with a slice of fresh ginger, find your cocktail buddy and sip away!

If you are reading this form a country that is currently in summer, this would be so perfect! And for us in Kenyan where it is currently not as warm, you can choose to remove the ice entirely and enjoy it at room temperature. Either way, my green mango and ginger cocktail will take you to cloud 9!

This cocktail would go really well with grilled chicken wings, mbuzi choma, meatball tikka masala, or anything you like. For me, a sweet cocktail such as this green mango and ginger cocktail woulD go so well with something spicy and savory. Must try for us all :))

Cheers!

-K

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“Nibakishie kitu tamu!” (Save me something tasty) My eldest sister Cheredi exclaimed as she spotted me in the kitchen cooking as she was on her way out to do her errands. You see, whenever I am developing new recipes for you guys, my sisters anticipate a feast. For me, that is a good and a bad thing. A good thing since I can make them happy through the great food that comes from the kitchen, and a bad thing since recipe development is usually so susceptible to serious failure! I hoped that this recipe would turn out great so that my sissy would come home to delicious food; to ‘kitu tamu’ as we always say. Lucky for me, this was a good recipe development day since these tilapia fish fingers were a 10/10.

I will show you how to make them, infuse flavor and incorporate spices to give you the best fish fingers you will ever make, with the littlest effort ever!

PREP TIME: 15 MIN               COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES

Ingredients

200 g of Tilapia fish fillet

1 egg

1 sprig of rosemary

5 cloves of garlic

1 cup of bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

Salt to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

Method

Slice your fish fillet into strips with a width of about 1/2 an inch thick. Sprinkle some salt on them then set them aside. If you do not have tilapia, you can use any other kind of fish you personally fancy to make fish fingers with this recipe.

Place your breadcrumbs on a plate, add your turmeric, coriander spice and black pepper and mix all these until evenly distributed. This ensures your coating has flavor as opposed to having just breadcrumbs. I chose those three spices on a whim and also coz I know without doubt they work together. But you can add others that you like and play around with different combinations until you land on that which you really dig.

In a separate bowl, crack your egg and add add your finely chopped rosemary, about 1/2 a teaspoon, and your minced garlic. Whisk this until evenly mixed out. Like the bread crumbs, I did not use the egg on its own but had to add more flavor: Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon zest which brought out the flavor of the fish so so well!

Ensure your garlic is totally minced and not cut into pieces since pieces wont mix with the egg. You rosemary has to be very finely chopped too for it to mix out well.

Dip your fish strips in the egg mixture, then roll them in your seasoned breadcrumbs then set aside. The egg acts as ‘glue’ allowing the breadcrumbs to stick to it. And it has rosemary and garlic so that is a huge plus!

Heat some vegetable oil and fry them about 2 minutes each side then remove form heat. The frying time will vary according to the thickness of your fish fingers, but generally, fish cooks really fast. Once done, drain excess oil then proceed to plate.

Serve with tartar sauce. Fish and tartar sauce is always a match made in heaven. I made mine with the ingredients below: Mayo, Fresh lemon juice, a dash of black pepper, one minced clove of garlic and some chili paste by Kez Organics for some mild heat.

I thoroughly enjoyed eating these garlic and rosemary tilapia fish fingers as much as I did making them. They were so tender and so full of flavor. Check out my other fish finger recipe HERE and try it out too. You’ll enjoy both :))

This was an easy recipe, don’t you agree? You can easily make this at home without having to struggle to source for ingredients. I encourage you to play around with different spice combinations for your tilapia fish finger crust. The possibilities are endless!!

Happy Friday!

-K

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On July 27th 2014 I literally woke up and decided that I am starting a blog. Being a very resolute person, once I had decided to do something I go hard and I get it done. I thought no one would even read my blog :DD. I thought after three months, I would get tired, put my blog in the back burner and move on. I never thought I would have such amazing readers from all parts of the world who I’d enjoy creating for. Even though at that point I did not have a clear growth plan, I knew I enjoyed cooking and sharing my recipes. Two years later and 200 posts down, we are here! * waves pom poms in the air *

I have learnt plenty along the way, I have grown a great deal too. And the learning and growing never ever stops. Its has been the most fun roller coaster ride, and I am so excited for the years to some and the great things we are going to achieve and experience together.

