Author: Kaluhi (Page 6 of 23)

Karafuu & Ginger Drop Scones

May 29, 2019 / Kaluhi / 19 Comments

One of the things I love waking up to is the aroma of drop scones on a Saturday. My mom makes them once in a while, and when she does, you bet I am always the first to go eat lest my siblings finish everything as i dilly-dully in bed. She makes them so well, and I honestly not only love these, but everything mom makes. Mom’s food always rocks, right? I took her recipe and added a twist on my own. I was kinda nervous when I made these, and wanted her honest opinion on the same. She loved them and asked me for specifics of what I added and decided to make them as I did going forward! My heart melted!

If mom said this recipe is bomb, trust me, it is 100% worth a try!

Kamba Wa Kupaka

May 15, 2019 / Kaluhi / 15 Comments

A lot of what I cook is actually dictated by my cravings. Whatever I feel like cooking, whichever flavors my tongue wants to feel, whichever textures I feel in my mouth- that is what I will go with. In as much as most of those flavors do not make it to the blog, plenty of them do. And with time, I will share those that didn’t with you. I had some calamari last week during a meeting I was attending and that triggered my cravings for seafood in general. I am on that vibe now! I want anything from the sea, and best believe we are gonna make it super delicious!

For today both here and on my channel, some kamba wa kupaka *heart eyes*

Nutmeg Crepes & Creamy Tomoko Sauce

May 8, 2019 / Kaluhi / 11 Comments

And the weather changed! We have traded sunny days, for the hum of generous showers. We have traded tiny shorts, for the cosiest of knits. We have traded super chilled mocktails, for very hot chai masala. And with that we are also welcoming all the comforting, indulgent, rich, warming meals we can get our hands on. I loooooove my crepes. Crepes, what Kenyans commonly refer to as pancakes, are super easy to make and they take up flavor so well. This makes them so fun to cook with. I also purchase some tomoko while in traffic on mbagathi way, and here we have the birth of my nutmeg crepes with a creamy tomoko sauce.

Thyme & Tandoori Masala Matoke

April 24, 2019 / Kaluhi / 11 Comments

I really enjoy all the food we eat when we go upcountry. While all the food we eat as a country in general is very fresh, organic and delicious, the food grown in the green rolling hills of Maragoli is simply on a special level of different. The farm produce ,too, is better! I love the eggs, the milk tastes better, the fleshy chicken is so much richer. Each time we go visit my guku (grandmother), we almost always leave with some chicken and a full mgomba wa matoke! And the matoke does taste a lot better! When the craving strikes, only matoke from the western part of the country really delivers in terms of flavor. Speaking of cravings, today is one of those days! Today we add another recipe to the many we already we have; and that is my thyme and tandoori masala matoke!

Cumin Bhajia with Honey Ukwaju bbq Sauce

April 17, 2019 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

I can very well call myself madam potatoes. I love potatoes so so so much. Potatoes are my favorite starch, because they are very delicious (duhh!!!), but beyond that, they take up flavor really well. There are a billion ways to have them without ever ever getting bored. And with all the anti-carb rage all over the world, potatoes can count on me to love then today and forever more!!

For today, we are making some cumin maru bhajia with my honey ukwaju bbq sauce. I made this same sauce a few months back for this chicken thigh recipe, and it would hurt no one to do it once more today! Let’s get to it!

Iliki Pancakes with Pear Caramel Sauce

April 10, 2019 / Kaluhi / 7 Comments

Change. There is so much beauty in change. We bid goodbye to one amazing thing and welcome another different, but equally beautiful one too. We are {verrrry} slowly moving away from gloriously sunny weather that I love, and awaiting the cosy rainy season that I love too :D. I am without doubt thoroughly sad that mango season is now over, but pear season is right here with us! Besides enjoying this amazing fruit as it is, this gives us a chance to enjoy it in our cooking in all innovative ways we can! As the second pear recipe for this year’s pear season, we are getting into my iliki pancakes with a super easy to make pear caramel sauce.

