Author: Kaluhi (Page 10 of 23)

Thyme Broccoli Soup

August 1, 2017 / Kaluhi / 5 Comments

Nairobi evenings can be bitterly cold this time of year. All I ever think about at the close of each day is getting home, having a blisteringly hot shower, slipping into some warm socks and having a hot cup of tea with my favorite biscuits (of course after some supper :))) As I raced towards my matatu stage, I glanced down at the goodies hawkers were selling and momentarily stopping to purchase some things, as usual! After bagging an amazing faux leather coat and cute doll shoes, I couldn’t let myself head home without some veggies! “Madam kuja uchague fresh!!” (Madam come and select fresh ones!!”); one of the lady hawkers exclaimed to me as she stacked her broccoli heads one over the other. I stopped, slowly selected my four broccoli as the droves of people pushed against me on the streets. As I paid, she told me to try make soup with them; that it would be delicious and that I would enjoy it. I thanked her for the veggies and for the idea as that is exactly what I was going to do- make a hearty delicious soup with my broccoli.

My favorite soup yet has got to be this thyme chili broccoli soup! So light and so delicious you will need 700 bowls before you are completely full! So perfect for chilly Nairobi this August! Mtapenda! <3

Blogniversary: My Four Little Things

July 27, 2017 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

Wow!!! Three years behind me and the road ahead seems even more promising and exciting!. Who would have imagined that a silly idea of starting a blog on July 27th would have grown stronger with time? I certainly did not! But it has been without doubt one of the best decisions I have made in my entire life! Has it been easy? Hell naw! But has it been worth it? Heck yea!!

Looking back on my three years, I am nothing but grateful for each one of you for enriching my journey, critiquing me, encouraging me, laughing with me and of course, making BOMB food with me. As I start my fourth year today (OMG how fast has time flown by!!), here are four little things about my journey, random ones about my self and anything else that I have learnt and have carried me through.

Garlic & Mustard Chicken Omellete

July 21, 2017 / Kaluhi / 2 Comments

I love discovering fantastic Kenyan brands that always deliver on quality, flavor and really bring something new to the market. Last year I attended the first ever Nairobi Food Market where all these products were paraded in all their glory! Thy were so many, and I wanted to have them all, but my wallet dictated otherwise. I settled on only my favorites for the day which were, African Kaya Sweet Chili Sauce (which my eldest sister LOVED too and ~~stole from me~~ went home with it), Need Gelato and a strawberry whiskey jam by Jars Of Goodness (which my youngest sister ~~stole from me~~ left for school with). Since that food market, I have always loved all Jars of Goodness products and make sure I have something form them in my fridge. Check them out here. I had some sundried tomato mustard from them and decided to play around with it and came up with the best ever omellete!

Brunch is made for delicious food and fun company <3! And among the savory dishes I love to have most is my garlic and mustard chicken omellete!

Coconut Milk Chili Bean Stew

July 11, 2017 / Kaluhi / 13 Comments

I have been doing a back to basics series on my Instagram Stories for a couple of months now. I have not done one in quite a long time though (sorry guys :((((, life got in the way. ). Some of the recipe request I got were too detailed to be done as a back to basics so I will instead post them as blog posts; and my coconut milk chili bean stew is one of them. One of my followers requested for a bean stew, thought there is one I posted in 2015, I decided to make one that is richer and in my opinion of fuller flavor. What would a Kenyan food blog be without a coconut milk bean stew be after all?! 😉

With warming flavors of chili and garlic, this one soooo perfect for July-August when it is much cooler in Kenya. And I promise, it is so easy to make too <3

Kuku wa Kupaka

June 29, 2017 / Kaluhi / 33 Comments

I get excited when my readers from outside Kenya get excited and curious about Kenyan food. I get even more giddy when they try the recipes out!! I got a call one late evening a fortnight ago from a New York Times editor curious to know how I make kuku wa kupaka. “There are many variations of the recipe, but how do you make yours special?” She asked. I explained to her exactly how I usually make mine, detailed it for her New York Times article and I thought it would also be dope if I shared the recipe with you guys right here. My kuku wa kupaka recipe (which is basically chicken cooked in a coconut sauce) is easy, delicious and regardless of your nationality, you will be able to try this out and enjoy it as well. <3