Here are some of the things I live by and believe will help anyone who is a blogger or in anything else in life:

Start with what you have and grow from there

You have that dream in your heart. You are looking at other professionals on the internet and are blown away at how beautiful their work is. You feel pumped to start, but suddenly, you feel inadequate as it dawns on you that you do not have all the equipment they have. At this point, you are at a cross roads, you either give up or postpone starting (which ends up never starting at all) or you decide to just start and improve as you go along. I always go with the latter : Start. No matter how shabby your beginning is, if you love what you do, you will improve as you go along. If God placed that dream in your heart, He gave you the ability to bring it to life. Do not second guess yourself. Do not be afraid of failing or messing a little. Do not be afraid of making the first step. It is only through trying and failing that we grow.

I am also still improving as I go along. I am still learning how to make my craft better. But looking back at my progress, I am thankful I started and persisted. Below is an image from my FIRST EVER blog post. Definitely not my best photography :D, you can even see anything! But I knew I would improve and knew the concept I would go with.

Then with time, I improved. Practice and invest in your self. I am still improving as I want my images to be as good as the top global food photographers. But this far I have come, I am grateful <3

Lastly, you do not need special connections in order to make it. We live in a country where you must know someone in order to get what you want. It is very sad that most young people believe that is the only way to make it. If you are well connected so much so that it fuels your career trajectory, well and good for you. You are lucky! But the reality is, most of us don’t have those same connections. I never did, still don’t. It is hard to build from the ground up without having a boost from already established or ‘famous’ Kenyan personalities. But it is such hardship that will refine your character and work ethic. You will learn not to take short cuts. You will learn the value of persistence. You do not need special connections, you just have to work hard, work smart and be determined to top yourself each time. The long route to the top polishes you. You’ll come out OK :)), trust me!

Be authentic. Be original.

I was speaking to one of my friends over the weekend and we both lamented at how Kenyans never really seem to want to be original at anything. Don’t get me wrong, we have so many pioneering creatives around, however, we also have just as many copy cats around. One person starts one thing and weeks later there are a zillion duplicates. As a blogger, and online content creator, please do not fall into this trap. Even when you have a massive writers block, do not copy someone else’s work just so that you can meet deadlines of stay consistent. This will water down the credibility of your work. You may benefit from it in the short term but it will eventually catch up to you. You do not need to be like someone else in order to succeed, you just need to be you.

Surround yourself with people who will remind you of your power and potential

In life, you will have those moments where your mind shuts down when you feel overwhelmed by a task ahead. You will meet people who will talk down at you just to make themselves feel better about themselves. You will feel kinda inadequate in your own abilities or get scared to start that project of you’ve always wanted to start. In such circumstances, I will second guess my ability or talk myself out of amazing situations. Having a great support system when such ugly feelings arise is very important. Have friends who will give you direction, remind you of your potential and support you. Have friends who will call you out when you are slacking and push you to be your very best. Sometimes friends see what we are capable of achieving much clearer than we can Surround yourself with such souls.

It is never easy but it is always worth it

So many people think blogging is as easy as writing a text and sending it out :D. The only people who know exactly how much blood sweat and tears that go into sustaining a blog and creating a brand out of it are those who are actually bloggers. It takes time and a lot of effort, just like everything else in life. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme, actually the opposite is true. Very few bloggers make a living from blogging. It takes a long time to finally get returns from the late nights. You will meet arrogant clients. You will see people steal your content. You will feel like giving up. But when you think about all the value you are adding in the lives of others, It makes it all worth it <3.

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When I think about incorporating the word ‘rainbow’ into a recipe, mind first drifts towards creating a sweet dish as opposed to a savory one. Blame skittles for that :DD. How ever this time, I decided to make something savory using a word that invokes thoughts of a sweet dish. Also, I did not have enough ingredients to make a sweet rainbow inspired dish and felt too lazy to get some. I felt so lazy, that I transformed leftovers into one hell of a sandwich! Who said left overs are boring?? :DD

This sandwich takes no more than 15 minutes to make. It has a ton of character and a even more flavor. Thank heavens you can get all these ingredients right in your fridge! Lets get to business!

PREP TIME: 10 MIN                       MAKE TIME: 15 MIN

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast (left overs)

1 teaspoon of tomato paste

1 1/2 tablespoon of whiskey

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

2 tomatoes

1/2 a cup of cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon of grated beetroot

1/4 teaspoon of grated ginger

Fresh coriander

2 slices of whole meal bread

Method.

