Category: Main (Page 8 of 13)

Sweet Chili Mbuzi Choma Rolex

October 11, 2016 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

This past Sunday was the premier of Coke Studio Africa’s fourth season. With the success of the past seasons and the roller coaster of excitement they were, I had to follow this season from the get go. With some passion fruit drizzled vanilla ice cream in tow, my youngest sister and I were sitted at 8 p.m. sharp. Phones ~~almost~~ away, singing, dancing, having our very own concert right at home only taking breaks to critique performances and finish our ice cream. She is a Sauti Sol die hard. Believe me, Kuliko Jana constantly plays at home. It is her song. And Sauti Sol are her band. And them being part of the premier episode was just more reason for her to tune in. We enjoyed it! I hope you tuned in too and had a ball!

This season is all about discovery. Discovery of new music. Discovery of new artists, new sounds, new cultures. Being the foodie I am, I took this upon myself to make it discovery of new foods. Each month I will be doing a fusion dish, melding 3 cultures together, based on the countries performing on Coke Studio. This month’s dish is a fusion of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzanian flavors; which culminated in my glorious sweet chili mbuzi choma rolex. You are going to love this!!

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Cumin and Eggplant Veggie ‘Meatballs’

October 7, 2016 / Kaluhi / 3 Comments

You know you are officially an adult when receiving vegetable deliveries excite you LOL. I wanted to work on some new recipes but I was too lazy to leave home and do my own shopping. Ain’t no one got time or energy for the walking in the excruciating October heat. And in such instances, veggie delivery is the way to go. I was so thrilled to received my veggies, courtesy of Fresh Pro. Just one phone call away and I had all I needed and more: cabbages, eggplant, tomatoes, apples, managu (my fave!!), egg plant, dhania, lettuce etc.

I have been craving some good egg plant for the longest time. Just a note: I am talking about the real egg plant :DD. And I was more than happy to have some in my Fresh Pro delivery. With that, along with courgettes that were in the crate, I decided to make veggie ‘meatballs’. What a paradox that is: veggie meatballs. Who says you can’t enjoy your veggies just as you do your meat?? Ready to have something different with a touch of K? Here we go!!

Chicken Bacon Knockout Burger

September 30, 2016 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

After posting my Triple D drumsticks, and the amazing buzz it created online, EVERYONE just couldn’t wait to try that recipe out. And majority just wished they could simply appear infront of them. My elder sister, Sieva, who was away for work sent me a quick message telling me she would love to have those when she came back home after seeing them on my Facebook page. Since I couldn’t make that particular recipe at the time, I decided to work on my next bomb Guinness recipe which she would feast upon: my chicken bacon knockout burger. Growing up with siblings, when there is something tasty you are planning to feast upon, you have to hide it so that no one else eats it. I forgot to hide Sieva’s burger and sure enough, my other sister Kadesa ate it. I should have recorded the look on her face when she sank her teeth into it…priceless! Burger ecstasy! And a stamp of approval for another aced recipe!

These burgers have everything you could ever want in the perfect burger: a moist patty, lots of cheese, a rich unique sauce and of course, bacon. Can you handle this knock out ;))? You better!

The Triple D Drum Sticks

September 16, 2016 / Kaluhi / 55 Comments

I love a dish that has a ton of character and flare to it. My triple D Drumsticks has to be one of those; Delicious. Daring. Dark. At triple dose of juicy goodness in each meaty bite. Easy to make yet with such beautiful culmination of flavors, these drumsticks will change your life for ever! And you know when I say that, I actually mean it ;))

I was home alone while making these, and I gave you a sneak peak on my InstaStory mid last week. Lord God! These were really good! So many of you asked for the recipe, and the day is finally here that I get to share it with you. I was kinda broke but had to make enough so that when my sisters came back home they would a taste of my best drumstick recipe yet. Food is simply a lot more delicious when you can share it with people you love, is it not? Today, I give you this recipe, which I hope to bring you just as much joy. My Triple D Drumsticks are exactly how delicious chicken should taste like and made even more spectacular with a dark rich garlic stout BBQ sauce that has the most daring of all flavors. Buckle up! This will take you to the moon and back!