Garlic Grilled Tilapia Fillet in Lime Coconut Milk Sauce

June 21, 2017 / Kaluhi / 43 Comments

After a long day, I just had to make one more run and dash to City Market and buy some fish fillet. It was a pretty hot afternoon, and I just wanted to get home, but I knew what I prepare for dinner make would make the short trip worth while. I got to city market and was pleased to see that they had plenty of freshly filleted fish. I slowly weaved my way through the small market, quietly but very intensely surveying each stock. The sellers, ever eager to earn an extra coin, would try woo anyone that walks through in. “Sister wacha nikifungie fresh” (Sister let me pack some fresh ones for you) “Mrembo kwani leo hununui kwangu?” (Are you not buying from me today?) “Brenda si leo nikufungie wings” (Let me pack some wings from you, Brenda.) My name is not Brenda by the way, they were literally guessing LOL! I finally settled on one vendor I passed just at the entrance and got myself a juicy cut of tilapia fillet. I rushed home, rested a little bit and embarked on making my dinner. I wanted something delicious, so I had to deliver on all the flavors. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed and totally blown away!! I made this again this past Sunday when we had guests over and it was a hit! And today, I share the recipe to my garlic grilled tilapia fillet with lime coconut milk sauce.

Ice Cream & Cardamom French Toast

June 16, 2017 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

I usually treat myself to something nice when my day or week or month has gone especially well and I have exceeded all my goals. I celebrate and congratulate myself each time I achieve something dope! A monthly treat may be something like a new perfume (I have my eyes on Giorgio Armani – Si) ,a book I have been dying to get my hands on or a dress I have been eyeing for a long time. A treat for a day may be a gorgeous moist black forest slice or anything I am craving. Usually it is some ice cream. I am not a sweet tooth, so when I crave ice cream, it comes hard. One night, I treated myself to some ice cream. After few bites, I was off to bed and the next day, I decided to finish treating myself since sleep interrupted my session the previous night. Instead of just having ice cream again, I thought to myself ‘what would happen if I incorporated my favorite ice cream into a dish?’ Curious as to what would happen if breakfast and dessert were combined? Well, the most beautiful ice cream and lime zest French toast would be conceived! <3. Hope you fall in love with this one as much as I have!

Chicken and Mushroom Creamy Pasta

June 13, 2017 / Kaluhi / 21 Comments

I went through the whole of last week with baited breath since I just could not wait to FINALLY watch Wonder Woman!! I even avoided watching trailers and snippets as I did not want my movie experience to be ruined. I love all Marvel movies, and I knew this one may become my favorite one of all time! I had not been to the movies in ages, and I had not seen my girlfriends for quite some time and I decided to combine the two. And it was the best decision I made. I needed that break; break from life and break from work, and it was worth every second! We laughed so much, talked about….. well, everything, bore our fears, hopes, hearts to each other (sounds dramatic! I know.. :D) and everything in between. There is absolutely no way I would be who I am without my girls!! After our wine and some samosas, we went ahead and watched our movie. And no better movie to watch with them than one that celebrated the magnificence that a woman is! Let me tell you guys, if you are yet to watch Wonder Woman, please do yourself a favor and go ahead and watch it! It lives up to the hype!!

When I got back home, I wanted something delicious yet easy to make. With what I had in the fridge and in my pantry, this beauty was born! My creamy chicken meatball and mushroom pasta is a very simple dish (yay!), so easy to make (yay!!!!) and of course so delicious! If you love both pasta and chicken, and maybe mushrooms too, this one is for you!

