Category: Main (Page 7 of 13)

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 / 15 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!

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!!

Mbaazi wa Nazi

March 7, 2017 / Kaluhi / 5 Comments

If I can close my eyes and really focus, I can clearly hear it. I can here the sound of the soft ocean waves breaking on the white sandy beach. I can almost smell the aroma of white jasmine flowers that have littered the lawn after a night of drizzle. I can almost feel the warmth and here the chatter of the townspeople as I scavenge the Lamu streets for my spices. If I close my eyes and really focus, I can feel the slow drift of the dhow at sunset. Nothing beats that experience!! I can taste the salt of the sea on my lips. I can taste all the delicious food they used to make for us. I can feel the sand on my toes; whose toe nails by now have the most hideous chipped nail polish as a result of spending too much time in the water. But who cares? Life in Lamu is about savoring moments that matter, not about seeking fleeting perfection. I often miss Lamu, more so when the pace of Nairobi threatens to bury me. But now that I cannot go to my special place at the moment, I will bring it to me through one of the dishes we had there alot: mbaazi wa nazi (pigeon peas in coconut milk). I hope when you take a bite of this dish, close your eyes and reeeeeaally focus, you will be on the beaches of Lamu with me eating good food all day long. Coz that’s what life should be about :DD

Garlic Turmeric Fried Gizzard

February 17, 2017 / Kaluhi / 21 Comments

I love talking to you guys! From the absolutely random questions, to the slightly inappropriate hilarious ones, to those from readers who genuinely want to grow their cooking skills. I appreciate your feedback in all forms it comes and appreciate the connection we have {insert cheesy romantic song in background}. One of my readers once asked me why I do not have a gizzard recipe. I wondered the same, and asked my self why I kept on postponing the recipe. I decided to do one, the first of many I will do, after being inspired by this gizzard recipe from Jay Take a Pic. Our flavors are different, but both are delicious. So to usher in the weekend, here is my garlic turmeric fried gizzard.

Ukwaju (Tamarind) Marinated Spicy Chicken Thighs

February 1, 2017 / Kaluhi / 38 Comments

” Lazima tumake hii tena on Saturday!!!” (We must make this again this Saturday!!!) My youngest sister said after she saw the sneak peak I shared of this recipe on my Instagram Story on Monday. You guys were equally as excited and looked forward to having this recipe on the blog. I revealed that I had added a little twist to my usual chicken marinade ingredients that my mom taught me and the results were explosively delicious. Since I had some Ukwaju (tamarind) sitting pretty in the fridge, I decided to incorporate it into the marinade; and that has been one of the best cooking decisions I have made in a long time! Supper this past Monday was spectacular!!! And for the sake of my youngest sister, I shall make this once again this coming weekend and have her enjoy the same deliciousness! You should too ;))

For my first recipe this glorious month, I bring you my ukwaju marinated spicy chicken thighs.

Honey Whiskey Masala Fries

January 27, 2017 / Kaluhi / 29 Comments

If you love potatoes, you know very well when that craving (or should I say Kraving;))) kicks in, you just cannot shut it down! It is like that itch that you just cannot ignore, or satisfy by scratching indirectly. You have to go all in and satisfy it. When I had one of such kravings a few weeks ago, I decided to make fries. I rarely eat fries, but when I do, especially at home, I like to make it worth while and usually, that involves making masala fries. Including this one, so far as at 2017 we ahve three masala fries recipes on this blog. I made this first masala fries recipe in 2015 (check it out if you have not and please forgive my photography skills back then I was struggling :DD), this other one that everyone loves that has garlic and rosemary as the main flavor notes and today’s recipe takes it all to a stratospheric level!! No mediocre! Because as you know you know, with K, things are always FIRE!!

Today we have the most perfect Friday/ weekend recipe: Honey Whiskey Masala Fries

Rosemary and Egg Plant Fried Rice

January 24, 2017 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

You know, I do not believe in the concept of ‘Njaanuary‘. Njaanuary is a Kenyan term (that directly translates to ‘Hunger January) used to describe apparent financial strain and destitute brokenness that people seem to undergo every January, and funny enough, will experience it every first month of every year as long as they live . For me, if you spend frugally in December, you just can’t be dead broke and struggling in January. Yes, you can enjoy your December holidays, but with prudence, good planning and with the future in mind. Please dear readers, don’t make finishing all your money in December a habit, pretty please <3. One thing I agree however, is after the holidays, our fridges are packed with left overs from the festivities. I shared one left over recipe with you last week that you can check out here. Left overs too do not indicate brokenness nor are they bad to have, but just encourage a culture that is not one of wastefulness. I love the prospect of revamping left overs since you can literally make anything! And the aspect of developing a new dish from one that was already complete is pretty exciting! I made this rosemary and eggplant fried rice a couple of weeks ago for my younger sisters before they reported back to college life. They loved it! It was soooo easy to make, very light and delicious too. Have some left over rice in your fridge? Let’s go on a kitchen adventure :))

