Tag: kaluhi’s kitchen (Page 4 of 8)

Brunch at Mercado

January 26, 2018 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

If you frequent Westlands, you have definitely seen a new restaurant at Kenrail towers right from the road. And that new spot is Mercado! I had been planning to visit Mercado with my younger sister last month for some sister time, however the day we chose, they had closed down. We postponed our date not too far off into the future. And when they reached out to me to sample their brunch menu, I was more than happy to go and try it out. My friends had amazing things to say about Mercado, and I was excited to try out the restaurant for myself. Because we missed our chance to dine at Mercado the last time we were there, I took my sister as my plus one, and it also happened to be her birthday, so that was my treat to her!

This review (and this amazing video) also includes some of my readers’ experiences at Mercado as per their Instagram DMs so that you get a balanced idea of the restaurant. These are our opinions, hence are subjective, so remember what one likes may be what you hate or vice versa since we are all different and that’s ok. I encourage you to check it out yourself nonetheless and see how you like Mercado.

Let’s get to it!

Plum Ukwaju Juice

January 23, 2018 / Kaluhi / 3 Comments

I love my morning jogs!!! I slacked a little bit towards the end of last year when I made the morning November rains an ~~very very valid~~ excuse for me not to go. However, once the rains stopped, I was back on it so hard!! Running in the flood of brilliant January morning sunshine is such a magical experience. Lemme just say this, I am not a fitness junkie, I know almost nothing about fitness, but all i know is, I feel super fantastic, light and good after a sweaty jogs and that is all that matters to me so I run with it, pun intended! *waves pompoms in the air*. I used to hate doing laps in highschool, and I find it funny that nowadays it is what I really love. That does not mean it is breezy! About 3/4 way of my 6 km jog I usually always regret. I get so tired and my lungs start burning because of breathing too hard. I ask myself why it is really worth it. I imagine how easy it would be if I could just teleport back home. I picture myself getting back home and replenishing my energy with fresh juice. I imagine myself finally freshening up, having my breakfast and getting work going. And when I do get home, the sweaty run is always worth it!

I have in particular loving my plum ukwaju juice, for all times of day, but specifically after my runs. And today, I will share my fave with you! <3

The Marula Mercantile

January 12, 2018 / Kaluhi / 8 Comments

Being the last weekend of 2017, my sister and I wanted to have a beautiful lunch to wind down the year. After a horrific experience at a popular seafood franchise, we hoped our experience at Marula Mercanitle would make up for it. Saturday the 30th was stunningly sunny and relaxed and we decided to eat at a place that was open and vibe-y. After our meal and afternoon stay there, I decided to include this as a restaurant review as it was not a planned visit between myself and the staff and I felt I captured them in their true essence. It is something I planned on doing last year, but due ~~being broke af~~ to various factors, I put restaurant reviews on hold. My review of Marula Mercantile will be first of many. I will also be including some of your experiences to my reviews so that you can get the truest, most realistic picture of the restaurant.

Here we go!

Thyme Beef Burger with Passion Habanero BBQ Sauce

January 9, 2018 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

“Na kunanukia!!!! Zimeiva?” (“They smell great! Are they done?”) My sister yelled form the stair case as she made her way to the kitchen where I was. I was not really in the mood for cooking because of cramps, but my sister pushed me and after some pain killers I decided to make something indulgent for both of us. Good food makes everything better right? And I had no regrets!!! Step after step after step and few moments later, there you are sinking your teeth into something juicy and delicious!!!The best burgers are those that we make at home. That is when you can customize flavors according to your preference. Aroma of herbs filled the air. Sound of a sharp sear made me salivate. And your next favorite burger is my thyme beef burger with my passion fruit bbq sauce <3 <3

This recipe, and all other recipes here on out, will be accompanied by short but sweet videos on my YouTube channel, so if you are yet to subscribe, do so HERE, right now, then come over and lets get into what this burger is all about <3

Watermelon Lemonade

December 6, 2017 / Kaluhi / 8 Comments

I had gone to drop off my tripod stand at my friends place as she needed to use it for a certain project over the weekend. Like the true millenial, I called Mwende to let her know I was juuuuuuust around the corner. “Ukifika, ingia tu! Gate iko wazi” (When you arrive, just come in. The gate is open.) I did not intend to stay too long, but because I had not seen her in quite some time, I was willing to be a bit more flexible. She was seated right by the window, in the flood of sunshine streaming in, and her book – The Year Of Yes- turned on her coffee table as she reached out for her watermelon and limes. She picked a slice of melon, squeezed some lime juice over it and munched away. “Jaribu!” (Try it!!) She told me, passing the plate of melon my way. I really loved it. After driving for 30 minutes and boiling in Nairobi traffic for almost the same time, this was a much welcome refreshing treat! I did not intend to stay too long, but a ton of laughs later, a million juicy stories later, a dance off and a fresh cake later (imagine we even decided to bake! smh! #derailed :D) I am happy I did extend my stay.

