Author: Kaluhi (Page 15 of 23)

Rosemary and Okra Fried Rice

March 2, 2016 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

We ALL have those things we prefer not to eat probably due to some bad food experiences we had in the past. Some time in 2014, I asked my followers on Instagram what they do not like to eat or what they have a hard time making delicious. The answers ranged from beetroot, to matumbo (tripe), to cabbage. One of them pointed out that for them, okra has been so hard to cook since they always find it so flat in terms of flavor and got turned off when it gets kinda slimy. She wondered how some people managed to cook it without it becoming so boring and asked me to help her. I may be over a year late with my response, but trust me, it is worth the wait :))

I made this dish as a challenge to myself and response to the feedback I got upon asking that question. And I love challenges especially when it comes to making something that is healthy but not too appetizing become delicious. Looking for something unique and speedy ? Try this rosemary and okra fried rice.

Button Mushroom and Karafuu Spaghetti

February 26, 2016 / Kaluhi / 22 Comments

Am I the only one who gets mesmerized when someone speaks fluent Swahili with the coastal accent. It sounds almost musical; almost like poetry. Granted, we Nairobi folk fully understand Kiswahili, but we mix it we so much English and sometimes our vernacular languages so it sounds like a whole other language. I was purchasing some produce from a certain coastal lady and I just spoke to her so that I could listen to her speak. She was a talkative lady and spoke with so much theatrics that I just couldn’t get enough of. It was lunch time and she was eating some meat with chapati. She asked me if I know how to cook and I told her that I in fact love cooking. We exchanged tips and later told me that I have to taste meat cooked with kaarafuu. “Karafuu?” I asked. “Nyinyi wanabara mwaziita cloves” (None coastal people refer to them as cloves.) I told her I had not tried that yet, but promised to cook more with it. Hence the birth of my button mushroom and karafuu spaghetti. Cloves have a very very assertive taste. But when used right and in moderation, it brings out the taste of whatever it is cooked with so so well.

For today, some spaghetti, with button mushroom and the amazing flavor of karafuu (cloves).

Nutty Cardamom and Coconut Froyo cups

February 23, 2016 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

It has been ridiculously hot in Nairobi lately, as is every other February. After one spends just a few minutes in the sun, you literally feel like your skin is peeling off. Heck, even looking out the window can send your armpits into overdrive :D. Such that sunny weather calls for all the cool treats, and if those treats are yummy, even better!

I first tried making chocolate cups. I mixed the chocolate with milk, after it dried out because of microwaving it too long which changed its composition and it failed to solidify afterwards. We fail, we learn. I picked myself up, changed things up and decided to make a frozen treat. These froyo cups are small and dainty, but pack a punch when it comes to flavor. These are a must try this sunny season.

Lessons and Musings II

February 19, 2016 / Kaluhi / 30 Comments

For those that know me, they know that I really do not know how to summarize my opinions or stories. I am that girl who is the story teller. One of my Instagram followers told me that she enjoyed the first lessons and musings and urged me to do more of those. I must admit, I was incredibly nervous about publishing an emotionally naked post, but it felt very much worth it. I indeed felt that taking stock was too summarized and static for me. I will here hence forth do away with TS and take on lessons and musings. Hope you can relate in one way or another :)). Here we go!

Plum Marinated Spicy Pork

February 17, 2016 / Kaluhi / 27 Comments

Some months ago, Nigerian food blogger Funmi of The Village Pot decided to come to Kenya to experience the food scene. She called upon food bloggers in the country to give her a taste of our country. Wangeci, food blogger at African Kaya and myself were available so we gladly took her under our wings. We decided to take her to The Carnivore, which as the name suggests, is a place that show cases how we Kenyans absolutely love our grilled meat in all its splendor. Some of the meat served included beef, crocodile, duck, lamb, pork, turkey and many others ~~I do not remember since I was busy pigging out~~. My favorite was the grilled pork ribs which were paired with a fruit salsa. I just could not have enough! It is on that night that I realized with absolute clarity how well pork goes with sweet flavors. You can read about this entire experience from her blog here.