Goat Meat Garlic Penne Pasta

January 13, 2017 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

One of the things I love about Christmas period besides precious family time is the food (duh!!). In my family, we all love to cook, and when we come together, it is one hell of a feast! During the past Christmas, my uncle Odemu brought over some goat meat to roast specifically for dinner. Since we were the hosts, we prepared the lunch banquet, but for the goat meat choma dinner, Uncle Odemu wanted to handle it himself. And we were not complaining, because we knew he could throw down one hell of a choma! As the sun set, the charcoal grill was lit and soon the delicious sizzle of tender meat filled the air. As my sisters and I prepared the kachumbari, my aunt made some ugali and my cousin and namesake basted the done nyama choma as it came hot off the grill in a sweet chili garlic jerk sauce. After everything was ready, we all sat outside, enjoying the warm December night and hearty conversations. I ate like a pig LOL! The meat that was left over was frozen to be eaten at later dates and those who could carried some home with them. For the final piece of meat that we had, I decided to revamp it and incorporate it into my delicious pasta dish: my goat meat garlic penne pasta. Leftovers are never boring afterall!

Garlic Chicken Suya

December 7, 2016 / Kaluhi / 18 Comments

I look forward to the day we shall truly live as a borderless world. Where we shall celebrate what makes us different instead is making it divide us. If it shall happen in my lifetime, that would be really dope! I love discovering new cultures, it opens up your mind to so much more and I get to actually realize we have a lot more in common than that we have otherwise. That is what African culture is all about in particular. We have so much in common. And when it comes to food, this becomes even more glaring. Sometimes, a certain food we think belongs to just one country may also be popular in another, just prepared in a different way. And that is what I discovered about chicken suya. It is a dish that is thought to be primarily Nigerian, but also quite popular in northern Cameroon. This is the final of my fusion recipes, with this one having a mix of Cameroon, Senegal (a largely Islamic country that does not eat pork hence I chose chicken for this recipe), Congo and Ivory coast.

I gave this my own twist and I have to say, this is one of my favorite chicken dishes this year and one I hope to have more of. I gave you a sneak peak in my Instastory on Sunday, and I am not exaggerating when I say this is the best suya recipe you will ever have.

Chili and Coffee Marinated Beef Dry Fry

November 30, 2016 / Kaluhi / 11 Comments

There is something about covers that make you fall in love even more with a song you already. Sometimes even, it makes you like a song you never initially really liked. Sometimes, song covers bring forth the beauty of a song that was already there but we just never noticed. That is what I love about Coke Studio Africa! This past Sunday, my favorite cover was ‘Mungu Pekee’ by gorgeous and very talented Yemi Alade. Was it better than the original song? In my opinion, it was! And my favorite this season so far. My sister lover Marry me by Nyashinsky. Which song won you over? While you are still deciding that, please have a listen to the ‘Mungu Pekee’ cover here.

This season’s theme is all about discovery; and you know we have to put a food twist to it! This is the second part of a food discovery series based on the countries participating in Coke Studio Africa, where we discover cooking methods/ flavors/ ingredients from other countries and make one fusion dish with qualities from each country. Last time we did a fusion dish of Kenya+Uganda+Tanzania (check it out here #slurp). Today, we are discovering Ethiopian + Nigeria + Ghanaian + Mozambican flavors. Are you ready to go down a path of discovery with me? Buckle up!!

Garlic and Cumin Njahi Stew

November 25, 2016 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I always enjoy getting different opinions from my readers concerning all matters food. Not only does it let me know what we like, but also makes me even more aware of how different we all are and how interesting our personal preferences are. I especially love getting opinions from my twitter audience since they are refreshingly honest and quite funny too. I once had a series under my usual #KaluhisKonversations (check out that hashtag if you have not :))) where we spoke about njahi and why some people may not like this bean, and how you can make it better overall. I touched on this recipe I made over a year back. Those who love njahi were all into it and those who did not, were definitely won over. With our rainy season in full gear, I decided to make another njahi stew recipe, this time round with bold, very expressive flavors. Be ready to explore new flavors and try new things, because my garlic and cumin njahi stew is nothing short of delicious!

Chili Coconut Tilapia Masala

November 16, 2016 / Kaluhi / 23 Comments

I was walking towards our bus stage with my friend one hot humid afternoon after running some errands. We were both quite tired and the heat was not making it any easier. With everything we set out to do complete, all was left to do was to get a meal. And when I am hungry, that is all that occupies my mind. I try as much as possible not to go into a supermarket when hungry, since I end up buying things I do not even like to eat or end up binging of sweet things that I normally wouldn’t have a stomach for. On this particular day however, only one thing was on my mind: fish. I love fish! And for me, that would be the perfect way to end my day and unwind. I quickly made my way to the nearest fish vendor and bought myself some tilapia then rushed home. My Kraving resulted in this very delicious, mind-numbingly good chili coconut tilapia masala. Perfect marriage of flavor; very unexpected, but so delicious!