Grate your beet and the ginger. Mix these in with the coleslaw and set aside. You can prepare fresh slaw if you’d like as well. Not only did adding beet add amazing color but it add really great health benefits. The ginger awakens the flavor of the slaw and freshens it up. Go easy on the ginger quantity though as you do not want it to over power every thing else.

Take your chicken breast and cut it up into thin strips. Set aside. In a pan, add 1 grated tomato, your tomato paste, cayenne pepper and whiskey. Mix it up then add your thinly sliced chicken breast. Let this cook for 5-8 minutes. Just before serving, add your cheese and mix it in, Once it has melted in, remove from heat and set aside. I dis not over season the chicken since it already had enough seasoning and salt. The left over chicken for this recipe was prepared using this recipe.

This can also work really well with left over beef.

You see, the thing about using left overs of one dish in a different dish is all about transformation. You have to upgrade it. You can have your left overs as is if you don’t intend on transforming it into another dish. But if you are, you need to elevate its flavors.

Once everything is ready, begin layering your sandwich: Slaw at the bottom Followed by your roughly chopped fresh coriander, then your cheesy chili whiskey-laced chicken strips then finally your tomato slices and the top slice of bread.

**

That was beyond easy! Yea? And you wouldn’t believe the amount of flavor that results form this! Nothing short of an explosion! All colors of the rainbow are present if you look at the entire picture, yes? Explosion of color + explosion of flavor! You can check out the posts of other Onja bloggers (links on side bar) and get some major rainbow inspiration. This months blogroll topic was suggested by Gatuiri of Leo Tunapika?

This would be so perfect for a mid morning snack, a picnic or something to down while you are watching your game or your favorite series.

For a rainbow themed dish, I think we nailed it!! Just look at these glorious layers!

What recipe would you come up with with ‘rainbow’ as a key word? Let me know in the comments below.

-K

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I often reminisce about all the fun we had in Lamu over their Food festival held April. If you are yet to read my Lamu posts, you can check them out here and here. We had the time of of lives on that Island paradise. Not only did we discover plenty of cultural activity the residents proudly preserve, but we got to indulge in their food which has just as heavy cultural influence, with majority of the recipes passed down from generation to generation. We got to eat plenty of mahamri, viazi karai, bhajia ya kunde and a ton of sea food. It was in Lamu that I learnt that the locals enjoy having their muhogo (cassava) fried and sprinkled with some masala. This was the inspiration for today’s recipe, but of course, I had to do it #TheKWay! With abit of modification and giving it my own touch, you are going to love this just as much as I did <3

Prep time: 5 min            Cook time: 10 min         Serves:2

Ingredients

2, 100g cassava root

1 egg

½ a teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of coriander powder

¼ cup of finely chopped fresh coriander

3 tablespoons of ghee

Salt to taste.

Method

Boil your cassava with some salt until tender. Set aside and allow to slightly cool down then proceed to slice them into thin strips. Muhogo can be really dense and starchy. To deal with that, I like to cut mine into thin strips so that it does not overwhelm you while eating.

In a bowl, crack your egg and add the spices. Lightly whisk them then add your finely chopped coriander and whisk them thoroughly until everything is evenly distributed. You can really use any spice combination you personally prefer. Maybe garam masala +dash of chili or garlic powder +  some cumin; you can go with whatever you prefer. Experiment and land on the spice combination you like best :))

Muhogo is actually pretty bland on its own. But that is a blessing in disguise since this very quality sets it as a blank canvas for you to play around with different flavor combinations.

Take your Muhogo strips and dip them in the whisked eggs. Once coated, put them to fry in some ghee.  I used ghee because it is fragrant compared to other vegetable oils. It’s nature would also allow it to infuse into this starchy root and make it have a warmer, richer taste. Coconut oil would work just as well.

Once golden brown and crispy, remove from heat and drain on a paper towel.

Serve with some hot tea or coffee. Trust me, you will never ever ever have your muhogo in a way better than this. Perfectly season, crispy exterior with a tender interior. I went the savory route, but you can also prepare your cassava in a sweet way just like Sophie of ‘A Kitchen In Uganda’ did when she made her chocolate glazed cassava balls. I am forever crushing on her work and you guys must check out this recipe and her blog too!

It is also very filling and a great  alternative for bread for breakfast. Besides having it for breakfast, you can also have it as part of your bitings when served with a nice rich garlic dip. The available options for muhogo are truly limitless!

