Tag: african food

Mala Marinated Kuku Choma with a Mango Habanero BBQ Sauce

March 4, 2020 / Kaluhi / 24 Comments

Picture yourself hosting friends for a delicious lunch. It is a potluck lunch and everyone is bringing something. You made sure you book chicken as the dish you would be making. You have the perfect recipe, and you are not only excited to show off the magic you are about to put together, but equally excited to feed your friends some great food. They arrive on time. The food is laid out. The wine is corked open. Some amazing music is playing. The sun is out. Laughter cracks across the room and the vibe is right. The chicken you made is the first thing to be cleared, and everyone is asking for the recipe you used. You take all the compliments, and you tell them “The recipe I used is Kaluhi’s Mala marinated kuku choma with a mango habanero bbq sauce. Get on it!!!”. You send them the link of this blog post and the video, and this recipe becomes the signature dish you guys make each time you link up. You own delicious tradition!

This is kuku choma recipe is without doubt so easy. But as always, one you will fall head over heals inlove with!

Garlic Kuku Kienyeji (with homemade spice blend)

May 12, 2017 / Kaluhi / 32 Comments

My mom is obsessed with her chickens! Each time she comes back from her visit upcountry, she has to bring new chickens with her. I do not like them because of the work involved rearing them. I would prefer if we kept just three at a time, but she wants us to have a whole brood with us. Recently she brought 3 new ones, which later got anxious because of the new environment, panicked and retreated to the hedge. So ~~my mum and I in unity and strength~~ I had to chase them down, catch them and get them to their pen. It is never an easy task! My mum was laughing the whole time while I was doing the hard work. This city girl just couldn’t keep up!! But eventually, all three were caught and secured in their pen. Keeping chickens is such a hassle, which I would rather not indulge in. But all this is made worthwhile by knowing the feasting that will come after all the trouble will be unforgettable. And my sweat paid off when I dug my teeth into this kuku kienyeji (free range chicken) recipe that I made with a homemade spice blend. I shared sneak peaks with you on twitter and InstaStories over Easter but today, the long wait is over and I will share the recipe with you! You will loooooove this one!

Cumin and Clove Viazi vya Rojo

May 9, 2017 / Kaluhi / 14 Comments

I have always loved the hotter months of the year. I love that I do not have to fuss over carrying a coat just in case it rains. I love that it is the time of year I can wear my favorite short dresses and flirty skirts to my satisfaction. I love that I eat plenty of my favorite fruit, mangoes, and the hot weather forces me to drink more water than I usually would. I live for December-March! We have just entered our rainy season and I am actually really digging the cooler weather which is a bit out of character for me. I love my boots and sweaters. I love my hot chai masala and biscuits as I watch Scandal (My current favorite character is Eli Pope!) I love the pitter-patter of rain on the roof top as I drift to sleep. I find dark, dense, heavily pregnant clouds so pretty! I love the indulgent food this weather compels me to have! One of them, which is quite warming and filling is this cumin and clove viazi vya rojo, which I am happy to share with you and hope you will enjoy as much as I do!

Chili and Coffee Marinated Beef Dry Fry

November 30, 2016 / Kaluhi / 11 Comments

There is something about covers that make you fall in love even more with a song you already. Sometimes even, it makes you like a song you never initially really liked. Sometimes, song covers bring forth the beauty of a song that was already there but we just never noticed. That is what I love about Coke Studio Africa! This past Sunday, my favorite cover was ‘Mungu Pekee’ by gorgeous and very talented Yemi Alade. Was it better than the original song? In my opinion, it was! And my favorite this season so far. My sister lover Marry me by Nyashinsky. Which song won you over? While you are still deciding that, please have a listen to the ‘Mungu Pekee’ cover here.

This season’s theme is all about discovery; and you know we have to put a food twist to it! This is the second part of a food discovery series based on the countries participating in Coke Studio Africa, where we discover cooking methods/ flavors/ ingredients from other countries and make one fusion dish with qualities from each country. Last time we did a fusion dish of Kenya+Uganda+Tanzania (check it out here #slurp). Today, we are discovering Ethiopian + Nigeria + Ghanaian + Mozambican flavors. Are you ready to go down a path of discovery with me? Buckle up!!