Inspired by my dear friend’s favorite sunny day treat, today I share with you my now favorite sunny day drink!!

Mushroom Coconut Milk Soup

November 8, 2017 / Kaluhi / 18 Comments

The wind was blowing hard. I was walking as fast as I could. I hoped to get home before the rain could start pelting down, but no sooner had I finished thinking the thought than the rain started falling hard. I increased my tempo took out my umbrella. Despite having cover from the rain, I still got completely wet almost as though I had no umbrella at all. I thought of running, but that would be futile, so I instead decided to enjoy the rain. That is how November showers are; cold, large drops whose fury is only fanned by the wind. I was freezing by the time I got home. But at least I was rained on when coming back home rather than when I was going somewhere important or to meet important persons, right? I had a hot shower and decided to make something soothing for myself. Since I was not too hungry, I settled on a soup- best decision I made that day. Perfectly fragrant, creamy and aromatic; that is how I would describe my mushroom coconut milk soup which will very easily become your rainy season favorite <3.

Purple Cabbage Apple Salad with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette

October 29, 2017 / Kaluhi / 9 Comments

We all have those tasks we hate for no reason at all. They have to be done, so we do them ~~reluctantly~~ anyway. For me, I just do not like cutting cabbage. I completely dislike that task. Completely! I would rather clean the house in and out, change the roof by hand, tarmac our roads, build a dam, single handedly launch a satellite into orbit than cut cabbage. I do not know why exactly I do not like cutting cabbage, but I just don’t. Is there anybody out there who is in the same boat as I am? We had this very Konversation on twitter about kitchen tasks you do not like doing and I was glad I was not alone, and also got to learn some of the kitchen tasks that are just not your cup of tea. When I crave a good salad or a slaw, I usually talk myself out of it or very reluctantly cut up my cabbage. I waste time in between every slash, and give myself pep talks and motivational speeches that it will soon be over and be very much worth it. And by the time I was done with my cabbage and eating my salad, it was indeed worth it. I hope you enjoy my purple cabbage apple salad with the best dressing ever: my passion fruit vinaigrette.

Let’s get to it!

7 Spice Sunny Rice

October 24, 2017 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

Most times when I make a dish, I already have a rough idea of what I am going to name it. On this day, I had absolutely no idea what I would name the rice dish I was making. I did not want to name it according to the ingredients, but something a little bit more creative and different, but my brain refused to cooperate. I then reached out to you on my Instagram stories (If you ain’t following me on Instagram, please do! I would love to have you! <3) for help. 200 responses later, I was very much entertained by your suggestions for my rice dish. From the sassy suggestions like ‘yaaaaaaaaaas rice’ and ‘bomb.com rice’, to funny ones like ‘somebody herb me’ and ‘walk wasabi KaluhiWali Kaluhi Wali’ and the rather strange ones like ‘Zemachi’ ‘Erromerro’ and Ruz rice’. Ya’ll are so so funny 😀 😀 :D, and so sweet as well for coming through to helping me. I appreciate each one of you! I decided to settle on 7 spice sunny rice, which is a combination of names from @tebz.co.ke and @martin_m.k. Asanteni!

So for this lovely day, let’s have some delicious rice!

Naan

October 17, 2017 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

Do you ever have those moments where you have been saying you will eat a particular meal but you just keep postponing to make it? “I’ll make it tomorrow!” Tomorrow comes and goes and nothing! “I’ll start cooking at 2 sharp!!” 6 p.m comes and goes and you are instead immersed in a series or eating out. That has been me with naan. I love it since it is a great substitute to chapati, but kept postponing making it for reasons only God knows :DD. After my trip to South Africa, I returned well rested and my creative juices are now back and I got to work. I have developed so many new recipes (Nov & Dec posts are ready and will be so L.I.T!!), and I wanted to post this one mid November. But since sooooooo many of you have been crying in my DMs for this naan recipe, I decided today should be the day and not any later!

So lets get down to it!

DSTv Delicious Festival – What Went Down

October 11, 2017 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

I had the absolute honor of attending the two day DSTv Food Festival In Johannesburg, South Africa this past weekend. Believe me when I say, it was the mother of all food festivals. It was woven together with live music performances, similar to what Koroga is, only on a grander scale. I was so ready for the food! And I am glad my expectations were exceeded! Those of you who watched my Instagram Stories know what I mean!! All the food vendors went all out! Nothing was compromised; from the flavors to the presentation, everything was A1. I decided to first put in some work, and walk around before making a stop to buy food, and almost gave up because the temptation was just too much. My mind was telling me to work first, but my stomach was telling me to eat away! But I decided to suck it up and after I was done working, I went all innnnnnnnnnn!!!