Ready to try some out of the box cooking? This one is definitely for you!

To more kitchen adventures,

-K

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August started with such a huge burst of sunshine and warmth. Glorious month it is, even more so that it is my birth day month! Unlike this year,  last year or the year before it always has the first two weeks of August still  shaking off the July freeze. This year has been different. Warmer. I however feel we have one more week of cold temperatures before we finally move on and enjoy beautiful sunshine. I prepared this carrot soup in anticipation of cozy cold nights in, but the weather decided to surprise us with some warmth. But in all honesty, soups can be taken in any weather. And I believe my soothing karafuu and rosemary carrot soup will warm your body and keep you comfy.

Prep time: 10 Min               Cook time: 20 Minutes             Serves:2

Ingredients

3 carrots

2 cloves (karafuu)

½ a teaspoon of minced ginger

3/4 tablespon of black pepper

1  cup of milk or heavy cream

Salt to taste.

Method

Peel your carrots and  slice then into strips. Put it to boil in a sufuria together with the rosemary,ginger and cloves. Allow this to boil down until the carrots have completely softened. Do not put too much water, but just enough to boil the carrots through.

Karafuu (cloves) can be really assertive in taste, and a little goes a long way. For this soup, two of these little pods was enough.

Allow this to cool down for about 5 minutes then ad to a blender. Blitz until smooth. You can add the boiled veggied and herbs together with any water that has remained after the boiling process since it is nutrient rich.

Pour this into a sufuria and add the milk, the pepper and some salt to taste. You can use heavy cream if you prefer a richer soup. Also, you can vary the amount of milk to suit your personal taste. If you like light soup add more milk. And if you don’t, do the opposite :)). Let it simmer down for about 5-9 minutes then remove from heat. Ladle onto your bowl, garnish with some heavy cream and some pumpkin seeds.

Serve.

The warming flavors of ginger, karafuu and rosemary really compliment each other and make it so perfect for getting your self warmed up. You can have this on its own as a snack or an appetizer or throw in some fresh bread and make this a full meal.

Besides garnishing with fresh rosemary, I always love garnishing with pumpkin seeds. Not only do they provide a nutrient boost, but they also provide a fantastic textural contrast and crunch with each bite.

You have to sample this hug in a bowl! Much love,

-K

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I love the energy Nairobi exudes in the evening. I get energized by the fast moving crowds and by the soft glow of dusk. The city really comes alive after dark! By 7 p.m, the sidewalks are crowded with hawkers selling all kinds of things, from wallets to clothes, to shoes, watches, to fruits and vegetables. Some people may consider this a nuisance, but to me it is part of what gives Nairobi its character and benevolence. During these times, my eyes are usually fixed on the ground. I eye all the merchandise laid before me, hoping that I would land on a good bargain. After getting a (really!!!) good pair of thrifted shoes, I then bought some fruits before finally heading home. Among them were tree tomatoes, which I had been searching hard for and finally found on the streets of Nairobi! I ate most of them (duh!!) and with those that remained, I decided to make a jam together with the grapes I had purchased that evening. Guys, this one you have to try out!

PREP TIME: 5 MIN                  MAKE TIME: 60 MIN

Ingredients

3 tree tomato

2 cups of grapes

6 tablespoons of granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

NOTE: I know someone it thinking: those are blueberries. Well, they are not. These are the grape variety grown in Kenya. They are larger than blue berries. Blue berries have a very prominent fruit scar at the base of each berry, but grapes do not (see above pic). They have smooth skin through out the entire fruit. They may look like blue berries, but are not even close, be it in appearance, taste or everything else. Lastly, blueberries do not naturally grow in Sub-Saharan countries, if they are available, they are imported and are crazy expensive. These grapes are home grown and are so cheap ( between $0.20- $1.00 a bunch).

Method:

Slice your tree tomatoes and put them in a sufuria together with your grapes, sugar, lemon juice and 1 cup of water. The water you use for your fruits should not be excessive. Kenyans have a tendency of pouring water, literally, into everything. Do not turn your fruit pulp into aquatic plants,no child! Let your water just  cover your fruits.

Allow this to simmer for about 30 – 60 minutes. The time will of course vary according to the fruit you are using, how you cut them and their quantities. Since I added my grapes whole, it took a bit longer for then to burst then cook down. Do not rush the process though. You want everything to really come together.