Garlic and Cumin Njahi Stew

November 25, 2016 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I always enjoy getting different opinions from my readers concerning all matters food. Not only does it let me know what we like, but also makes me even more aware of how different we all are and how interesting our personal preferences are. I especially love getting opinions from my twitter audience since they are refreshingly honest and quite funny too. I once had a series under my usual #KaluhisKonversations (check out that hashtag if you have not :))) where we spoke about njahi and why some people may not like this bean, and how you can make it better overall. I touched on this recipe I made over a year back. Those who love njahi were all into it and those who did not, were definitely won over. With our rainy season in full gear, I decided to make another njahi stew recipe, this time round with bold, very expressive flavors. Be ready to explore new flavors and try new things, because my garlic and cumin njahi stew is nothing short of delicious!

Garlic Paprika Liver

August 19, 2016 / Kaluhi / 56 Comments

I always get inspiration for my dishes form different sources. But one of the most inspirational sources are the conversations about food that I have with my sisters. Like most siblings who are close in age, we talk about everything! From makeup, to boys, to politics, to religion, and of course we always end up talking about food. My eldest sister, Cheredi, is a huge foodie with mean kitchen skills. Somewhere in between our usual chatter, we of course started talking about liver and exciting recipes we can try out. She told me that she made this liver recipe that was so bomb and believed using paprika made all the difference. I decided to develop a paprika liver recipe of my own, of course with inspiration form her, and I was so so so blown away by the outcome.

Today we are going to make: garlic paprika liver. Sounds delicious right? Well, it is!!!

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!

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.

Rosemary and Okra Fried Rice

March 2, 2016 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

We ALL have those things we prefer not to eat probably due to some bad food experiences we had in the past. Some time in 2014, I asked my followers on Instagram what they do not like to eat or what they have a hard time making delicious. The answers ranged from beetroot, to matumbo (tripe), to cabbage. One of them pointed out that for them, okra has been so hard to cook since they always find it so flat in terms of flavor and got turned off when it gets kinda slimy. She wondered how some people managed to cook it without it becoming so boring and asked me to help her. I may be over a year late with my response, but trust me, it is worth the wait :))

I made this dish as a challenge to myself and response to the feedback I got upon asking that question. And I love challenges especially when it comes to making something that is healthy but not too appetizing become delicious. Looking for something unique and speedy ? Try this rosemary and okra fried rice.

Wali Wa Nazi With Whole Cumin Seeds

September 15, 2015 / Kaluhi / 12 Comments

I made this at the spur of the moment after my youngest sister’s complaints that she needs to eat unique delicious food before she returned to college for the beginning of the next semester. LOL There were plenty of accompaniment dishes in the fridge but no main so I decided to play around with a recipe I have been thinking about for some time now. My wali wa nazi turned out great! My other sister’s boyfriend, Kipngetich, was also around during this day and was able to join us for lunch. He loved it.

Wali wa nazi simply means coconut rice. It is a coastal favorite and I decided to add my own twist to it. If my picky little sister enjoyed this, then you, without doubt, shall too :)).

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!

All-Kenyan Bean Stew

February 20, 2015 / Kaluhi / 32 Comments

In my country, the foods served are pretty stream lined. Kenyans have a very clear idea about what they like to eat all the time, and what they prefer not to have. This can be a really good thing and a really bad thing. One of the many foods that are really popular in Kenyan cuisine are bean stew and chapati. Some people also love to have the bean stew with some rice and at times some ugali. Today, I decided to add my own twist to this Kenyan favorite which takes it up a notch.

I boiled my beans with whole cumin seeds, garlic cloves and ginger root. This gave the individual beans character and a fabulous depth of flavor. It was made even more special using thick tomato sauce, amazing taste of red onion richness of bell papers, and texture of carrot.

Prepare to be taken to cloud 9!