My Current Three Favorite Smooothies

June 9, 2017 / Kaluhi / 30 Comments

I talk about food a lot (obviously! :DD). As someone who loves eating, food is often a topic of conversation. I was having a food conversation some days back with one lady and she happens to be raw vegan. I personally find that way of life very healthy but on the same token, quite challenging to live by 100%. One needs plenty of dedication! I was in awe of her! She made it seem so easy! She made it seem as though those juicy plums or that leafy cabbage could indeed solve all the world problems. I listened as she spoke on and on, once in a while getting distracted by a beautiful birthmark she had on her neck, and you could tell that she was neck deep into the raw vegan lifestyle. She then asked me which smoothies I loved. For a moment, I hesitated. I hesitated because I did not think my smoothies would live up to her standard. But I went ahead and told her taking comfort in the fact that we are different and like different things and that was ok! To my surprise, she was actually really feeling my smoothies! That got me excited and actually saw that as a stamp of approval from the fruit queen herself! She was going to try them but of course switch some ingredients to be more inline with her lifestyle, but I will share them with you just as I like them :)). Here are my three favorite smoothies.

Cinnamon Pancakes with Lime Tree Tomato Sauce

June 6, 2017 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

In our home, like most homes, we always have fresh fruit in the house. Considering we live in a country that a bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables, we take full advantage of that. My sister had brought home some tree tomato (tamarillo) after her visit to Naivasha. It is one of her favorite fruit and she buys them in such large quantities. My mom insisted that everyone have four after our meals so that they do not get spoilt. “Kila mtu achukue nne nne!!” (Everyone should have four!”) She would insist. Because we were soooo many, and we did not want them to get spoilt, I decided to incorporate them in my salads and in some of new recipes I was developing. These cinnamon pancakes with lime tree tomato sauce were then conceived! Ever wondered how a hug would look and taste like if it were food? Well, search no more! It would look and taste like my cinnamon pancakes with tree tomato sauce.

Ginger and Coconut Milk Matoke

May 23, 2017 / Kaluhi / 26 Comments

“Would you make a matoke recipe without spices?” One of my readers requested of me way back in 2014. I love getting requests from you guys and a good chunk of my recipes are inspired by your suggestions but this particular one made me hesitate a little. Quite a challenge that was! I am a girl who loooooooves her spices and loves her food with lots of flavor and character, but nevertheless, I took this up. The result was pretty good, but still, I think spices would have brought out the flavors much better.

I always say there are more than a million ways to prepare one dish. That is why it is just not fair to your self to eat a meal prepared the same way for 70 years when you can enjoy it in many other ways. You get? One of the meals I totally love due to their versatility in the kitchen (besides potatoes and rice) is matoke. There are many ways you can prepare it one of them being my ginger matoke masala. Today’s recipe is very similar to this one I made in 2014, as per request of one of my readers. So with inspiration from that #KRecipe form 2014, here is an upgrade of the same with layered rich flavors: My ginger and coconut milk matoke.

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes

May 16, 2017 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

I love eating delicious things with company I enjoy! The day I made these cupcakes I had the GORGEOUS Lyra Aoko come over and also shoot the entire baking process and have this as out first collaborative project. I love how she thinks and I an so captivated by her creative process. So for someone as awesome as her to say she wants to capture my creative process, there was no way I was going to say no! I am ~~borderline~~ obsessed with her and I am not even gonna hide it! You remember when I told you that she is one of Kenya’s greats in this post. Check out her blog, get inspired by her Instagram, follow her on Twitter and also subscribe to her YouTube channel. All images for this post were captured by Lyra Aoko. <3

For both of us, this was work, but it did not feel like it because we are both doing what we love! We went through the morning creating, all the while talking about life, our careers, our families, boys (duh!) and literally everything else. The outcome was great! I made a few missteps first time trying this, maybe due to getting too immersed in our delicious conversations, but I retried the recipe and found my errors and I will show you how to get it right when you give this a try! :))

Garlic Kuku Kienyeji (with homemade spice blend)