This post takes you through what I liked and what stood out most for me!

Ginger Passion Fruit Mojito

September 20, 2017 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

I remember posting a throwback pic of my cumin bhajia with tatziki on Instagram and I asked you which drink you would have it with.You all mentioned you preferred drinks and I mentioned that my drink of choice would always be a passion fruit mojito. While many of you were loyal to the drinks they mentioned, some of you also wanted to have the recipe for my mojito, coz let’s be real, even if you have not had it, ginger passion fruit mojito just sounds delicious . And as I promised, today I am sharing with you how I make mine!

With the cold weather behind us and sunny September in it’s full glory (ok, it’s still raining from time to time but that will not stop us from having our mojito, right? RIGHT??), it’s the perfect time to share my best ever drink as today’s recipe- ginger passion fruit mojito!

Spicy Lime Honey Marinated Seared Shrimp

September 8, 2017 / Kaluhi / 23 Comments

One of my favorite moments of 2016 was when 6 Kenyan food bloggers and myself got to visit Lamu for the annual Lamu Food Festival. It was a magical three day trip that saw me fall in love with the island paradise, it’s people, their culture, their scenic beaches and enchanting buildings. The food was delicious and having been prepared by the masters themselves, it couldn’t get any better! One of the things I always remember having and often day dream about to this day was a sea food pizza we had on one of our busiest afternoons there. It had lots of uduvi (shrimp), lobster and peppers all on a base of a rich tomato sauce. We then went for a sunset dhow ride, came back had dinner (more shrimp for me :D) then set out to again for another dhow ride until midnight. Is there such a thing like overdosing on seafood? I don’t think so! You can never really have enough!

Since I can’t go to Lamu (for now…hehehe) why not bring Lamu to me? I gave you a sneak peak of this recipe on my Instagram Story and Twitter page on Wednesday and as promised, here is the recipe <3

Thyme & Beer Marinated Mushroom Beef Stew

August 31, 2017 / Kaluhi / 3 Comments

I had this really fun Konversation on twitter early August about meat marination. I shared how I marinate my different meats and different variations of the same and how I like to switch things up. You can check that #KaluhisKonversation out HERE and if you are not following me on twitter yet, what on earth are you waiting for boo??! What I enjoyed most were the contributions you guys made and I was so blown away by your marinade recipes!!! When I say #KNation has the most creative people, I actually am not lying. From the different sauces you use, different combinations of chillies, spices, different citrus fruits, different dry rubs…you guys are so creative!! And all that marinade talk inspired this recipe.

I decided to make a delicious mushroom beef stew, that had been marinating in my favorite ingredients. It came out so so well and I am beyond sure that you will love this recipe too! The final recipe for my birthday month: my thyme and beer marinated mushroom beef stew.

As I turn 26….

August 28, 2017 / Kaluhi / 34 Comments

OH MY GOD!!!!!!

I AM 26!

I won’t lie, I had a mini panic attack a few weeks back following my birthday. But as days got closer, I felt like I was actually blossoming and not wilting. And today as my mom sang me happy birthday, everything felt ok and I knew the year ahead would be fantastic since it started with the person who first held me and laid eyes on me when I came to this earth wishing me well and declaring blessings upon it. God bless mothers! <3 There is this beauty about coming into your own as you grow older and living life according to your terms and that is freeing to me. I am entering a phase in my life that where my wings shall be spread with even more splendor and I will even surprise myself by what I can achieve. I am entering a phase where I am increasingly unafraid of my power and excited about challenges thrown my way. I am excited about the glow-up in all areas of my life. I am excited about everything! And as I turn 26, here is what I pray and hope for :

Thyme and Garlic Mbaazi

August 23, 2017 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

There is ALWAYS more than one way of preparing a dish. ALWAYS!!!! While we may have our personal favorites that we may prefer to stick to for one reason or another, there is no harm in exploring other options. I have always had mbaazi cooked in coconut milk, and I one day wondered how else could I prepare them and still bring out the amazing taste mbaazi inherently has? Coz just like everything else, there is more than one way of cooking mbaazi!! I asked you guys on twitter and my mind was opened up to all the different ways you make them. Velma Kiome (@mzinduzi) loves her’s with courgettes, carrots, matoke or potato, fresh herbs and spices of choice and she prefers that her mbaazi are fresh and green and not the dried kind. Chululups (@miss_patriciah) uses mbaazi instead of beans in her githeri plus with lots of veggie assortment and cooked as a dry fry. She taught me this dish is called Gítherí a njūgū (I love learning from my tweeps! Need to try it out!!). For me, besides having them in coconut milk, I like mine as a rich stew, similar to a bean stew, but with rich full flavors of garlic and thyme! Ready to step out of your comfort zone and try out something different? Buckle up!!