This recipe was not only created with the backdrop of that awesome night, but also inspired by my friend and fellow food blogger Wangeci. Since plums, and plenty of other sweet fruits are in season, what better time to make this juicy pork dish than now?!

Wine Infused Chocolate Covered Strawberries

February 12, 2016 / Kaluhi / 9 Comments

I could not think of anything more befitting for valentines weekend more than this. These chocolate covered strawberries are so delicious and indulgent. Valentines day aside, I think every day should be a day to shower the people in your life with affection. Each day is special enough to put in a little effort. I hope that you not only try this out this weekend, but make them during random days within the year. Life is too short to wait for one day out of 365 to do special stuff, right?

I made these in December and I was pretty nervous as to how they would turn out. After I had taken the pictures I realized these looked good. And after I tasted them, oh! They blew me away! I have to warn you though, once you try these, it is very likely that you will get addicted to them.

Sunday Brunch at Lord Erroll

February 10, 2016 / Kaluhi / 14 Comments

I had the honor of attending Sunday Jazz Brunch at Lord Erroll this past Sunday. I was so excited to spend a beautiful sunny Sunday mid-morning with amazing company, listening to amazing live jazz while downing some brunch. There is something about brunch that makes it so inviting, so this was a chance I could not turn down. Lord Erroll is situated in the posh neighborhood of Runda. Knowing that alone, set the bar so high. It was known to just a small number of people, but over the past few weeks, it has gained popularity.

Did Lord Erroll live up to our expectations? Read on to find out. Here is a review of my time at Lord Erroll

Chocolate Mousse

February 9, 2016 / Kaluhi / 7 Comments

I love chocolate. And that naturally makes me affiliated to chocolate snacks, desserts and treats. No other time of the year is more beffiting for chocolate indulgence more than Valentine’s week. And I will treat you to the same :). Also, if you have been out of the loop, one of my FAVORITE bakers, Ginah and I are giving out the most velvety, delicious cakes on Saturday for three lucky winners. Learn from this Instagram post how you can win.

I made this chocolate mousse and as I am writing this, I wish I could just make another batch and try it out. Most of the mousses I have tasted are usually very rich, and rather dense in my opinion, but delicious none the less. I decided to make mine very light and airy. Trust me, this is so easy!

Lemon Infused Chili Omena

February 5, 2016 / Kaluhi / 53 Comments

I know many of you must have a serious sneer on your face just at the mention of omena. Omena sends fear, repulsion and salivation in equal measure to different people across the country. These are small fish in the same family as anchovies caught in Lake Victoria, sun dried then sold. They are very popular with comunities at the lake basin, but are slowly taking root all over the county. These little fishies can be quite challenging to prepare but once you get it right, it is nothing but bliss.

In my book, EVERYTHING can be made delicious, just as everything can be made to taste boring. You have the choice, and the ability to decide where you want to fall. Growing up, we rarely had omena. When I finally tasted some at a family friend’s house, I was far from impressed and like many other people, I just disliked it. But that experince pushed my mom to get a recipe that works. And she did land on one. Today’s recipe is her’s together with some twists of my own. It is nothing short of splendid. Really, you must try this out!

Orange and Pineapple Smoothie

February 2, 2016 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

I love sunny weather. Weather that makes me feel like having a good time, make tasty things and down delicious drinks. That said, January is one of my favorite months. For some reason, my fellow country men have taken it upon themselves to dislike that month. For me it is a delightful month, and just as pleasant as the rest. It is believed that January is a month of brokeness. But, is it the month that makes people broke, or they themselves that made themselves broke? Njaanuary does not exist, possible overspending in December is what does, hun. LOL Topic for another day….