After about an hour, it looked like this. No food color was added to this, how awesome it that!!  To know whether your jam is ready, take some form your sufuria and just place it on a plate that has been sitting in your freezer for some time. If it wrinkles at its edges, then it is ready to be taken out.

Once done turn off the heat and allow it to cool down and store in a jar.

For the jar you use ensure you sterilize it/them. To sterilize your jam jar, put it in a sufuria with water and bring to a boil and keep it at maximum temperature for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can place your jars in an oven and 140 degrees or 120 degrees. The sterilization is important since it gets rid of any bacteria or fungi which may prevent your jam from staying fresh for longer.

I love making my own jam at home since I have the freedom to decide exactly how much sugar I can have in mine. It has no preservatives, colorants and you can try our a combination of different fruits. Pineapple and grape? Or Passion fruit and strawberry? Or perhaps lime and mango? I have a feeling I would like lime and mango, so I will try that next. We all should :))

You can also use tree tomato for making sauces, syrups, marinades etc! The list is endless. I encourage you to go outside what you are used to and discover all that is out there.

To many more!

-K

Get your downloadable recipe here :))

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Let me admit: I struggle to make my chicken breast moist. Be it through frying or baking, somedays it comes out nice and juicy, other days it comes out dry. And when I say dry I mean as dry as kuni :DD. It is something I am yet to master, but in the cooking world, one never knows everything and each day is a chance to learn, yes? I still however almost always have chicken breast in my freezer, just in case I need to whip up something in a short amount of time. To go around the problem of dry chicken breast, I always make chicken strips with some kind of sauce. Chicken strips take such a short time to cook and having them drenched in a sauce gives them much needed juiciness. Cooking my chicken  breast this way has never failed me.

Today I give you my third chicken strips recipe; this time drenched in a rich cheesy lemon rosemary sauce. So so easy you can cook it with your hands tied and eyes shut! Lets do this!

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES                       COOK TIME:20 MINUTES                   SERVES:2

Ingredients:

200g of chicken breast

1/2 a cup of finely chopped red onion

1/2 a tablespoon of tomato paste

5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary (or 1/2 a tablespoon of dried rosemary)

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric

1/4 teaspoon of Kez O. chilli paste

1 cup of parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon of coriander powder

Salt to taste

Vegetable oil for cooking

Method

In a pan add your red onion, finely chopped rosemary, chili paste, garlic and let this simmer until it becomes fragrant. This will take about a minute or two. You rosemary has to be finely chopped so that it does not overwhelm the other flavors.

Add your spices together with the tomato paste along with 1/2 a cup of hot water and let this simmer down for about 5-8 minutes. The water allows the spices to mix well and also provides a medium for them to meld and will make a base for a beautiful thick mchuzi. It is important for the spices to cook down so do not rush or skip this step.

After that, add your chicken strips followed by the lemon zest and the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Let this cook for about 8 minutes on medium high heat. The time taken may vary according to the thickness of your chicken strips. But in general, it takes a short time to cook.

Add the parmesan cheese and let it melt in. You can use cheddar cheese instead or you can use both cheddar and parmesan for extra cheesiness. Once done, add your finely chopped  coriander and mix it in.

Now its time to EAT!!!!!

Oh Lord! This was so so sooooo good! And I am not just saying that for the sake of saying. It is one of those chicken recipes that you can cook in a short time but still deliver on flavor. You can have this with any starch, if not every starch! And that’s a huge win! From ugali, to rice, to chapati, it will still be as bomb. You can also  have your lemon rosemary strips as part of your sandwich or stuffed in some pita bread. So good!

You can taste the rosemary and the mild tartness of the lemon with each bite. The chili is mild, but you can definitely vary the chili if you prefer your chicken a lot more hotter.

You can also check out my other chicken strips recipe: one in a rich turmeric and coconut cream and the other one in a juicy orange ginger sauce. Double Yum!!! You can also try them and tell me which one you like best :))

Happy Friday!