Chili Chicken wings in Orange Whiskey Sauce

August 16, 2017 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

I had not anticipated to be cooped up at home the entire week, last week. I thought we would have a maximum of 2 days off for the election break then everything would be back to normal. With a full week of having nothing much to do, I decided to put off my prep for September recipes and instead give myself a much needed break. And I am now recharged and ready to embark on new projects! I slept to my fill. I caught up on series I stopped watching years ago (can you believe I stopped watching Vampire Diaries at the start of season 4?!). I ate so much too! Well, I eat a lot on usual days but last week’s eating was just hedonistic! One of my FAVORITE things I ate last week were these chili chicken wings in orange whiskey sauce. Hot. Meaty. boozy and oh so perfect for cool August! I know you will fall in love with this recipe as much as I did! <3

Thyme Broccoli Soup

August 1, 2017 / Kaluhi / 5 Comments

Nairobi evenings can be bitterly cold this time of year. All I ever think about at the close of each day is getting home, having a blisteringly hot shower, slipping into some warm socks and having a hot cup of tea with my favorite biscuits (of course after some supper :))) As I raced towards my matatu stage, I glanced down at the goodies hawkers were selling and momentarily stopping to purchase some things, as usual! After bagging an amazing faux leather coat and cute doll shoes, I couldn’t let myself head home without some veggies! “Madam kuja uchague fresh!!” (Madam come and select fresh ones!!”); one of the lady hawkers exclaimed to me as she stacked her broccoli heads one over the other. I stopped, slowly selected my four broccoli as the droves of people pushed against me on the streets. As I paid, she told me to try make soup with them; that it would be delicious and that I would enjoy it. I thanked her for the veggies and for the idea as that is exactly what I was going to do- make a hearty delicious soup with my broccoli.

My favorite soup yet has got to be this thyme chili broccoli soup! So light and so delicious you will need 700 bowls before you are completely full! So perfect for chilly Nairobi this August! Mtapenda! <3

Garlic & Mustard Chicken Omellete

July 21, 2017 / Kaluhi / 2 Comments

I love discovering fantastic Kenyan brands that always deliver on quality, flavor and really bring something new to the market. Last year I attended the first ever Nairobi Food Market where all these products were paraded in all their glory! Thy were so many, and I wanted to have them all, but my wallet dictated otherwise. I settled on only my favorites for the day which were, African Kaya Sweet Chili Sauce (which my eldest sister LOVED too and ~~stole from me~~ went home with it), Need Gelato and a strawberry whiskey jam by Jars Of Goodness (which my youngest sister ~~stole from me~~ left for school with). Since that food market, I have always loved all Jars of Goodness products and make sure I have something form them in my fridge. Check them out here. I had some sundried tomato mustard from them and decided to play around with it and came up with the best ever omellete!

Brunch is made for delicious food and fun company <3! And among the savory dishes I love to have most is my garlic and mustard chicken omellete!

Coconut Milk Chili Bean Stew

July 11, 2017 / Kaluhi / 13 Comments

I have been doing a back to basics series on my Instagram Stories for a couple of months now. I have not done one in quite a long time though (sorry guys :((((, life got in the way. ). Some of the recipe request I got were too detailed to be done as a back to basics so I will instead post them as blog posts; and my coconut milk chili bean stew is one of them. One of my followers requested for a bean stew, thought there is one I posted in 2015, I decided to make one that is richer and in my opinion of fuller flavor. What would a Kenyan food blog be without a coconut milk bean stew be after all?! 😉

With warming flavors of chili and garlic, this one soooo perfect for July-August when it is much cooler in Kenya. And I promise, it is so easy to make too <3

Ice Cream & Cardamom French Toast

June 16, 2017 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

I usually treat myself to something nice when my day or week or month has gone especially well and I have exceeded all my goals. I celebrate and congratulate myself each time I achieve something dope! A monthly treat may be something like a new perfume (I have my eyes on Giorgio Armani – Si) ,a book I have been dying to get my hands on or a dress I have been eyeing for a long time. A treat for a day may be a gorgeous moist black forest slice or anything I am craving. Usually it is some ice cream. I am not a sweet tooth, so when I crave ice cream, it comes hard. One night, I treated myself to some ice cream. After few bites, I was off to bed and the next day, I decided to finish treating myself since sleep interrupted my session the previous night. Instead of just having ice cream again, I thought to myself ‘what would happen if I incorporated my favorite ice cream into a dish?’ Curious as to what would happen if breakfast and dessert were combined? Well, the most beautiful ice cream and lime zest French toast would be conceived! <3. Hope you fall in love with this one as much as I have!