Tag: African Food Bloggers

Salted Caramel Banana Milkshake

September 20, 2016 / Kaluhi / 7 Comments

In most African homes, bananas are almost always present. They serve so many purposes, the main one being dessert. As an African child, whenever you craved something sweet while at home, you would be handed a banana to calm those cravings down. Going to school and had nothing to carry for break? Worry not, bananas were always there to save the day. Too hungry while you waited for supper/lunch that’s taking too long? Grab that banana. Going for a long trip and you’re reaching for something mom packed? Guess what you find first? Bananas. While I disliked that growing up, nowadays I snack on fruits since it was how we were raised. The best way! And despite bananas being among my least favorite fruits, I still find myself reaching for some when my rumbling tummy needs some soothing.

With only bananas at home and me craving something a bit indulgent, I decided to make a banana milkshake. But you know with me, something has to give. It is no ordinary one since I added a homemade salted caramel that’s so easy to make ant takes your banana milkshake from basic to fantastic!

Lime Poppy Seed Drop Scones

September 6, 2016 / Kaluhi / 18 Comments

In our neighborhood, we usually have annual or bi/annual neighborhood get-togethers. One home volunteers to host the entire street for an afternoon of great company, catching up from our otherwise busy lives and also to indulge in some great food in community. Not to be picky, but their is this one home I never ever miss when they are the hosts. The lady of that home is called Violet but we call her Aunty Vio, because in Kenya, anyone who is not you mother is your aunt by default. Let me tell you, Aunty Vio can make one mean banquet. She does not joke around when it comes to hosting ; from the tender marinated meats, to the freshly baked moist cakes, to the array of fresh salads, and hearty starches. It would be mean to say I attend just for the food and not the company, LOL, but as a foodie, food is a huge part as to why I never miss out on the get-together when Aunty Vio is hosting. One of my favorite cakes that she usually bakes is her lemon poppy seed cake. She gets it right! From the texture and moistness of the cake, to the flavors, to the frosting. It is always a hit!! I make sure to get a ~~huge~~ slice each time and sneak some back home with me, in true Kenyan fashion, for post party indulgence. Do I sound greedy? Well, maybe I am :DD

With these memories as the back drop, I decided to make drop scones, one of my favorite breakfast recipes with a hint of my favorite cake flavors. I substituted lemons for limes, but either way, they were super duper delicious. Can’t wait for you guys to try this out!!

Iliki & Coconut White Chocolate Trufles

August 25, 2016 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

White. A color that represents innocence and purity. Or at least that is what we have been conditioned to believe LOL. Perception. It has a strong influence on our entire outlook and even decisions. Why cant blue represent innocence and green represent purity? I have realized this past weekend how much we have been conditioned to think. And I am bit by bit breaking away from it and deciding whatever it is I want to represent for me.

When it comes to white food, it can easily be thought as bland. White may invoke feelings of single note flavors. Think Ugali kavu or plain rice. But white food or snacks can just as easily delicious. As I always say, it is all about making the right combinations. This month, the Onja food bloggers challenge was ‘white’. Let me not lie, it was a challenge indeed. I decided to break the mold and make something delicious, full of flavor and easy to make. Today I give you my nutty coconut white chocolate trufles.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken Strips

August 12, 2016 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

Let me admit: I struggle to make my chicken breast moist. Be it through frying or baking, somedays it comes out nice and juicy, other days it comes out dry. And when I say dry I mean as dry as kuni :DD. It is something I am yet to master, but in the cooking world, one never knows everything and each day is a chance to learn, yes? I still however almost always have chicken breast in my freezer, just in case I need to whip up something in a short amount of time. To go around the problem of dry chicken breast, I always make chicken strips with some kind of sauce. Chicken strips take such a short time to cook and having them drenched in a sauce gives them much needed juiciness. Cooking my chicken breast this way has never failed me.

Today I give you my third chicken strips recipe; this time drenched in a rich cheesy lemon rosemary sauce. So so easy you can cook it with your hands tied and eyes shut! Lets do this!

Grape and Tree Tomato Jam

August 9, 2016 / Kaluhi / 11 Comments

I love the energy Nairobi exudes in the evening. I get energized by the fast moving crowds and by the soft glow of dusk. The city really comes alive after dark! By 7 p.m, the sidewalks are crowded with hawkers selling all kinds of things, from wallets to clothes, to shoes, watches, to fruits and vegetables. Some people may consider this a nuisance, but to me it is part of what gives Nairobi its character and benevolence. During these times, my eyes are usually fixed on the ground. I eye all the merchandise laid before me, hoping that I would land on a good bargain. After getting a (really!!!) good pair of thrifted shoes, I then bought some fruits before finally heading home. Among them were tree tomatoes, which I had been searching hard for and finally found on the streets of Nairobi! I ate most of them (duh!!) and with those that remained, I decided to make a jam together with the grapes I had purchased that evening. Guys, this one you have to try out!

