Category: Main (Page 31 of 37)

Mushroom noodles with pea and french bean stir fry

April 3, 2015 / Kaluhi / 7 Comments

I am always so excited when my small cousins, Mudola and Kadesa, come over to visit from Mombasa. The last time they came over, I made some simple spaghetti and my matata meatballs for dinner. The arrived just as I was taking the spaghetti from the heat. Mudola saw the spaghetti and yelled in excitement “Indomie!!!” and ran towards me. Indomie are a popular noodle brand in this country. And because noodles kinda resemble spaghetti, to 3 year old Mudola , I was making her favorite noodles. She quickly asked for some, and gobbled them down amid giggles, a cheeky sparkle in her eyes and that warm incandescence that filled the room whenever she laughed. She is adorable!

While they love spaghetti, I once in a while prep instant noodles for kina Mudola. I always go the extra mile because we just do not do kawaida here at #KK. Abit of fresh veggies to play up the flavor and bring it to life and it always turns out great. I like my recipes easy and tasty. This is no exception 🙂

Ginger and Spring Onion Njahi Stew

March 27, 2015 / Kaluhi / 43 Comments

I have always been fascinated by how njahi seeds look when raw. Like a small black bag with a neat white zip placed halfway on its side. Or like a tiny black pod with a strip of white paint. Or like a compressed skunk. They are kinda cute actually. They are black and white when uncooked but once they are cooked, they transform to this amazing deep mahogany shade. God is really creative with everything he does or made for us, don’t you think? I am not aware exactly where else in the world this seed can be found. From my online sources, they referred to as lablab beans; a name that is as funny as it is strange. Some people call them tuxedo beans, while others call them hyacinth beans. There are white ones, brown, black ones and even red ones but the popular ones in my country are the black ones.

In my country, these seeds are most commonly consumed by communities from the mount Kenya region. They have slowly gained popularity throughout the nation mainly due to their nutritional benefits. Some of the these its high in protein, folate, iron ,vitamin B6, zinc, calcium,magnesium and phosphorus. They are usually prepared with just onions, tomatoes and some light seasoning. But as you know, here, we always take it up another notch. This njahi recipe has plenty of flavor, which plays up the natural earthy flavor of these beans. I am really excited to share this recipe with you 🙂

Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad

March 24, 2015 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

I love having some salad or fresh fruit with most of my meals. They add this freshness to all the meals and make them a lot more wholesome and complete. The easiest salad to have with your meals are coleslaw, and the most common here in Kenya is the amazing kachumbari. But this world has so much more to offer besides just those. And considering fresh produce can be found in my country at very low prices, this makes it even easier for us to indulge in this richness.

I have made this sweet corn and tomato salad and it was like sunshine and morning dew combined. It was so mellow, so light and so filling. It has the farmiliar flavors of kachumbari but has other additional ingredients which give it a more global approach. This is one salad that should never miss from your family dinner table.

Pineapple Marinated Teriyaki Chicken

March 20, 2015 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

I made this teriyaki chicken on a hot February weekend. When I purchased my wings from city market, my main concern was getting home fast enough without them getting spoilt as a result of the excruciating heat. In as much as I love this weather, on that particular afternoon, I would have happily welcomed an unexpected down pour. When I did get home, the chicken had developed a strange slimy layer, to my dismay. I was so disappointed because I felt that I had wasted money on a dish I would not get to prepare. I told my mum about my disappointment and she explained to me that the chicken was not spoilt. It just develops that layer so as to protect itself from the effects of the heat on the short term. However, it needed to be washed off and marinated immediately. That calmed me down and got my adrenalin pumping for the actual cooking.

This teriyaki chicken turned out even better than I had anticipated. The sauce was phenomenal. The pineapple marinade was fantastic! My sisters, mum and daddy devoured these teriyaki chicken wings in a flash. This was way better than any chicken in any hotel, hands down! And this is not boasting, this is just what went down. As you read through, imagine yourself doing each step and you will see how easy this is. #musttry

pineapple marinated teriyaki chicken_teriyaki chicken_ kenyan food blogger_ KALUHI ADAGALA RECIPES

Peas and Red Bell Pepper Fried Rice

March 17, 2015 / Kaluhi / 8 Comments

I love peas. It is one of those meals I can have all day every day with nearly everything. We are really blessed to come from a country where we can find organic fruits and veggies at a really affordable prices, peas being one of them. Hence, when ever I can, I always get myself some. I was walking towards my bus stage one evening and I saw this lady removing peas straight from their pods. Nothing looks fresher and more inviting than that. I stopped and got myself some and decided to make a rice dish with them.

This is a light fried rice dish. It is wholesome very healthy and very warm if I may say. I has this charm that will make where ever you are feel like home. As an addition to our many rice recipes, sample my pea and red bell pepper fried rice.

Chilli and Garlic Matumbo

March 10, 2015 / Kaluhi / 54 Comments

I do not know exactly why I never liked Matumbo for the better part of my life. Maybe I may have had a nasty matumbo experience when I was a child that led me to absolutely abhor that meal. This all changed last year when I decided to face my fears and had matumbo for the first time in a very long time. And it was the tastiest thing I had tasted in a long time. I then concluded that probably it all comes down to how you cook it, and if it is cooked well, the results are always spectacular!

Matumbo is a swahili word which in this context loosely translates to innards. The western world refers to matumbo as tripe and I was pleased that they too indulge in this delicacy. It is the meat that comes from the stomach of a cow, making it an organ meat. It is cheaper than muscle meats and very nutritious. Today I prepared for you one of my new favorites, with the fabulous flavors of chilli and garlic. The technique I used was very specific so just read on to find out more :). I am so excited about this!!!!!

Hearty Matoke Fries

March 6, 2015 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I am always looking for new ways to have my everyday meals. As part of the many existing alternatives of french fries ,my favorite alternative are matoke fries.Matoke (plantain) Fries are an excellent substitute to French Fries. They are more hearty, cook up quickly, are less greasy and more nutritious. Serve these hot and with ketchup or any sauce that you would serve with French Fries. I had mine with my sweet corn and tomato salad. This meal was nothing short of fantastic.