May 12, 2017 / Kaluhi / 32 Comments

My mom is obsessed with her chickens! Each time she comes back from her visit upcountry, she has to bring new chickens with her. I do not like them because of the work involved rearing them. I would prefer if we kept just three at a time, but she wants us to have a whole brood with us. Recently she brought 3 new ones, which later got anxious because of the new environment, panicked and retreated to the hedge. So ~~my mum and I in unity and strength~~ I had to chase them down, catch them and get them to their pen. It is never an easy task! My mum was laughing the whole time while I was doing the hard work. This city girl just couldn’t keep up!! But eventually, all three were caught and secured in their pen. Keeping chickens is such a hassle, which I would rather not indulge in. But all this is made worthwhile by knowing the feasting that will come after all the trouble will be unforgettable. And my sweat paid off when I dug my teeth into this kuku kienyeji (free range chicken) recipe that I made with a homemade spice blend. I shared sneak peaks with you on twitter and InstaStories over Easter but today, the long wait is over and I will share the recipe with you! You will loooooove this one!

Cumin and Clove Viazi vya Rojo

May 9, 2017 / Kaluhi / 14 Comments

I have always loved the hotter months of the year. I love that I do not have to fuss over carrying a coat just in case it rains. I love that it is the time of year I can wear my favorite short dresses and flirty skirts to my satisfaction. I love that I eat plenty of my favorite fruit, mangoes, and the hot weather forces me to drink more water than I usually would. I live for December-March! We have just entered our rainy season and I am actually really digging the cooler weather which is a bit out of character for me. I love my boots and sweaters. I love my hot chai masala and biscuits as I watch Scandal (My current favorite character is Eli Pope!) I love the pitter-patter of rain on the roof top as I drift to sleep. I find dark, dense, heavily pregnant clouds so pretty! I love the indulgent food this weather compels me to have! One of them, which is quite warming and filling is this cumin and clove viazi vya rojo, which I am happy to share with you and hope you will enjoy as much as I do!

Boozy Banana and Raspberry Parfait

May 3, 2017 / Kaluhi / 9 Comments

I had wanted to type out this blog Wednesday last week so that it could be ready and scheduled for you guys by Friday last week. However my Wednesday was at the mercy of someone who could not keep time and just like that my whole day was wasted and ruined (and they did not apologize for keeping me waiting for 3 hours!! *flips table*). If you know me well, you know ‘African Timing’ in one of my top pet peeves and just like that my mood was severely dampened. I got home so tired, and quite disappointed, but decided to get my mood up by talking to you guys <3.I did that by holding an ‘ASK ME ANYTHING’ on all my social media platforms. My Facebook and Instagram audience are a bit more reserved and I think scared to actually ask me anything (why are you scared of me guys? I don’t bite) But my twitter fam went all out! That is where the party was! I laughed non-stop from 6 p.m to 11 p.m! When I told them to ask me anything, Lord, I opened Pandora’s Box and funny enough, I thoroughly enjoyed it! You can check it out here!

I finally got time later last week to type this blog and three other recipes I am looking forward to sharing with you in the coming weeks. So first, allow me to share something really sweet and delicious that my two younger sisters enjoyed and I know you will too!

Rosemary Mint Marinated Lamb Stew

April 25, 2017 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

One of my highlights of 2016 that I told you of in this post was my visit to Johannesburg with Google Africa. I had always wanted to visit South Africa, and having this chance to experience Johannesburg was one week I will live to remember. Besides their absolutely rich culture, vibrant people and amazing weather (just like Nairobi’s <3), I totally loved their food! From the familiar like moqhoudu, which is known as matumbo to Kenyans, I absolutely loved bobotie, sosaties, milk tarts and everything else. I loved eating salmon and litchi every morning. We also had lots of lamb and oxtail while down south. My favorite dish was a lamb stew we had at Vuyo’s; it was stewed with rosemary and I loved it!!! I ate the most that day (as usual LOL!) but I couldn’t help myself. With inspiration from that unforgettable week in the Rainbow Nation,I decided to recreate this dish based on the flavor notes my palate could remember, the ingredients I had and of course with a twist of my own. I was more than satisfied by the outcome and I hope you enjoy my rosemary mint marinated lamb stew as well :))