Karafuu and Rosemary Carrot Soup

August 5, 2016 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

August started with such a huge burst of sunshine and warmth. Glorious month it is, even more so that it is my birth day month! Unlike this year, last year or the year before it always has the first two weeks of August still shaking off the July freeze. This year has been different. Warmer. I however feel we have one more week of cold temperatures before we finally move on and enjoy beautiful sunshine. I prepared this carrot soup in anticipation of cozy cold nights in, but the weather decided to surprise us with some warmth. But in all honesty, soups can be taken in any weather. And I believe my soothing karafuu and rosemary carrot soup will warm your body and keep you comfy.

Rosemary and Garlic Tilapia Fish Fingers

July 22, 2016 / Kaluhi / 28 Comments

“Nibakishie kitu tamu!” (Save me something tasty) My eldest sister Cheredi exclaimed as she spotted me in the kitchen cooking as she was on her way out to do her errands. You see, whenever I am developing new recipes for you guys, my sisters anticipate a feast. For me, that is a good and a bad thing. A good thing since I can make them happy through the great food that comes from the kitchen, and a bad thing since recipe development is usually so susceptible to serious failure! I hoped that this recipe would turn out great so that my sissy would come home to delicious food; to ‘kitu tamu’ as we always say. Lucky for me, this was a good recipe development day since these tilapia fish fingers were a 10/10.

I will show you how to make them, infuse flavor and incorporate spices to give you the best fish fingers you will ever make, with the littlest effort ever!

Green Mango and Ginger Cocktail

July 19, 2016 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

Whenever mom comes back to Nairobi form her trips out west, she usually brings with her a bounty of goodies. For her most recent trip, she brought with her plenty of green mangoes, which are among my favorite kind of mango due to their very sweet unique taste. I shared this story with you guys on Instagram on Sunday as I pondered on what I would make with the newly brought fresh produce.

I decided to make a cocktail. All the flavors in this green mango and ginger cocktail married beautifully and exploded with such fullness with each seep. And in true K fashion, it so easy to make and delivers on taste too :)).

Cinnamon Breakfast Crumb Cake

June 28, 2016 / Kaluhi / 14 Comments

My second ever baking post on the blog. People usually say if you love to cook, you don’t love to bake. But I absolutely don’t believe that since I actually have a knack for baking. It is just that, my oven has not been working for almost 2 years now. Remember this post where I told you all about it? :(. But whenever I can, I shall be sneeking in baking posts for you guys.

As we move closer and closer to the colder months of July and August, I am usually more into really indulgent foods. I like having my sweet cake with while enjoying rainy foggy Sunday afternoons in. One of my favorite cakes to have is my crumb cake with some strungi of course. Let’s whip some up and hopefully you’ll be into it too :))

Orange and White Chocolate no-bake Cheese Cake

June 17, 2016 / Kaluhi / 25 Comments

Is it just me or the more you don’t want your mom to find out about something, the more likely she is to find out about it? I don’t know it that sentence makes sense, but if you get what I mean, I think you can relate. Moms have a inbuilt “mischief sensors” that kick in whenever we secretly do what they tell not to do. My mom is TOTALLY against food wastage. I had bought some strawberries to make this cheese cake with. I got so busy in between and I kept postponing. Slowly but surely, the strawberries got spoilt. I felt guilty, but knew I had to throw them away before mom saw them. I hid them amongst some veggies so that I could throw them away when she was not around and guess what, she found them in just a few minutes. Did she sense I was up to something? I think she did. One lecture on food wastage later, I realized that was stupid of me and decided to use oranges instead. The result: stellar as always. I will show you what to substitute a bread or biscuit crust with to give you the same A+ results.

Ginger Matoke Masala

April 12, 2016 / Kaluhi / 32 Comments

I have been seriously into potatoes lately! Ok, maybe I have always been into potatoes :DD. Besides their wholesome taste, they can be made in countless different ways. The day I made this super delicious ginger matoke masala, I had originally planned to use potatoes. My heart was absolutely broken when I found out I had none. But in true food blogger fashion, all that was necessary was a change up the original recipe and use what I already had at hand. We had received plenty of matoke from our kin in Maragoli and I decided that is exactly what I was going to use. That was the best choice I made that day!

Before we get into it, let me warn you, the chances of you getting addicted to this are real! This is one matoke recipe I can have every other day for the rest of my life. Yes, everything can be made delicious. And my ginger matoke masala pays tribute to that very statement.

Orange and Pineapple Smoothie

February 2, 2016 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

I love sunny weather. Weather that makes me feel like having a good time, make tasty things and down delicious drinks. That said, January is one of my favorite months. For some reason, my fellow country men have taken it upon themselves to dislike that month. For me it is a delightful month, and just as pleasant as the rest. It is believed that January is a month of brokeness. But, is it the month that makes people broke, or they themselves that made themselves broke? Njaanuary does not exist, possible overspending in December is what does, hun. LOL Topic for another day….

I made this in the first week of January just as the holiday season was coming to an end and one of my favorite months was dawning. I decided to post it at the beginning of February to pass on the beautiful vibes January has to the equally beautiful month that succeeds it. It is a sunny drink. It looks sunny and tastes like sunshine. This is an easy one which you will love too 🙂