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Beef Pilau

November 18, 2014 / Kaluhi / 31 Comments

Pilau is one of the meals that define Kenyan cuisine. Just like chapati, pilau is one of those meals that is ever present at any major ceremony in this country. Pilau is a rice dish that is cooked in a seasoned broth, with some pieces of beef, chicken and sometimes peas, nuts and raisins, and whose brown color is obtained from being fried in caramelized onions and a blend of spices. Global variations of pilau are pilaf/pilav of Turkey, Pulao of south-central Asia and Palaw of Iraq.

Pilau is associated with the people of the Kenyan coast, and I must admit, they make the meanest pilau but we are slowly catching up :). There are many variations to the recipe but today I will give you my take. You cannot have a Kenyan food blog without the most cherished Kenyan recipe!

Savory Crepe with Garted Red Bell Pepper

November 14, 2014 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I bumped into my former university classmate during rush hour some weeks back. It was pleasant to see him again and we talked a little bit about life after school. One thing he spoke of most was how he feels so tired after work, so much so he does not bother to prepare supper for himself but takes exactly what he had for breakfast. Besides that, he absolutely enjoys life after school.

This inspired me to recreate breakfast meals for supper. You can do this with nearly every dish, the only thing is to transform the sweet into savory. I chose crepes, whose sweet breakfast version we did here by adding vanilla essence, mango and cinnamon, and today,s savory version has green onion, red bell pepper and cumin.

Nutmeg Doughnuts with Dark Chocolate Glaze

November 11, 2014 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

In Kenya, after completing high school, there is about a 4 month wait between the time you complete your exams and the time the results of the national exams are released. During this period, majority of us did short computer courses to make good use of our time and to better ourselves. During the end of each class every Wednesday, I would treat myself to a chocolate doughnut from Bakers Inn that was close to my computer school and on my way to the stage. It nearly turned into a weekly ritual, but this eventually died down once they increases the prices of their doughnuts.

Some weeks ago on my twitter handle, one of my followers asked for a doughnut recipe. I was more than happy to give her one and in the process, re-live one of my favorite indulgences back in 2010. I added my own twist by adding fragrant nutmeg into the mix, and instead of having a cocoa-powder-icing frosting like Bakers Inn, I opted for a rich dark chocolate glaze with some sprinkles which added an extra crunch. This was really fun to make and so delicious to have!

Sweet Potato and Tender Maize Stew

November 7, 2014 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

Stews are rather popular in Kenya, probably because they leave room for addition of different food groups into one pot making preparation of a meal faster. As an accompaniment to many dishes, the most common stews here are beef stew and Irish potato stew. However, people are trying out new things, including myself.

I made this sweet potato stew and I was happy to note how delightful and light it was, and this was a much welcome change from the ordinary. This stew is so comforting, every bite feels like you are receiving a huge hug. I used the warm spices of nutmeg and cardamom to elevate the sweet potato flavor. This really is a must-try for everyone.

Coconut milk Fish curry

November 4, 2014 / Kaluhi / 13 Comments

One of the things I love about cooking is that you can transform one ingredient and have it in so many ways. For fish, you can have it fried, stewed, stuffed in bread, made into a patti and so many other different forms. In Kenya, fish is usually fried or stewed unfilleted and in many times whole. I love fish, and to be honest, I can have it which ever way it is served.

Today I made one of the tastiest fish I have ever had. It was filleted and I stewed it in coconut milk, garlic and lemon. Read on to know exactly how this went down:

How to make coconut milk

November 3, 2014 / Kaluhi / 2 Comments

Coconut milk is one of my favorite substitutes for using water or vegetable stock in my stews or various other dishes. In my opinion, using coconut milk is one of the easiest ways of adding more flavor or transforming the taste of a dish. Coconut milk is not a dairy product though. Even so, it has plenty of health benefits. It helps with improving skin and hair health, boosts the immune system, has plenty of antioxidants, has anti-fungal properties and many more.

You can get this in the supermarkets, and if you are in Kenya, I recommend coconut milk by Kara as it is of high quality. But you can also make your own coconut milk, and here is how you can do that:

Coconut french toast with caramelized pineapple

October 31, 2014 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

I have always loved french toast for breakfast. It is such a lovely way to begin the day. Besides that, there are so many ways you can have your french toast, and I love this because it allows one to be creative in the kitchen. I did orange zest french toast some months back and they were unbelievably tasty! My Uncle brought us some coconuts from Mombasa when he came to visit us in Nairobi and I decided to make coconut french toast this time round. I added some caramelized pineapple and this perfectly complimented the coconut in the french toast. I was not disappointed.

I hope you give this a try because they really are the tastiest french toast I have had so far!