Achari ya Limau

September 14, 2016 / Kaluhi / 5 Comments

I find it very amazing how our food cultures are very much globally intertwined. What we may think belongs exclusively to our nation, may actually in fact have it’s roots in another nation. Also, how one culture makes a certain thing could be prepared in a different way by another to achieve similar results. In Kenya for example, many of our dishes have their origins in India: chapati, dhania, chai, nearly all our masalas and as I recently discovered, achari. It definitely is prepared in different ways from region to region along the coast, but what it has in common is the pickling of lemons and or limes specifically in achari ya ndimu. Slow but sure culmination of flavors, achari ya ndimu, like wine, gets better with the passing of time. This is one of those condiments you do not rush. The longer it sits the better. I prepared mine over the course of last week and of course, added my own touch. Everything is always better with a touch of K! I encourage you to try our my achari ya ndimu and enjoy amazing taste together with your favorite meals.

Cheesy Guinness Beef Samosas

September 2, 2016 / Kaluhi / 32 Comments

“Tuko hapa Nyayo, umepika?” (“We are at Nyayo. What have you cooked?”) I hesitated to answer the question. I knew I had nothing ready, yet my ~~impromptu~~ guests were not too far off. My mum would literally slash my head off my shoulders if she found out people came home and left without something memorable in their bellies, even if the guests were mine and not hers, LOL! You see, there is a certain pressure that comes with being a food blogger. Everyone expects an elaborate banquet each time they visit your home, regardless of whether or not you are tired or you have been surviving on (delicious!) left overs. We all have those times when we just have nothing grand to present, regardless of whether you are Siba or Kaluhi. But in an African home, when guest come knocking, you have to provide. And as a food blogger, you just have to pull all the stops. I just had to deliver. #pressure

Since I was a bit time strapped & feeling a bit lazy yet still excited to have my friends over, I just had to make it work. I decided to make my cheesy Guinness beef samosas. I took an ingenious shortcut along the way, but I was sure using my Guinness and part of adding flavor to my samosa filling would be dynamite!!! As you all know, I always go an extra mile :)). These were cleared so fast coz they were just that good! Thinking about something to ring down the weekend? This is it, baby!

Garlic Paprika Liver

August 19, 2016 / Kaluhi / 56 Comments

I always get inspiration for my dishes form different sources. But one of the most inspirational sources are the conversations about food that I have with my sisters. Like most siblings who are close in age, we talk about everything! From makeup, to boys, to politics, to religion, and of course we always end up talking about food. My eldest sister, Cheredi, is a huge foodie with mean kitchen skills. Somewhere in between our usual chatter, we of course started talking about liver and exciting recipes we can try out. She told me that she made this liver recipe that was so bomb and believed using paprika made all the difference. I decided to develop a paprika liver recipe of my own, of course with inspiration form her, and I was so so so blown away by the outcome.

Today we are going to make: garlic paprika liver. Sounds delicious right? Well, it is!!!

Lemon Rosemary Chicken Strips

August 12, 2016 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

Let me admit: I struggle to make my chicken breast moist. Be it through frying or baking, somedays it comes out nice and juicy, other days it comes out dry. And when I say dry I mean as dry as kuni :DD. It is something I am yet to master, but in the cooking world, one never knows everything and each day is a chance to learn, yes? I still however almost always have chicken breast in my freezer, just in case I need to whip up something in a short amount of time. To go around the problem of dry chicken breast, I always make chicken strips with some kind of sauce. Chicken strips take such a short time to cook and having them drenched in a sauce gives them much needed juiciness. Cooking my chicken breast this way has never failed me.

Today I give you my third chicken strips recipe; this time drenched in a rich cheesy lemon rosemary sauce. So so easy you can cook it with your hands tied and eyes shut! Lets do this!

Karafuu and Rosemary Carrot Soup

August 5, 2016 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

August started with such a huge burst of sunshine and warmth. Glorious month it is, even more so that it is my birth day month! Unlike this year, last year or the year before it always has the first two weeks of August still shaking off the July freeze. This year has been different. Warmer. I however feel we have one more week of cold temperatures before we finally move on and enjoy beautiful sunshine. I prepared this carrot soup in anticipation of cozy cold nights in, but the weather decided to surprise us with some warmth. But in all honesty, soups can be taken in any weather. And I believe my soothing karafuu and rosemary carrot soup will warm your body and keep you comfy.

