Category: Main (Page 12 of 13)

Creamed Spinach

February 6, 2015 / Kaluhi / 5 Comments

In my country Kenya, the most popular vegetables that accompany any meal are kale and cabbage. They are nutritious, but when you have them too often one yearns for a bit more variety. That’s when I always indulge in veggies popular in my tribe, the Luhya tribe, which offer greater variety and have bolder flavor and character. Such as these include tsisaga, mutere, murenda,kanzira, seveve, mto e.t.c. They are usually cooked with cream and various other ingredients that make this vegetables rich and beautifully tasty. During the times I cannot access them, I usually have creamed spinach. Creamed spinach usually go with nearly everything. In majority of the recipes I have done in the past, I usually recommend them to be served with creamed spinach. One of my readers requested this recipe and I was more than delighted to share with her, and with all of you :).

Tomato and Mustard Fried Rice

January 30, 2015 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

One of the things I consider while buying a perfume is how many hours it will still smell long after the first spritz. One of the things I like about my current perfume is the layers of heavenly scents that come alive in one harmonious dance for the entire day. The first layer is a fresh burst of plum and blue berry. As the day goes on, the middle notes hit you with orchid, iris and freesia. And as the day winds down, I smell like amber, vanilla and musk. Beyond perfect! After all, a girl has got to smell great all the time 🙂

Today’s dish is alot like my perfume since the flavors are marvelously layered and you taste each and every ingredient from your first bite, to the time you swallow. The first flavors are those of cumin, chilli and ginger. As you continue, you taste the ginger and the pepper and then finally feel the subtle yet intense mustard and bay leaf flavor. This is what the gods eat! If you are ready for something different, this is for you 🙂

Honey and Rosemary Sauted Carrots

January 27, 2015 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

My eldest sister lives and works in the picturesque town of Nakuru. When she comes home after being away for a period of time, we spend majority of the time just catching up on what we have missed out on while living apart. Amid all the chatty conversations, billions of curious questions and girly giggles, we always talk about the thing that matters most, food. And in the process share new recipes with each other that we think the other would enjoy.

This honey and rosemary carrot saute is a recipe my sister Cheredi suggested I try. To be honest, I was a bit hesitant as to how these would taste as the recipe has ingredients all of which have strong flavors on their own. But they came together in such a brilliant harmony. It was so delicious! I made this and it was cleared in under 5 minutes.

I hope you give this a try and know a little bit of what heaven tastes like 🙂

Red Onion Boiled Egg Saute

January 23, 2015 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

I have always enjoyed the trip from Nairobi to Maragoli. There is so much of our country’s beauty to savor along the way and all the excitement of going to my favorite place on earth makes the five hour journey worth it each time.My mother always prepares some snacks for us to nibble on along the way, just in case hunger pangs strike in an area with no shops to stop by and have a meal. Among the many things she packs for us are boiled eggs. And many times,unfortunately, they were left untouched. I never used to like these while I was growing up. I do not know the exact reason, but I always avoided them. However last year, I just grew to really REALLY like them. And now they are among my favorite things to have for breakfast. I have added a little twist on the humble boiled egg. This recipe is so good, it will turn anyone and everyone into a boiled egg lover.

Today I have for you my red onion boiled egg saute.

3 Spice Golden Fried Chicken

January 20, 2015 / Kaluhi / 29 Comments

In our home, we love having our chicken. And we prepare it real good. There are no two ways about having chicken in our home, it always has both perfectly marinated and perfectly seasoned.And I must admit, it is always really good. There are many chicken recipes out there, and this one has been in our family for years. It was formulated by my mom and slightly modified by us through the years and passed down the family. It is crazy good!!

From my heart to yours, I hope this family recipe brings much delight and joy to your dinner table as it did to my family through out the years 🙂

Earth and Fire Potato Wedges

January 16, 2015 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

I have declared my love for potatoes several times in previous posts such as this one. I love them because they give you endless recipe choices. For me, they are like the perfect blank canvas which is handed to you, and you have infinite choices as to what you can create.

Today I made potato wedges. They have a beautiful golden color which contrasts so well with the coriander garnish. This beautiful vivacious amber of the potatoes and vibrant emerald splendor of the coriander inspired the name of today’s masterpiece: Earth and Fire Potato wedges. They taste as good as they look :). Do give them a try!

Garlic and Lemon Fish Curry

January 13, 2015 / Kaluhi / 17 Comments

I really love fish. I can have it everyday for the rest of my days on earth. Nothing tastes more East African, more Kenyan or more home than some good old fish curry. I have noticed that in the western culinary world, it is almost considered a sacrilege to serve fish with skin soaked in soup, curry or anything else. But for me, I believe there are more than one ways of preparing a meal. Just because a certain part of the world thinks your way is wrong, that will not make your dish any less tasty . Besides, rules were made to be broken. 🙂

The past fish dishes such as this one and this one, I cooked with just fish fillet. However, not every Kenyan can access fillet too often due to its price and scarcity. Today I used a whole, unfilleted fish and I know every single one of you can find this :). This recipe is one you *MUST* try. Believe me, you will be blown away!