Pear Tree Tomato Salad with Pear Ginger Vinaigrette

April 3, 2019 / Kaluhi / 13 Comments

Happy new month my loves!!

I hope April has started off nice and happy and you are looking forward to a deliciously fun and abundant next 30 days!! I find it pretty weird that April is still pretty hot. I do love me some sunshine, but in all honesty, I also love the cosiness of rain. But as we wait for the weather to change, let us enjoy the sunshine and the dawn of the new fruit season-pear season. Pear season is usually very brief, and I am making sure I make the most of it this time round. Seeing that you guys enjoyed my salad week series on my channel, I decided to throw in another one you will definitely enjoy! For today, my pear tree tomato salad with a pear ginger vinaigrette.

Mango Passion Fruit Mocktail

March 13, 2019 / Kaluhi / 13 Comments

I am so happy that March is supper sunny! I love the clear blue skies! Just look outside your window right now; brilliant, isn’t it? I love the sunshine that allows me to shine in all my shorts and minis. I am several shades darker, with the happiness in my heart a notch higher and my smile lines slightly deeper. Even though, admittedly, the heat can be prickly and the dust lowkey annoying, I love the overall warm nights that come with it too. While I am making the most of the sunshine before April comes along with the rains, I am also making the most of the fast waning mango season. The millions of fruit carts that were lined on the streets with Mangoes from Ukambani have now dwindled to a handful. And best believe I will be buying them even after there is only once mango fruit cart left!

I shared a full thread of all the mango recipes I have made since the blog started and this one is gong to be my final one for 2019. As we bid goodbye to the best fruit season in the universe, cool down with my mango passion fruit mocktail.

Curry & Garam Masala Githeri

March 6, 2019 / Kaluhi / 26 Comments

I really love githeri!!! Like, really really! I know some of you are reading this thinking I am crazy, or lying, or both :D, but the heart loves what it loves. While some of you totally feel me on this! I know you feel me on the magnificence of githeri! I know you feel me on how seriously it slaps especially when cooked right! I know you understand how perfect it is when served with some delicious, huge, creamy avocado. Githeri is a whole mood! A vibe! A positive state of mind!

I have prepared it in so many different ways in the past- be it with coconut cream, or whole sage and garlic or with ginger and pepper; but whichever way you go, it is always so bomb! For today my curry and garam masala githeri <3

Lemon and Iliki Short Bread Cookies

February 28, 2019 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

I love baking things that do not involve too much effort. Reason is simple- my baking game is the weakest thing on earth. But this year, I want to work on it. And for that, I am starting with the easy ones, whose technique I understand and whose ingredients are few- but kama kawa, with a twist of my own. Short bread cookies are stupid easy, and trust me when I say, if I can make them, so can you!
I felt very at peace making them, the process is short and simple, but the twist I added was using lemon zest and my favorite warm spice iliki. For some weird reason, on this day, I wished I was making them with my children. I do not know what was making me so broody while filming lol! Maybe the cuteness of the cookies? Maybe the inviting aroma? Maybe their unforgettable taste that I felt kiddies would enjoy? I don’t know. But what is for sure is, you too will love this recipe, enjoy baking my short bread cookies and eating them too.

Tilapia Burger with Mango Tartar Sauce

February 13, 2019 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

One of the things I have been yapping about literally since the inception of my blog is about how much I love mangoes! I. LOVE. MANGOES. They are literally the best fruit in the world and all other fruits only wish they were on the same level of greatness. Every mango season, not only do I binge eat them , but I have a ball experimenting with this fruit in a variety of recipes. I love me some mango flavor in my food and the second mango recipes 2019 is my tilapia burger with my mango tartar sauce! How delicious does that sound! The recipe is amazing and the corresponding YouTube video is just as bomb! I guarantee you, It tastes as amazing as it sounds!!!!