-Kaluhi

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If you have been following my blog since its inception you know very well just how much I look up to Siba. I always talk about her and admire how effortless she is with her craft. I first met her on Thursday the 12th during “This is Africa Launch” and had the honor of once again getting a once in a lifetime chance of getting a one on one interview with her the following Saturday. I was sooooo nervous. I was just praying not to stumble over my words or make a fool of myself in the presence of my role model LOL. After arriving embarrassingly a little bit late I found a warm, calm crowd cracking in laughter while keenly listening to Brian speak as she looked on and chipped in.  After the meet and greet, we took our selfies and got to chat with the power couple. “You are doing a fantastic job! I love your work & I love your site!” Siba told me. My soul literally left my body! Hearing that from someone I look up to is among the most validating things I have heard since I started this journey. We spoke about so many things. She has this warm demeanor that makes anyone feel at ease. She is very humble despite her constant rise and rise. Born and raised in Africa, and still living in Africa, she is very proud of being part of this continent’s story and is a strong believer that we can rewrite our narrative and that in whichever field we are in we can be just as good as, if not better than, people born in other parts of the globe.

Here is how our one on one interview went down:

K: Which African country would you visit just for they food besides South Africa and Kenya just for the food?

Siba: It has to be Ghana and Nigeria. I would definitely have a taste of Jollof from both countries and finally decide which country prepares the the best Jollof and put an end to the never ending Jollof war. LOL! Besides their food, I love how West Africans, in particular Nigerians are very proud and unapologetic of their African heritage. They really own it! I think it is something we should all emulate.

K: What or where do you get inspiration for your recipes?

Siba: I mostly get inspiration for my recipes from the food I grew up eating and the nostalgic feelings of those meals make me want to make people experience the same feeling, you know, to make simple yet world class meals right in their homes. I also get inspiration form my travels. Experiencing how different cultures prepare their meals and live opens your mind to a lot more. I also get inspiration  from observing food trends and capture as much as I can in meals I prepare.

K: You were unveiled as global ambassador of “Stop Hunger Now” campaign which as at July 20th managed to collect 2 million meals in South Africa alone exceeding the target of 800,000.  Africa does have a problem of malnutrition. What do you think each one of us can do to eradicate the problem?

Siba: We need to really start helping our own people. We have enough of ourselves and if we come together, we can do more than enough to help out instead of always relying on outside assistance. I do it not out of pity, but because I want to bring goodness and be a glimpse of hope. It is something I am very very passionate about and very humbling to bless and change lives of the less fortunate. Granted, Africa is not all about starving people, but it is still an existing problem. We need to come together and help each other eradicate it.

K: With the internet, one can get their message across a lot easier and faster. But that also makes one vulnerable to cyber attacks. What do you think about that?

Siba: I am now at a stage in my life where such comments do not really get to me. Some people will always overstep and comment on things they do not know about or shouldn’t speak on. All you have to do is to grow thick skin and whenever someone says something that does not matter, brush it aside. What actually bothers me is people who feel the need to pull down someone. You gain nothing by tearing someone down. It is totally unnecessary and I am all for building each other up and growing together.

K: How do you think your faith has influenced your work ethic?

Siba: I believe faith and work ethic are completely inseparable. Faith has direct influence on who you are as a person and shapes your beliefs and decisions. Genuine faith,  keeps you grounded. As humans we always want more, but having faith allows you not make you compromise your values and beliefs in the pursuit of what we want. It is very important to keep your eyes on God so that you do not get sucked into the material.

K: You have a cook book “On My Table” which has been really successful and has been well received both locally and internationally. You and your team did an outstanding job! It is a first of it’s kind boasting a QR code which takes readers to videos of dish preparation. What were some of the challenges you encountered while publishing it?

Siba: Our biggest challenge was funds, especially considering the quality & standard we wanted to have for my book and the sourcing of experts from different industries we had to have on board to bring it to life. My book was self published through my company The Siba Co..It was a real challenge. It was not easy, but we did it! Funds have always been a major challenge for not only me but a hindrance to the achievement of so many other people’s dreams. I hope to have The Siba Co. publish other peoples books in the future and have better deals for authors and provide opportunity for others to achieve their dreams.

K: Which Ingredient do you least enjoy working with?

Siba: I have to say saffron. I find its smell and taste rather too assertive.

K: Which is your most memorable career moment to date?

Siba: I think I would say my most memorable moments came in stages. My key milestones are my most memorable moments. When I was starting out, landing the editorial job at Drum Magazine was huge. Then I got my first cooking show ‘Cooking with Siba’ then getting scouted by Food network for my show ‘Siba’s Table’ and the moment my cook book which I put so much effort in sold out all over South Africa. Those were my most memorable moments.