Minced Beef and Tomato Macaroni

January 6, 2015 / Kaluhi / 17 Comments

There are those people who love being in the kitchen, and those who being in the kitchen gives them so much anxiety. Whichever group you belong, one thing you have in common is the sheer appreciation for meals that take a short time to cook. They are always the life-savers and the turn-to meals when you need to fix something fast.

I personally like my minced beef and macaroni because it perfectly fits this need. In addition to that, it has a rich yet delicate taste. It is also very light to have, and ironically enough, very filling. It is very easy to make and I highly recommend that you try this out 🙂

Coconut Cream and spicy sausage matoke

January 2, 2015 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

I really love Kenyan food. That puts Matoke as one of my favorite foods. Like many other cuisines around the globe, there are millions of ways to have the same meal. Unfortunately for majority of Kenyans, there is not that much experimenting with new ways of cooking the same meal. But worry not, that’s where I come in 🙂

The first time I added my twist to a matoke dish was in this post where I used coconut milk and fresh herbs to bring my dish to life. In today’s matoke dish, I used coconut cream, which makes the matoke luxuriantly creamy,thick and fragrant. To add to that, I added some spicy sausage, which brought this otherwise one-note dish to a whole new level.

Ready for something different? This is for you:

Geelrys

December 24, 2014 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I have always been fascinated with South African cuisine ever since I started watching Siba’s Table on Food Network. I have since embarked to become a great cook just as Siba is. In the process, I have researched more into what South African cuisine has to offer. And majority of the time, I always get something new to try out.

I love sampling recipes from African countries because I am almost guaranteed that I can get the ingredients here in Kenya too. Today, I made some Geelrys, which directly translates to ‘yellow rice’. It is a rice dish popular in South Africa and because the ingredients were available locally, I was more than eager to try this. It is a gorgeous dish, beautiful as it is delicious. The only ingredients I added were my two favorite spices: ground cumin and coriander.

If you cannot go to South Africa, Bring South Africa to you :).

Turmeric and Garlic Viazi Karai

December 16, 2014 / Kaluhi / 11 Comments

December holidays are in full force and many Kenyans are making their way down to the coast. Besides the amazing weather, the picturesque beaches, the hospitable people, rich history and the electric atmosphere, people also travel down to the coast to sample some of the hearty food of the coastal people. They really tale food and its preparation really seriously, which is something I personally admire because eating, in my opinion should be an experience.

One of the foods associated with the Kenyan coast is Viazi Karai. It is sold in little kiosks all over our coastal towns and by hotels too. I decided to add my own twist to the traditional recipe and added several more ingredients which made this already delectable meal even more spectacular.

Today, sample my Tumeric and Garlic Viazi Karai.

Pesto Chicken Penne

December 9, 2014 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

All of my very close friends, those who know me really well and whom I am most free around, are those I was in High school with. We have maintained friendship ever since and often when we hang out, we indulge in each other’s hobby’s. My friend, Gakii, is one of those pals who I have been with since high school, through university and I am sure, through the times ahead. She enjoys cooking just as I do and she is also one fierce fashionista, refer to her blog for more details. We decided to have a small cooking session as we spent our afternoon together, coz that’s the best way to spend any afternoon :). Our good and talented friend, Frank, was also generous enough to take photos for us as we cooked. It was a day well spent!

Remember when we talked about simple meals with sophisticated names? This one fits the bill. This is a quick and easy dish in which penne pasta is tossed with marinated chicken in a simple but outrageously delicious pesto. You will love my chicken pesto penne!

Carrot Kari

November 28, 2014 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

In our house, it is very uncommon for us to have a meal without vegetable serving. Regardless of which vegetable it is, there has to be something served together with our protein and carbohydrates. Sometimes, we play around with various vegetables and in the process come up with new vegetable side dishes in the process.
Carrots are usually part of many dishes, but rarely are they the star of the dish. Today I let my amazing carrots be the star of the dish as I made this Indian inspired Carrot Kari . This one goes really well with ugali, but I felt it went best with rice dishes. Here is this unique,easy to make and delicious Carrot Kari.