Salad Week Series

February 6, 2019 / Kaluhi

I have grown more and more in love with salads. By now you guys know we never ever ever do basic here! Salads have been all the rage this past decade, and once you get a good one, it really is really amazing. Forget those bland ass lettuce and tomato salads. Forget those one note beetroot salads. My three amazing salads, with custom dressings for each one, will be ones you will never ever ever forget!! The series is an exclusive, available ONLY on my YouTube channel, so make sure you subscribe and come on over and watch.

Seared Chicken and French Bean Salad with Honey Ginger Vinaigrette

Broccoli and Mushroom Salad with Coconut Milk Lime Vinaigrette

Mango Bacon Salad with Mango Ginger Vinaigrette

Pilipili and Rosemary Marinated Mbuzi Choma Na Kachumbari

January 30, 2019 / Kaluhi / 15 Comments

There are a couple of things that are distinctly Kenyan. “Me I” is distinctly Kenyan. Our loud, artsy Matatus are distinctly Kenyan. Phrases such as ‘wah’ ‘si’ ‘hebu’ can only be understood by someone who has grown up Kenyan; and even when explained, the meaning will not be understood as it should. Choma over every holiday, and if we are being honest- during any time we get together- is one of those distinct Kenyan habits. We love our choma!! Choma is a roast- equivalent to the South African braai. We do love our meat, and roasting it makes it even better.

Mbuzi (goat) choma is very very popular too. It is among my top three favorite chomas and today’s recipe and video takes you through how I make mine explosively good!!! I hope you love it as much as I love it!

Sage & Plum Mocktail

January 22, 2019 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I came back to Nairobi from Maragoli for my Christmas holidays with my spirit fully recharged! I enjoyed every single second of my stay in shagz and I spoke about it in my last YouTube video. Besides the very obvious refreshing and magical stay in upcountry, I also really enjoy travelling to the west. Most people, especially those with rural homes close to the city do not fair well with long trips, But I love it. I love the transition of landscapes from the dusty acacia fields of Naivasha, to the rolling tea farms of Kericho, humidity of bustling Kisumu and then finally to the strickingly sunny, green hills of Maragoli. Travelling back was a breeze too- and of course we had to get some plums on our way back among other groceries. We bought plenty, and besides incorporating some as part of my pork marinate or eating them on their own, I decided to make a mocktail which is simply perfect for this weather we are currently experincing.

Super simple and super tasty in typical #KK fashion!

Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs with Honey Ukwaju BBQ Sauce

December 31, 2018 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

What a brilliant year 2018 has been!! For me, it has been the year of becoming, settling into myself and growing into my full potential. It has been a year of self growth, coming face to face with uncomfortable truths about myself, learning and unlearning those that are malleable, and becoming an overall better person. It has been a year where I have become deliberately present for my friends, and finding time to catch up in the midst of work, starting families and travel. It has been a year of delicious financial gain and tangible growth of my brand. There has been plenty of self-assertion and no taking of bullshit especially from twitter trolls. It has been a wild, thrilling ride of self discovery that I am thankful for- because it has set the stage for the incredible person I am blossoming into in the years to come!

To send off this brilliant year is an equally brilliant recipe- my lemon pepper chicken thighs in my honey ukwaju bbq sauce. Crazy easy to make and it is so good that your eyes will be rolling to the back of your head with each juicy, meaty bite!! Let’s get to it!

Thyme & Cumin Veg Burger With Creamy Lime Avocado Sauce

December 14, 2018 / Kaluhi / 2 Comments

Living as a vegetarian in this country is crazy EASY!!!!! We are so fortunate to have very many fresh ingredients and a ton of pulses that can be cooked in many different ways. Being vegetarian is not complicated or special- it simply means one does not eat meat. That means you can very readily enjoy a majority or Kenyan meals without slashing out plenty from our everyday meals. You will still enjoy your bhajia, viazi karai, ndengu, chapati, egg curry, githeri, bean stews, ugali, all our amazing traditional mbogas, biringanya, seasonal fruits, rice dishes, faluda, vibibi, vitumbua, mandazi, viazi vya rojo, njahi….the list is literally endless! We surely do live in the best country on earth!!