{Speaking of her show ‘Siba’s Table’, my favorite episode was the Seven Color Sunday where she made an AMAZING trifle! Have you guys tried it out? Here is a link. You have to try it out!!!}

K: Your cook book really did break records! Do you plan on selling internationally?

Siba: Yes. We are working on it and we will sell in the countries my show airs as that is where my audience is established.

{Yesssss! *happy dance* I MUST get a copy !!!!!!!!}

K: What is the best advice you have ever received that you live by?

Siba: I have to say two that really live by:

1. Always put God first in everything. Honor Him and He will honor you. Do not be ashamed of having your anchor in Him or of your faith.
2. When you work under someone work hard, very hard, and take as much skill and knowledge from that job with you since that knowledge will come in handy while building your own brand. Work just for 5 years for someone, there after establish yourself in your field.

K: Chicken or Duck ?

Siba: Chicken, and by the way Kenya has the best chicken. The chicken served here is the real deal!!!

K: Ice cream or Froyo :

Siba: Both

K: Pigs Brain or Live Octopus:

Siba: None.  Who eats live octopus, that really mean!

K: Your dream Super power:

Siba: Super woman! I want to change the whole world

K: Favorite spice:

Siba: Garlic in herb

K: Last thing you cooked:

Siba: Trifle I made on The Trend

K: Puppy or Kitten:

Siba: Definitely Kitten. I am a cat person. They are the nicest creatures although they are not too loyal. I had a cat that used to gently brush over my skin with its claws, not scratching, just a gentle caress.

K: Cats are the best! I had a cat too. Loved it so much, but it just got up and left one day and never came back :(. They are definitely not loyal! LOL!

when two cat lovers and fab foodies get together…

Siba loves Kenya and said she will be back. I hope we cook something up together during her next visit. Until then, rise and rise!

***

The past week will be one I will never ever forget. I believe this is a start of something great and so many nice things to come. One thing I particularly resonated with were:

• We all have to fight for our dreams. Nothing  is too small or too irrelevant. If God put that dream in your heart, you have to go full steam ahead for it.
• Hard work pays off. Always work hard. In my country in particular, a huge majority believe in short cuts and cutting corners to the top. Working hard is the long way, but it is the right way and it refines your character and keeps you at the top. Do not be discouraged by the process, just keep going. It will always pay off!
• We all have a role to play in re-writing the African narrative. Yes, we have major problems with corruption and poverty, but that is not all we are about and we have it in our ability to solve them and show the world the side the media never talks about. Our African heritage is a badge of honor, despite what the media may want us to believe. The resilience of our people and optimism in all situations is something we should always apologetically celebrate.

To success & excellence,

-Kaluhi <3

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I always get inspiration for my dishes form different sources. But one of the most inspirational sources are the conversations about food that I have with my sisters. Like most siblings who are close in age, we talk about everything! From makeup, to boys, to politics, to religion,  and of course we always end up talking about food. My eldest sister, Cheredi, is a huge foodie with mean kitchen skills. Somewhere in between our usual chatter, we of course started talking about liver and exciting recipes we can try out. She told me that she made this liver recipe that was so bomb and believed using paprika made all the difference. I decided to develop a paprika liver recipe of my own, of course with inspiration form her, and I was so so so blown away by the outcome.

Today we are going to make: garlic paprika liver. Sounds delicious right? Well, it is!!!

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES                  COOK TIME:15 MINUTES           SERVES:4

Ingredients

1/2 a kg of liver

1 large red onion finely chopped

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tomato, minced

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of paprika

1/2 a tablespoon of black pepper

salt to taste

vegetable oil for frying

Method

First thing is to remove the thin membrane that usually coats liver and any huge blood vessels. If you cook the liver with this membrane, it becomes taut making the liver tough. I shared this on my InstaStory some time back when I was working on this recipe (follow me on Instagram if you haven’t). We also did the same thing in this liver recipe. After peeling of the membrane, cube your liver and soak it in some milk for about 10 minutes then rinse it off. The milk draws out any toxins and also further softens it.

In a pan, add your finely chopped green bell pepper, red onion and minced garlic and allow to cook until softened.  This will take 3-5 minutes. The taste of liver is brought out exceptionally well with these three ingredients. Plenty of onion and plenty of garlic and some extra green bell pepper will always do your liver good!