I made this in the first week of January just as the holiday season was coming to an end and one of my favorite months was dawning. I decided to post it at the beginning of February to pass on the beautiful vibes January has to the equally beautiful month that succeeds it. It is a sunny drink. It looks sunny and tastes like sunshine. This is an easy one which you will love too 🙂

Thyme and Chili Liver

January 29, 2016 / Kaluhi / 40 Comments

Each day, we learn something new. When it comes to cooking specificaly, you can never say you know everything. Someone will always know something you do not know. That means, we all have something to learn from the other. For the longest time, we used to boil our liver before cooking it. This was until aunty Kabura upgraded us and told us that step was totally unnecessary. I tried it out and this was the softest liver ever. I added a #KK twist to it and this was just elevated to level 100! You will enjoy my thyme and chili liver just as much.

Plum and Orange Mocktail

January 26, 2016 / Kaluhi / 8 Comments

After a week of unusual January Rains, the sun is finally out. It is now spectacularly sunny and brilliant in true January fashion. This calls for perfectly chilled drinks that are equally brilliant to cool us down in the midst of this brutal heat. For me, a mocktail is always the answer!

This was inspired by the mocktail bae and I had while we were at Ocean Basket. I tried creating my own, and the flavors were soft and mild yet wildly refreshing.I used fruits that are in season :plum and orange (I am giving mangoes a break :D) Lets soak up the sun and enjoy the best mocktails there are!

Brandy Marinated Grilled Chicken Wings

January 22, 2016 / Kaluhi / 22 Comments

Have you ever had those moments where you wake up with a song in your head and it plays all day long? Such songs have you forgetting everything because they are all that is occupying your mind. I was trying to remember where I got inspiration for this but I couldn’t, why you ask? Because boomba train by E-sir and Nameless has not stopped playing in my head since I got up.

“Tumekuja kuparty. DJ hebu weka tracki. Tukule hepi, alafu, tufungue sakafu. Sababu inabamba. Inashika! Wingu la tisa inatufikisha. Ukiwachilia mahewa, maze DJ unatubeba ah……”

I hope you were dancing as you sang along to those lyrics :D! If you do not know this song, you are too young my friend! Isn’t it amazing how we can remember songs from over a decade ago but can’t remember inspiration of a dish you made less than a month ago?! Anyway, as we indulge in the celebratory spirit of Friday, savor my brandy marinated grilled chicken wings.

Mango and Lime Smoothie Bowl

January 15, 2016 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

I love mangoes. I feel like I have spent the past two months saying this. But can you really blame me. It turns out than many of you also share my love for mangoes as indicated in this Instagram post. I try have them after all three meals whenever I can and incorporate them in meals too. And for me, there is no other way than channeling the sweetness of this beautiful fruit than in a smoothie bowl.

One of my Instagram (@lizbettynally) followers requested for a smoothie. I had been toying around with this idea and I decided to finally give it a go. My youngest sister, Musimbi, had this and she loved it so much she wanted to have it every day as a post-work out meal. Trust me, it looks as good as it tastes.

Smashed Potatoes with Cheddar Cheese Sauce

January 12, 2016 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

I always felt it in my gut that 2016 would be a kick-ass year. And it really had kicked off in a kick ass way! I have had the privilege of being featured as the blogger of the month by DSTV kenya. Do spare 3 minutes to watch this video and hope you like it. If that’s not enough, I decided to throw in an awesome recipe you can try too today :))

If you have been reading my blog for a long time now, you know that one of my ultimate culinary role models has always been Siba. I loved her show from the very first time I watched it. And then I watched reruns over and over till I now know all the words. Yes, that how much I love Siba’s table. This recipe was inspired by this recipe which run in one of the episodes during Season 1 of Siba’s Table. It may not look as pretty as her’s but I can guarantee that my smashed potatoes with cheddar cheese sauce tastes just as great. Easy. Speedy. Delicious.

Rosemary-Orange Sangria

January 8, 2016 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

January sunshine is in full swing. The heat is blistering but days are bright. These are the kind of days that makes me feel like having friends over, cooking up a storm and sit under a shade chatting away. Or going for a picnic. Whether you like this heat or not, one thing I am sure we can agree on is that this weather makes everyone ever so deserving of an amazing quenching drink.