Proceed with caution though, because my tilapia masala can very easily turn into a very real addiction.

#Kaluhi’s Kravings -Turmeric Chicken Sausage Pasua Combi

November 8, 2016 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

If you went to a boarding school in high school, you understand how important those occasional outings were! We called them ‘funkies’ back in my day, and we scrambled to be on the bus whenever each one came. It was a breath of fresh air to be in a different environment and meet new people and of course, mingle with cute boys. The two main funkies that had a sequence of events were Drama festivals in the first term and music festivals second term. I was all in during drama festivals. Besides all the fun activities, I also lived for eating good food especially considering my school, Precious Blood Riruta, banned most junk food.

As girls, most boys just bought us food. I guess as an ice breaker, but we knew they knew it was the best way to get our attention. Yes, we were shamelessly greedy. I loved Lenana School (or Changes as we used to call it) because they had a wide variety of snacks they had. I especially loved their Combi, which is basically a combination of a filling of choice inside a maandazi. At the end of the funkie, we would anticipate receiving mail from our crushes and since most of us did not have mobile phones while in school. Times have changed and now, our crushes are just a call away. Just a message away. And with a strong network such as Safaricom 4G, days of waiting for mail to hear form our crushes are long behind us! Each time I have a sausage pasua in town, I get major throwback of the good ol days! This recipe was inspired by my favorite high school period as and one of my favorite Kravings I indulge in when hunger strikes, but ofcourse with a touch of K!

#KaluhisKravings – Lemon Bhajia Masala

November 1, 2016 / Kaluhi / 30 Comments

The worst emotion that you could ever be at the mercy of is Hangry! Being hungry makes me super irritable. And the absolute worst is being Hangry, being in the hot sun and at the same time thinking about your adulting problems. Hunger just amplifies all those feelings. Suddenly you start thinking about those deadlines that are coming at you like a massive tsunami and bills you need to pay. Suddenly you remember that text that bae selectively chose not to respond to. Hunger can really stir up emotions! But thank God, when we are in need of a quick meal, street food is always there to rescue us!

I was Kraving some bhajia the entire day yesterday, and when the kraving kalls, you have to heed. I kept you in on my bhajia hunt yesterday afternoon on my Instagram story under the series #KaluhisKravings. Thanks to Safaricom 4G, I was able to document it all without any hitches and with the little airtime I had. After a quick bhajia lunch from Diamond Plaza and my soul literally calmed down. I loved it so much, I decided to give this a #K twist and that led to my spectacular Lemon bhajia Masala.

Ginger Rosemary Carrot Fingers

October 25, 2016 / Kaluhi / 2 Comments

I have been loviing myself some really savory and indulgent meals lately. Not that it is wrong to indulge, but you know, things get soooooo good when you are eating those rich indulgent foods and it completely sucks you in!!! You find your self wanting to eat only really indulgent meals. You go from one more burger bite, to greedily eating two more. Don’t judge me btw, greed is a real thing LOL! Then after your two burgers are sitting in your stomach and you are basking in the after glow of phenomenal flavors, health guilt sets in. What is health guilt you ask? It is that voice that reminds you to stop eating like an idiot and balance the clean with the indulgent. Since I know in my hearts of hearts I will never be one to live on only raw veggies (God bless those who do), what I will do is balance. A bit of indulgence and a bit of clean; because life is all about balance right?

I love my carrots and I made this fast carrot dish that brings out all it’s great qualities. Healthy does not have to be boring though, and my carrot fingers have all the flavor you will need for this lifetime and the next.

Passion Fruit Marinated Honey Pork Chops

October 14, 2016 / Kaluhi / 29 Comments

October has this magic about it. It’s brilliantly sunny days, warm nights and breathtaking jacaranda blossoms enveloping Nairobi make this one of my favorite months. With all these aspects all in one month, this makes it perfect for picnics! What better way to enjoy great weather, appreciate beautiful blossoms and enjoy great company than with fantastic food? My friends and I decided to do just that by hosting a get-together picnic. Each person was meant to bring a dish of their choice. I decided to make one of two meat dishes: my passion fruit marinated honey pork chops. I was so thrilled with the results and this is one recipe I just had to share with you guys. The passion fruit marinade was so perfect for this! I could hardly keep it together while taking the pictures. I almost ate it all before leaving for the actual picnic LOL! I hope this recipe unleashes one hell of a party on your taste buds as it did on mine!