Add your tomatoes, tomato paste and your spices together with 1/4 cup of hot water. The hot water facilitates the cooking down of the spices. Let this cook down for about 5-8 minutes. Do not over-do it with the water and also, do not rush the process. For those who may be wondering, I got my spices (paprika, cayenne and black pepper) from the our every day supermarkets. Nothing I use is out of reach! It is just up to you to simply go and get it :)) No excuses ;))

After all the flavors have completely gelled,add your skinned and diced liver and let this cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Liver cooks really fast. Years back, I used to boil it before cooking it. I learnt the secret to making soft liver from my aunt and she also told me boiling is absolutely unnecessary. I absorbed her advice like a sponge and never looked back since. Cooking is an eternal learning process indeed. You can never know it all!

 Once it is cooked through, add your finely chopped coriander.

This just goes to prove that just because something is nutritious does not mean that it has to taste boring. Always play up your flavors and make each meal an experience to be remembered! And as I always say, don’t shy away from trying something new!

Easy. Fast and so unforgettable. What do you enjoy pairing your liver with? Lucky for all of us, liver can go with almost all starches. Liver and chapatis? Yes please. Or maybe with ugali and kunde? Still as fantastic!Or maybe my garlic paprika liver with some geelrys? #nom. It will seriously be just as good regardless of how you choose to have it :))

This garlic paprika liver should definitely be on you must make list!

To good food!

-K

Get your downloadable recipe here :))

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White. A color that represents innocence and purity. Or at least that is what we have been conditioned to believe LOL. Perception. It has a strong influence on our entire outlook and even decisions. Why cant blue represent innocence and green represent purity? I have realized this past weekend how much we have been conditioned to think. And I am bit by bit breaking away from it and deciding whatever it is I want to represent for me.

When it comes to white food, it can easily be thought as bland. White may invoke feelings of single note flavors. Think Ugali kavu or plain rice.  But white food or snacks can just as easily delicious. As I always say, it is all about making the right combinations. This month, the Onja food bloggers challenge was ‘white’. Let me not lie, it was a challenge indeed. I decided to break the mold and make something delicious, full of flavor and easy to make. Today I give you my nutty coconut white chocolate trufles.

PREP TIME: 4 MINUTES           MAKE TIME:  15 MINUTES         MAKES: 10

Ingredients

White chocolate

3/4 cup of desiccated coconut

3/4 cup of pumpkin seeds

4 iliki (cardamom) seeds

4 tablespoons of honey

Milk chocolate for drizzling

desiccated coconut for garnish

Method

In a kinu, add your pumpkin seeds and slightly crush them. Add them to your bowl together with the desiccated coconut. If you cannot access pumpkin seeds, you can use sunflower seeds, groundnuts, pistachio nuts or even a combination of two or more for extra richness. Nuts add a very pleasant crunch to the trufles.

Crush your cardamom seeds and empty them inside your kinu until completely pulverized. I love the warmth of cardamom and I had to use them in this recipe to give the white chocolate truffles some warmth. You can also use cinnamon or nutmeg instead.

Mix all the dry ingredients together until evenly mixed. Make a hollow in the mixture and add 4 tablespoons of honey. Fold the dry ingredients in until they are mixed in completely with he honey. Roll them into cylinders (or spheres and if you are ambitious enough, into hearts ) and let them set for a few minutes in the freezer.

Melt your white chocolate in a hot water bath. This will make the chocolate have a more even , more fluid consistency. You can use a microwave, bit it is so easy to mess up using this shortcut since it dries the chocolate up quite significantly. I advice using hot water to melt your chocolate.

Once completely molten and consistent, dip your cylinder and fully coat them. Allow to set and garnish as you please, either with milk chocolate, crushed nuts or desiccated coconut.

Because the coconut cylinders were allowed to set in the fridge, the molten chocolate sets almost immediately they coat them since they are cold. Greatly saves time! Garnish with some of the remaining chocolate then dig in!!

Delicious as they are easy to make, my white chocolate truffles, with the warm coastal flavors of coconut and iliki (cardamom) are a must try!

I must point out, some people found them very balanced, while others said they were abit more on the sweet side. To deal with the problem, you can mix the dry ingredients in some cream cheese as opposed to honey. That is bound to be delicious and I will try that out next time. You should too :))

You can have a look at what other Onja bloggers are making under the key word white from their blogs. Their links are on my sidebar. Also, check out our other challenges here and here.

Keep it sweet <3

-K

Get your downloadable recipe here :))

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