Category: Main (Page 28 of 37)

Creamed Garlic Kunde

August 14, 2015 / Kaluhi / 27 Comments

“You must always accompany each meal with some veggies, girls!” Mum would tell us over the dinner table as she watched us serve. As I looked at mum, towering over me and heaping veggies on my plate,the then six year old me never saw the importance. I took the plate, but as soon as she turned her back, I returned a huge chunk back to the serving dish. Years later, I got to appreciate all the veggies mum makes at home, particullarly traditional veggies. In high school, all we had were cabbage and kale. This made me miss all the wholesome, wide variety and bountiful flavor traditional veggies offer. Nowadays, I eat traditional veggies 99% of the time. They are actually very much easily available in the city if you are just observant enough. Today, savor my creamed garlic kunde, a recipe from my mama bear :))

Broccoli and Garlic Penne Stir Fry

August 11, 2015 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

I get inspiration for my dishes from an aray of sources. One of them being the cooking shows on food network. My current favorites are Pioneer Woman, Siba’s Table, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, Food Network Star, Chopped and Grandma’s Cookbook. Do you guys watch these too?? This dish was however inspired by Buddy Valastro of Kitchen Boss. I like his recipes because they do not take too long, neither are they too complicated which makes them relatable to me and million others. He likes Italian flavors, as his roots are Italian and incorporates them so well in his cooking.

His recipe used mushroms and macaroni. But I decided to use broccoli and penne pasta. It was outstandingly good. You know those meals you eat so fast because they are so good? This is one of them!

Broccoli and Pea Cabbage Stir Fry

July 17, 2015 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

We all have those meals we just do not feel drawn to, for no particular reason. I am not a big fan of cabbage, unless it is cooked in a certain specific way. It takes a short time to cook, and that makes it very easy to over cook. Alot of the times I have had it in various places in Nairobi, it is overcooked. And where there is a problem, that is a chance for you to step in and make that dish to be fantastic. That makes cooking exciting.

Cabbage is a very healthy vegetable and I like adding more character to it to make it more wholesome. Today’s cabbage stir fry is one my mom developed. I did not change/add anything because I felt it was just perfect as mom made it. I liked it so much and decided to share the recipe with you. I have a feeling you will like it just as much 🙂

Pan Fried Fish with Sweet and Sour Ukwaju Sauce

July 14, 2015 / Kaluhi / 36 Comments

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!

Peppery Hot dog with Lemon and Garlic Plain Yoghurt Sauce

July 10, 2015 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

Let’s be honest for a second… the whole world loves hot dogs. Or at least in my head, the whole world does. Perfect snack. And depending on what you add to them, you can get all food groups into your hot dog. There are so many ways to have your hot dog. And that gets me excited since it awakens my creative power.

I decided to make my hot dog with the frankfurter sauteed with green bell peppers until they are crispy. I also decided to replace the mustard with a tangy lemon and garlic plain yoghurt sauce. So for my 100th post, savor on this brilliant and delicious beauty.

Garlicky French Beans and Carrots

July 3, 2015 / Kaluhi / 21 Comments

This is one of the most common dishes in Kenya. For me, I like it as an alternative to cabbage, which I am not a big fan of. Also known as green beans or sting beans by different people around the globe, they are still as good by by other name. They are also very very healthy. There are many ways to cook french beans and carrots but here is my take on them. I like mine alot more savory and rich that is why I have them with plenty of garlic. Garlicky is not a word but today it is. If you are looking for an alternative to your usual veggies or a substitute to those you do not like, today is your lucky day!

Pea and Potato Stew

June 30, 2015 / Kaluhi / 38 Comments

Potato stew is rather common in Kenya. Probablly because you can throw in various ingredients and having them cook all at once. This saves plenty of time. Unfortunately for most, this meal falls short of flavor. But in our home, we have found a way to have this taste great all the time. After years of tweaking my mum’s recipe, we finally settled on the best potato stew.

I shared this picture on Instagram and Face book a while back and it received quite a nice reception. I decided to share our family recipe today and I know you will like it. Regardless of what you make, no matter how basic, never ever compromise on how it tastes and looks. For today: Pea and Potato Stew