Savory Rainbow Chicken Chili Sandwich

July 28, 2016 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

When I think about incorporating the word ‘rainbow’ into a recipe, mind first drifts towards creating a sweet dish as opposed to a savory one. Blame skittles for that :DD. How ever this time, I decided to make something savory using a word that invokes thoughts of a sweet dish. Also, I did not have enough ingredients to make a sweet rainbow inspired dish and felt too lazy to get some. I felt so lazy, that I transformed leftovers into one hell of a sandwich! Who said left overs are boring?? :DD

This sandwich takes no more than 15 minutes to make. It has a ton of character and a even more flavor. Thank heavens you can get all these ingredients right in your fridge! Lets get to business!

Rosemary and Garlic Tilapia Fish Fingers

July 22, 2016 / Kaluhi / 30 Comments

“Nibakishie kitu tamu!” (Save me something tasty) My eldest sister Cheredi exclaimed as she spotted me in the kitchen cooking as she was on her way out to do her errands. You see, whenever I am developing new recipes for you guys, my sisters anticipate a feast. For me, that is a good and a bad thing. A good thing since I can make them happy through the great food that comes from the kitchen, and a bad thing since recipe development is usually so susceptible to serious failure! I hoped that this recipe would turn out great so that my sissy would come home to delicious food; to ‘kitu tamu’ as we always say. Lucky for me, this was a good recipe development day since these tilapia fish fingers were a 10/10.

I will show you how to make them, infuse flavor and incorporate spices to give you the best fish fingers you will ever make, with the littlest effort ever!

Garlic Chicken Breast with Whiskey BBQ sauce

June 14, 2016 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

Nothing excites me more than a good choma! Regardless of weather, or location or mood, I will almost always be present where there is a good choma. To make a choma really good, preparation that goes in plays a key role. This Saturday at the Arboretum, we are being treated to the best mbuzi choma at ‘Brothers of the grill’ where the best restaurants will serve us the best of their choma, while sipping on Jack Daniels cocktails and just hanging out. I spoke about this on Instagram but I will explain more about this at the end of the post. Let me tell you, I just cannot wait!!!!! But since Saturday is still a couple of days away, I decided to make this garlic chicken breast with whiskey bbq sauce as a prelude of whats to come. Feast upon this, and hope to see you all on the 18th for good mbuzi choma and fun in the sun.

Garlic and Paprika Potato Sautee

May 24, 2016 / Kaluhi / 30 Comments

Will all potato lovers please get into formation!!!!!! This one potato recipe I absolutely love and I am so excited to share with you. Nothing beats an easy recipe that is so so delicious it would make any grown human being cry. Before all ye fellow potato lovers get into formation, have you guys seen this absolutely silly formation cheerleading video? It cracks me up each time :DDD. Life its indeed about the small pleasures.

This recipe was inspired by my elder sister Cheredi. She was home for a couple of weeks and we cooked up a storm. Remember the raisin and coconut pancakes I once showed you on my snapchat? She made those! This potato recipe has my own little modifications to her original one but nevertheless, my garlic and paprika potato sautee will not disappoint you.

Swahili Cooking Class Part I – Makaki ya Kulisha (Swahili Pizza)

May 3, 2016 / Kaluhi / 13 Comments

What would a trip down to the culturally rich Kenyan coast be without learning a couple of new dishes to make?! I wouldn’t have lived with myself if I came back to Nairobi without new knowledge about food preparation and new recipes in my head. As part of our trip’s package, we were privileged to witness and learn the preparation of three signature Lamu dishes. As a food blogger, this chance was not to be skipped since it is through learning new things that we grow. And no one never ever knows it all, right?

Our teacher’s name was Ummu Ahmed. We could tell from the way she spoke, handled her food and engaged us that she was one foodie at heart. We learnt how to make Faluda, Mkate wa Mkono and Makaki wa Kulisha (swahili pizza) but today I will take you through step by step of the latter so that you don’t get too overwhelmed. Makaki wa Kulisha also known as Swahili pizza is basically a flat bread stuffed with a selection of ingredients but most popularly veggies and sauteed chicken. The recipe isso easy and you can definitely try these out at home too. In my opinion, this is one way you can get a feel of the Lamu sunshine right at home.

