Category: Main (Page 31 of 37)

Chicken Stew – Kuku Kienyeji

April 17, 2015 / Kaluhi / 23 Comments

I always enjoy getting feedback from my followers about all the recipes I develop and about the recipes they would like to see. A few weeks back, I had my second ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on instagram where my followers got a chance to ask me anything be it food or non food related. One of the questions that I was asked by one of my followers was a recipe for chicken stew. I love all things chicken and I quickly jumped at this suggestion hence the birth of this recipe. I decided to go all Kenyan on it and made chicken stew- kuku kienyeji.

Kuku kienyeji refers to chicken that have not been bred or raised on commercial feeds but are left to feed on whatever they find around; free range chicken. Their meat can be a bit tough, but when cooked well, it literally slides off the bone. It is all bout technique. Its meat is very lean and slightly darker in color compared to broiler. The taste is also more wholesome. Chicken stew- kuku kienyeji is simply one of the heartiest meals on the face of this earth. This chicken stew recipe contains the fresh flavor of ground coriander, green bell pepper and red onion which makes this so rich and with layers of different flavors. You will fall head over heels in love with this!

Spicy Grilled Beef Burger with Coleslaw

April 7, 2015 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

I am not the hugest junk food fan . . What really gets my juices flowing is a good home cooked meal. Soul food is my thing :). But once in a while, I do crave some good pizza, burgers or any other juicy oily meal to gulp down. When it comes to burgers, I am usually very picky with where I get mine from. A lot of the times, I get some burgers with strange tasting patties most with really dry meat, while some tasting like plastacine (don’t wonder how I knew how that tastes like :D). To fix this, I started making my own at home. And to be honest, the flavor profile of my burger is light years ahead of those from fast food joints. My homemade pattie was super moist, so juicy and perfectly flavored. This was complimented so well with the most breathtaking sauce, which is also homemade.

Perfect for a picnic, a fun lunch with pals or just for yourself. This grilled beef burger is so explosive it will literally make your tongue lick your brain!

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.