Pork Ribs Choma with Mango BBQ Sauce

April 21, 2017 / Kaluhi / 20 Comments

The school holidays are upon us and that means, those of us with siblings, the house is fuller, warmer and of course, noisier LOL! And as expected, one of the highlights of being back home is enjoying all the fantastic home food that cannot be recreated anywhere else. Remember how that was the ultimate joy of being home back during our boarding school days?? For my younger sisters who are home for the holidays, that is their MAIN joy of being home. I can’t blame them! They literally have a mental list of the things we (read my mum and/or me) need to make! One of my younger sisters was doing her rounds on Instagram and saw some pork ribs and decided that is what we MUST make during the weekend. Being the sweet, nice (sometimes overbearing, controlling, bossy) elder sister, I decided that Easter Sunday would be pork Sunday. Boy! Wasn’t I glad that my sister’s Kraving pushed me that direction! I gave you a sneak peek on my Twitter and Instagram and decided to give you this recipe today as opposed to next week because it is too bomb to hold on to any longer! For this glorious Friday: Some pork ribs choma with mango BBQ sauce.

Garlic Potato Wedges with Pineapple Habanero Dip

April 19, 2017 / Kaluhi / 26 Comments

My mom and I have quite a number of likes we have in common when it comes to kitchen ingredients. Lately, we have been obsessed with a habanero dip we got from Kez Organics. I did an Instagram story (If you do not follow me in Instagram, you’re wasting your life!!) sometime back when I was making matumbo step-by step with this dip instead of regular pili pili, since this is how mum and I love it. We have been hooked since and everyone else at home is now almost as obsessed!

And you know what makes it even better? It is made by Kenyans, In Kenya, for Kenyans!!! It fills my heart with joy when we make such quality products and buy from our own. This is one of many Kez organics chili recipes I will be making because I just want you guys too to experience quality products that are readily available and deserve to be known by everyone. Now, lets get down to business!!! For today: Garlic Potato Wedges with Pineapple Habanero dip.

Cumin Chicken and Mushroom Fried Rice

April 7, 2017 / Kaluhi / 24 Comments

I absolutely love mushrooms!!! I can have them during all mealtime and I enjoy how easily they can be incorporated into nearly any dish you want!! I was deep in my love affair with mushrooms as I told you on twitter when I decided to make this recipe. It turned out way better than I had imagined and my mom really really enjoyed my cumin chicken and mushroom fried rice. And in my book, if mom loves it, you know it is really good!!

Before we get into it, I would like to thank each one of you from the bottom of my heart for your support and encouragement through the years up until my being part of “Beyond The Plate: Best Food Blogs From Around The World”. You are appreciated and I am where I am because of you! Thank you for all the warm comments and good vibes you all sent my way! {{{*HUG*}}}

Now, let’s get into this bomb recipe!!

Coconut Crepes with Passion Fruit Curd

April 4, 2017 / Kaluhi / 23 Comments

“Absolutely delicious!!!” Those were the first words that popped into my mind after having my first bite of this creation! My eyes widened and my heart raced as I savored the flavors of my coconut crepes with passion fruit curd. I pushed my camera aside and sat on the floor and just finished the first crepe before I got up to get some tea and eat some more. That morning, I had woken up with a severe Kraving for something sweet after enjoying lots of nyama-choma the past weekend. I just wanted something sweet so my mind went to work. I remembered taste a lemon curd I had at my friend’s place and I decided to make one but with passion fruit. To make my breakfast even more delicious, I decided to make crepes and add some desiccated coconut which I have lately been loving as an ingredient of late.Also, I am more of a crepe girl than a pancake girl :)). Have you ever made something for the very first time from the top of your head and shocked yourself with the amazing outcome? This was one of those days for me! I am sooooo excited to share this recipe with you, since you too can make this masterpiece and experience fantastic flavor with ingredients that are readily available to you.