I love making my own juices at home. Not only is it waaaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper, but also, unlike box juice, you get to control the amount of sugar you add and it is also preservative free. I love mango juice. I love the juice combo of mango and passion fruit. I loooove pineapple and mint. I love just passion fruit juice on it’s own. I love orange juice, though it making it freshly squeezed is quite the work out lol! Another one I love and I have come to enjoy making at home is some ukwaju juice! So refreshing! So delicious! And one you too will enjoy having at home!
Tag: Ukwaju
I love hosting at home; but only when it is a small group and when people come early and leave early LOL. I have developed a soft spot for brunches and lunches. From the point of view of the host, you can cook early, enjoy food & company and after your guests leave, you have still time to clean, clear, unwind and rest. I always reach for things that are quick to make but so tasty to have. Pilau is easy to make. Egg curry is easy to make. Wali wa nazi with cumin is so easy and super tasty as well. These burgers are easy to make too! For starters, I go for easy to make things as well- fish fingers, wings, mshikakis etc. I love mshikaki so much because its fun to play flavors around and put together. I have several recipes and for today we are turning up the heat with some chicken mshikaki with some tasty garlic ukwaju bbq sauce.
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!
” 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.
Last year, Heron Portico threw a challenge to myself and other food bloggers in the country to create a Kenyan Themed burger. For various reasons, we were not able to rise to the ocasion then. I couldnt because I had so much going on and I was still singlehandedly polishing up on my then 3 month old blog. Pendo la mama made her Kenyan themed burger a couple of weeks ago and she totally aced it! I have always looked up to her and I feel after she took it up (so well I might add) that gave me the courage to make my own Kenyan Burger.
Are you able to create a Kenyan-themed burger? #BurgerCompetition @KaluhisKitchen pic.twitter.com/bqfwtM4je0
— The Heron Portico (@theheronportico) November 27, 2014
For my burger, I decided to focus more on what I call the Tastes of Kenya. The things/ foods you eat that will always remind you of Kenya; remind you of home no matter which corner of the world you have this. Flavors that will give you a taste of our beautiful coast, and those that reminded me of family kuku barbecues in majestic Maragoli hills of Western Kenya. On the eve on Jamhuri day, I present to you my Kenyan Burger: Kachumbari and Kuku choma burger with a sweet and sour Ukwaju sauce.
It was 1999 and me and my best friend Ngina were playing outside. Her cousin,Shena, had just come back from the coast and ofcourse, with plenty of goodies. One of the things she brought were ukwaju (tamarind). To us they looked like dates. And if they looked like dates, and felt like dates, then they had to taste like dates…How wrong we were. After puting a handful into our mouths, it was not long before we spat them out. They were so sour. So much so that our tongues kept zinging. LOL. I vowed never to eat sour ukwaju ever again, and wondered why people even liked them.
Now, older and wiser, I have learnt how to use this sour ingredient. After my eldest sister brought them home after some days at the coast, I decided to give it a try. This totally paid off!