I love meat but I do not hesitate cutting it out from my dies once in a while because I still know I will eat delicious meals with all the amazing produce we have. I love meaty burgers but veg burgers are equally as delicious! My veg burger, whose patty was made with njahi and mushroom- and with the rich flavors of thyme and cumin was one for the books!

Three Spice Butternut Pancakes

November 21, 2018 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

I am definitely a crepe person. But it does not hurt to once in a while betray what you feel is connected to your soul and cross over to the pancake side once in a while. Because of the density of pancake batter, it leaves more room for adding more ingredients without necessarily weighing it down. I was in a major dilemma when I conceptualized this recipe since I had a butternut in my pantry that had been sitting there for 60 years as though it is paying rent. I spoke about this dilemma on twitter, and while most very helpful suggestions for recipes pointed towards making a butternut soup, I wanted to do something different with mine. I have already made a bomb butternut soup, and this time, I crawled outside what is farmiliar and that is how my three spice butternut pancakes!

Easy to make, deep layered flavors, and soft and spongy too! You know how we roll; #KK recipes will never let you down baby!

Turmeric Coconut Milk Ndengu

November 14, 2018 / Kaluhi / 30 Comments

Sometimes I feel I use coconut milk and/or cream in almost everything I cook- sweet or savory. But can you really blame me? LOL. Coconut milk goes with nearly everything, upgrades the taste of everything, adds complexity and depth to everything. And because of that, I will always grab a packet for myself when I am in the supermarket. I told you a few months back when I was making this other ndengu recipe, that I initially intended to cook it with coconut milk, only to discover I never had some! Tragic! The recipe still worked out then, but here we are now with my turmeric and coconut milk ndengu!

Ndengu, or as our friends at the coast refer to as pojo, and what in English are mung beans or green grams, are such excellent absorbents of flavor and packed with a ton of health benefits! Amplifying all that inherent goodness is truly all you need and deserve to make your meal times an experience.

Garam Masala Coconut Milk Carrot Soup

November 7, 2018 / Kaluhi / 5 Comments

I love tall, hairy men. We all have a type, and that is my type! There is something about that form of raw, uninhibited embodiment of masculinity that just gets to me. I think that’s why I really loved how Captain America in Infinity war – the beard!! He is really good looking either way, but I feel facial hair adds a bit of spice, ya feel me? I have made it my weekend habit to re-watch all marvel movies. I enjoyed them when they premiered in the past and still love them today! From all Iron Man & Captain America series, to both Guardians of the Galaxy volumes, Avengers , X-men…Everything! I am waiting with baited breath for Captain Marvel next year! I haven’t quite enjoyed Ant Man, and Ant Man and The Wasp, but all the rest are worth re-watching ! And of course, watching along with something delicious makes it all worth while!

My garam masala coconut milk soup is among my favorite soup recipes! Such amazing full flavors that I know without doubt that you too will deeply enjoy as well!

Minced Beef and Pork Sausage Lasagna

October 31, 2018 / Kaluhi / 15 Comments

Lasagna has to be among the top three most requested recipes by you guys. But I put off making it, for 4 and 1/2 years, but you know what, never late than never. Preparing this was so much fun, making the video was so smooth (though extremely time consuming as usual lol), and eating this, oh my! The eating was the proverbial cherry on top of the cake. I always get so excited when a recipe turns out better than I had envisioned it in my head. I start picturing myself eating it with my fam and watching their faces for reactions! Mum and Dad loved this so much, we are thinking of making it a monthly thing at home, with each month having a new spin. What do you guys think? Should I bring you along this adventure?

My minced beef and pork sausage lasagna is very easy to make. Two kinds of meat, two kinds of cheese and a world of flavor! You are going to fall head over heels with this beauty!