Veggie Jollof Rice

November 25, 2014 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

Some few weeks back on my twitter, one of my followers shared a link I found rather interesting. It was about Jamie Oliver, a world renowned chef, who was being sued by Ghanaian and Nigerians for cooking, Jollof Rice, whose origin was from west Africa, but failing to use maggi cubes while cooking it. I found this very amusing, and a bit unfair, because in my opinion, what makes cooking exciting is having your own take on an already delicious meal and not always following the original recipes to the letter. Read the full article here. Hoping that I do not also get a law suit slapped my way 😀

Today I added my own twist to this controversial meal- Jollof rice. It has the right amount of spice, heat and has the perfect blend between moisture and starchiness. It is often cooked with meat (goat meat, chicken etc) but I decided to use what I had ready with me. Its easy to make, and different from what we are used to and that makes it even more exciting! You must give this a try :).

Potato Latkes and Salsa Verde

November 21, 2014 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

Have you ever read the name of a dish and the sound of it makes it a little bit intimidating to try, but then upon reading through, you realise it really is easy to make? The sound of this post may evoke such emotions. All I can guarantee you is that this is one of the simplest and speedy recipes yet that you can unleash on short notice. And there is nothing better than something that sounds so sophisticated, but is so easy to prepare.

I think it is becoming apparently clear that one of my favorite ingredients to cook with are potatoes. I like them because there are infinite things to do with them. We have made several potato dishes like this one, and this, and this, each of which have their own character. Today we are going to make the easiest, crispiest potato latkes, that you can make blindfolded and the juiciest salsa verde that really compliments them. The best part is, you can get all these ingredients readily 🙂

Here we go:

Beef Pilau

November 18, 2014 / Kaluhi / 31 Comments

Pilau is one of the meals that define Kenyan cuisine. Just like chapati, pilau is one of those meals that is ever present at any major ceremony in this country. Pilau is a rice dish that is cooked in a seasoned broth, with some pieces of beef, chicken and sometimes peas, nuts and raisins, and whose brown color is obtained from being fried in caramelized onions and a blend of spices. Global variations of pilau are pilaf/pilav of Turkey, Pulao of south-central Asia and Palaw of Iraq.

Pilau is associated with the people of the Kenyan coast, and I must admit, they make the meanest pilau but we are slowly catching up :). There are many variations to the recipe but today I will give you my take. You cannot have a Kenyan food blog without the most cherished Kenyan recipe!

Savory Crepe with Garted Red Bell Pepper

November 14, 2014 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I bumped into my former university classmate during rush hour some weeks back. It was pleasant to see him again and we talked a little bit about life after school. One thing he spoke of most was how he feels so tired after work, so much so he does not bother to prepare supper for himself but takes exactly what he had for breakfast. Besides that, he absolutely enjoys life after school.

This inspired me to recreate breakfast meals for supper. You can do this with nearly every dish, the only thing is to transform the sweet into savory. I chose crepes, whose sweet breakfast version we did here by adding vanilla essence, mango and cinnamon, and today,s savory version has green onion, red bell pepper and cumin.

Sweet Potato and Tender Maize Stew

November 7, 2014 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

Stews are rather popular in Kenya, probably because they leave room for addition of different food groups into one pot making preparation of a meal faster. As an accompaniment to many dishes, the most common stews here are beef stew and Irish potato stew. However, people are trying out new things, including myself.

I made this sweet potato stew and I was happy to note how delightful and light it was, and this was a much welcome change from the ordinary. This stew is so comforting, every bite feels like you are receiving a huge hug. I used the warm spices of nutmeg and cardamom to elevate the sweet potato flavor. This really is a must-try for everyone.

Coconut milk Fish curry

November 4, 2014 / Kaluhi / 13 Comments

One of the things I love about cooking is that you can transform one ingredient and have it in so many ways. For fish, you can have it fried, stewed, stuffed in bread, made into a patti and so many other different forms. In Kenya, fish is usually fried or stewed unfilleted and in many times whole. I love fish, and to be honest, I can have it which ever way it is served.

Today I made one of the tastiest fish I have ever had. It was filleted and I stewed it in coconut milk, garlic and lemon. Read on to know exactly how this went down:

Spaghetti Marinara

October 28, 2014 / Kaluhi / 2 Comments

One of my favorite December holidays of all time was when my very generous uncle and aunty took us to stay in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, with them for 2 weeks. It was our first time there and they made sure we had the time of our life. One day during our stay there, my aunty took us to the neighboring island paradise of Zanzibar for the afternoon. That is one of the prettiest places I have ever been to. After touring the island and getting some memorabilia for ourselves, we headed out for lunch. My aunt ordered for my cousins for us pasta marinara, which is light but still filling and very tasty. I did not know the name of the dish then, I found out may years later after getting into my love for cooking.

This spaghetti marinara is a very easy dish to prepare, for beginners who want to try something tasty and exciting and also for those who have more experience in the kitchen but appreciate a good short cut to a great meal.