My sangria was inspired by this post I viewed on food gawker. Upon doing my research, I noticed that making a sangria depended on ones taste and anything goes as long as it tastes good. That’s a good thing since it leaves so much creative power on our hands and gives us ability to make yummy stuff. It also adds a beautiful fruity spin to the usual glass of wine. For today: my perfect rosemary and orange sangria.

Amarula Crepes with Macerated Strawberries

January 5, 2016 / Kaluhi / 15 Comments

I love the freshness of new years. Of new days. Of newly born babies. Of new everything! The smell of new is drenched in hope, possibility and optimism. There is an abundance of positive energy at the wake of this infant year. Can you feel it? I sure am channeling it and making the most of it now. So far, this year is my best yet! I read this article yesterday at 7 a.m, and the author stated something that is actually true. Each year, people start with so much enthusiasm but end up being predictable and playing small; just as they have in all past years. I have sought to make this year BIG. No special resolutions, just deliberate action towards my dreams. You should too! Will you join me in conquering the world ? :))

Today’s recipe was what I was meant to make on the day I made these pancakes. I had the concept for amarula crepes, but I did not have creme liqueur or strawberries and felt too lazy to go get some. After the holidays and with all the guests gone, plenty of alcohol is usually still sitting around. I then remembered this recipe and decided to bring it to life. My amarula pancakes and macerated strawberries are the very definition of perfect. Read on to know what a proper grown up brunch should look and taste like #NOM

Lessons and Musings from 2015

December 31, 2015 / Kaluhi / 26 Comments

Every new years eve (and the eve of my birthday) I always review the year that is coming to a close. I highlight my favorite moments but especially moments that I drew so much wisdom from and life lessons I take with me to the next year. These typically come from things people said or did or I things I personally experienced.

I feel compelled to share some of the things that were learning points for me. I wanted to do a ‘taking stock‘ but I could not bring myself to summarize anything LOL. I hope you can relate to some of them and draw some wisdom from this busy 24 year old mind of mine on the final day of 2015.

Larder Restaurant at Radisson Blu

December 13, 2015 / Kaluhi / 31 Comments

Have you ever visited a place so beautiful you don’t know where to look at first? That is exactly how I felt when I first stepped into Radisson Blu Nairobi. It is one of the most breathtaking spaces I have been to all year! Several lifestyle and food bloggers including myself had the privilege of being invited at Radisson Blu UpperHill, Nairobi and the experience was worth every second. If there is a place you MUST visit before the year ends (and every month there after 😉 ) it has to be Radisson Blu Nairobi.

Kachumbari & Kuku Choma Burger

December 11, 2015 / Kaluhi / 14 Comments

Last year, Heron Portico threw a challenge to myself and other food bloggers in the country to create a Kenyan Themed burger. For various reasons, we were not able to rise to the ocasion then. I couldnt because I had so much going on and I was still singlehandedly polishing up on my then 3 month old blog. Pendo la mama made her Kenyan themed burger a couple of weeks ago and she totally aced it! I have always looked up to her and I feel after she took it up (so well I might add) that gave me the courage to make my own Kenyan Burger.

Are you able to create a Kenyan-themed burger? #BurgerCompetition @KaluhisKitchen pic.twitter.com/bqfwtM4je0

— The Heron Portico (@theheronportico) November 27, 2014

For my burger, I decided to focus more on what I call the Tastes of Kenya. The things/ foods you eat that will always remind you of Kenya; remind you of home no matter which corner of the world you have this. Flavors that will give you a taste of our beautiful coast, and those that reminded me of family kuku barbecues in majestic Maragoli hills of Western Kenya. On the eve on Jamhuri day, I present to you my Kenyan Burger: Kachumbari and Kuku choma burger with a sweet and sour Ukwaju sauce.