Red Onion and Ghee Chapati

April 29, 2016 / Kaluhi / 5 Comments

While in Precious Blood Riruta, like all other boarding schools, visiting days were always the most anticipated days of the year. Those were the days we would spend those lovely hours with our siblings and parents who we left back home. It was the day we got reminded how the outside world feels, smells and tastes like beyond the school walls. Most importantly, those were the days we were treated to delicious food from home that we normally wouldn’t have in school . For us, this day was even more anticipated because we had just one visiting day for the entire year (I know, that sucked!) To make the most of it, we would specify the exact foods we want brought in from home. For me and my friend Gaciku, we had to have chapati. It is not only delicious but it could be kept a bit longer compared to other foods long after visiting day was over. I hear these days they have chapati as part of their school menu. How lucky! They will never understand our struggle :DD

Today, I have put a twist to my all time favorite flat bread. I hope you like it too.

Ginger Matoke Masala

April 12, 2016 / Kaluhi / 32 Comments

I have been seriously into potatoes lately! Ok, maybe I have always been into potatoes :DD. Besides their wholesome taste, they can be made in countless different ways. The day I made this super delicious ginger matoke masala, I had originally planned to use potatoes. My heart was absolutely broken when I found out I had none. But in true food blogger fashion, all that was necessary was a change up the original recipe and use what I already had at hand. We had received plenty of matoke from our kin in Maragoli and I decided that is exactly what I was going to use. That was the best choice I made that day!

Before we get into it, let me warn you, the chances of you getting addicted to this are real! This is one matoke recipe I can have every other day for the rest of my life. Yes, everything can be made delicious. And my ginger matoke masala pays tribute to that very statement.

Crispy Rosemary Potato Wedges

April 5, 2016 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

On the night of April 1st, Nairobi and much of central Kenya received its first rain after the beautiful sunny months of Dec-Jan-Feb-Mar. There was no transition, just abrupt rain with the close of March. Being someone who lives for and thoroughly enjoys the dry months and the intense heat everyone complains about, I sadly welcomed April rains and already started looking forward to December. But I remembered how I pointed out in this post that I will be more thankful for everything and indeed, there is plenty to be thankful about even in grey, rainy April. Even as mango season is now behind us, I am happy that pear season is rolling in. Even as the warm sunny weather I love is gone, I am thankful that the air is clear and its green all around. Even though I can’t enjoy my flirty skirts, at least now I can rock my thigh high boots (ladies do you feel me?!!). There is always something to be thankful for.

For today, I am giving you yet another potato wedge recipe that will warm your heart and fill your tummy in the rainy days ahead.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings

April 1, 2016 / Kaluhi / 30 Comments

I made these sweet and spicy chicken wings when my sisters were home over the weekend. It is always fun when we are all home. Suddenly, the house is loud and noisy, but in the warmest and most inviting way. We then catch up on stuff we have been doing, stuff we are planning to do and get some good laughs in. And what better way to do this than over delicious food. Not only were we eating these bomb chicken wings, but also enjoyed this orange and ginger cake my eldest sister had baked that very morning. I love my foodie sisters <3

These wings are very simple to make but they are so so sooooo good! The marinade used for them is very simple and passed down form my mum to us. Do yourself a favor and try out these sweet and spicy chicken wings.

Mango Mint Salad with Passion Fruit Syrup

March 22, 2016 / Kaluhi / 11 Comments

Admit it, that title made your mouth water, even just a little ;). For me, each time I read it, I literally drool like a wild beast. And when I remember how fantastic it tasted, I literally drive myself to the brink of insanity. My mango mint salad with passion fruit syrup is a taste of heaven. It captures the warmth of golden Kenyan sunshine and almost embodies the fullness of the hearts of the Kenyan people and beauty of Mango season. I am in love with this salad!

I love my mangoes. They are still in season for the next few weeks and I want to make the most of it. Last year, I was busy eating mangoes (duh!) and experimented very little with them in the kitchen. This year, I have really tried :)). As we head into the dusk of 2016’s mango season, let me leave you with a salad with flavors so beautiful it tastes like music <3.

Garlic Marinated Fish Masala

March 18, 2016 / Kaluhi / 11 Comments

Fish has got to be one of my very favorite white meats! Not only is it so tasty to have, but it can be prepared in so many different ways so that makes it almost impossible for you to get bored with it. I had fish fillet in my freezer for some weeks and when my fish craving kicked in, I was so glad I had some at home. I immediately decided to make some fish masala, but to my dismay, I had run out of the premade fish masala mix usually available in supermarkets. Being the adventurous foodie that I am, I made my own fish masala spice blend and it was so bomb! I am excited to share the same with you and I hope you give this a try.