Category: Kenyan Food Recipes

Matoke is a dish originating from Uganda and a very popular dish among Kenyans. Though the original recipe from Uganda uses unripe bananas as the main ingredient, Kenyans have their own version with an addition of the readily available potatoes and sometimes with arrow roots. It is a quick fix for when you do not have a lot of time to cook. Ingredients • 8 medium size bananas (not quite ripe yet) • 4 potatoes • 2 pounds of beef, chopped • 3 tomatoes, chopped • 1 large onion, chopped • 2 carrots, cubed • small bunch of coriander, chopped • 1 tablespoon of salt • 1 tablespoon curry powder • Vegetable oil 15 Preparation • Prepare the ingredients by covering your hands with cooking oil, then peel the unripe bananas - The oil helps your hands from getting sticky from the bananas. • Peel the potatoes and cut them into even wedges • Put the beef in a cooking pot with a pinch of salt and add one cup of water, then place on heat and cover. Let it boil for 30 minutes till the meat is tender. • Drain the broth that is remaining and put aside, preserve it for soup later. Add oil to the meat and heat for a few minutes as you stir to mix, then add the onion. Let the onions fry with the meat for 3 minutes then add tomatoes and carrots, stir to mix, then cover and simmer until the tomatoes have softened. • Add the bananas and the potato wedges to beef and stir. Then add the preserved meat broth from the initial boil for soup, if not enough, add additional water as desired. • Add coriander and curry powder. Cover then let it simmer for 15 minutes or until the bananas and potatoes are soft. • Remove from heat and serve Source web address Favorite Kenyan food Recipes

The Dawa (medicine) cocktail, invented in Nairobi, was inspired by the Brazilian ‘Caipirinha’ drink.  Dawa is commonly prepared when fighting a cold or sore throat. Today Dawa is a very popular drink and found at tables and cafes throughout Kenya. It is loved for its strong ginger aroma. Ingredients • 1 piece ginger root, grated • 1 tablespoon of root turmeric (preferably) you can substitute 1/2 tablespoon ground turmeric • The juice of 1 lemon • Honey to sweeten (optional) Preparation • In a pot, add 2 glasses of water, ginger, and turmeric. Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. • Remove from heat and settle for 1-2 minutes. • Strain, add honey, and serve. • Dawa can either be served chilled or hot. In the summer, it is lovely over ice with fresh mint. Mixing it with Prosecco will impress your guests! Source web address Favorite Kenyan food Recipes

In Kenya, any time is considered ‘Tea Time’. Chai is a beverage guaranteed to be in any Kenyan family’s menu. Like coffee in the United States, Chai is the most common beverage enjoyed by Kenyans for breakfast. It is also the first beverage most Kenyan households offer their visiting guests. The accompaniments taken with Chai include bread, Mahamri or Mandazi, boiled sweet potatoes or arrow roots. Ingredients • 1 cup milk • 2 teaspoons chopped tea leaves • 1/4 cup water • 3 teaspoons sugar Preparation • Boil water in a saucepan. • Add sugar and tea and boil for 3-4 minutes on medium flame. • Add milk and boil it over medium flame for 6-7 minutes or until bubbles start to rise. You will see the change in color of the tea from milky shade to brown color when it is ready. • Turn off the gas and strain the tea in cups. • Serve with cookies, Mahamri, Bread or Chapati Source web address Favorite Kenyan food Recipes

Mahamri is a type of doughnut incorporating special ingredients such as coconut milk and cardamom. This authentic type of snack originated from the Swahili coastal regions of Kenya and Tanzania and is still very popular in both regions. Normally, it is eaten at breakfast, accompanied by Kenyan Chai (milk tea) Ingredients • 3 cups of wheat flour • 8 -10 tablespoons of raw sugar (depending on desired sweetness) • 1 teaspoon of instant yeast • 1 teaspoon of cardamom • 1 teaspoon of butter or margarine • 1 medium egg – (optional) • 1 cup of coconut milk for kneading the dough • Vegetable oil for deep frying Preparation • In a mixing bowl add flour, sugar, yeast and Cardamom, butter/margarine, and the egg. Mix the ingredients together with either clean hands or a spatula. Slowly add coconut milk, a little at a time, as you knead the dough. • Knead the dough, for a minimum of 15-20 minutes until it is soft, smooth and not sticky in either your hands or the mixing bowl 5 • Place the dough in a container and cover it with either a lid or a clean cloth. Let it rest and rise for at least 3-4 hours at room temperature. (You can choose to leave it overnight, the dough should double in size) • Using a dough cutter or knife, divide the dough into 4-5 equal balls and coat each of the dough with flour, cover them again with a clean cloth for 15 minutes and let them rise. • Sprinkle some flour on a clean flat surface and using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a circle of about 6 inches. Use more flour to dust the rolling surface to prevent the dough from sticking on the surface and on the rolling pin • Cut each of the dough circles into 4 pieces. • Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or a wok. • Test your oil by gently dropping a small piece of dough into the oil. If the dough stays at the bottom for a couple of seconds then rises to the surface, your oil is ready for frying. If it rises up immediately, then your oil is too hot and you will need to reduce the heat to avoid burning your Mahamris and having the inside undercooked. • Fry 4 Mahamris at a time (depending on the size of your pan or wok). Use your metal strainer to splash oil over the top of the Mahamris to help them puff up. As soon as you see the bottom side of the Mahamris has turned light-gold brown, turn them over. • Keep turning the Mahamris until they have a nice golden-brown color on both sides. Remove them from the hot oil and place them in a serving plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. • Repeat this process until all the dough pieces have been fried • Allow them to cool for a few minutes and enjoy!! Source web address Favorite Kenyan food Recipes

Chapati is unleavened flat bread adopted from the Indian Rotti. It was first introduced to Kenya during colonial times as the Indian laborers constructed the railroads throughout East Africa. For many Kenyans at the time, Chapati was seen as part of a desirable modern meal. After decades of integration, Kenyan Chapati has become a more layered and thicker version of Indian Rotti. Today, Kenyans prepare Chapati as part of a celebratory meal or to welcome special guests Ingredients • 3 cups wheat flour • 1½ cups warm water • 2 teaspoon salt • 5-6 tablespoons vegetable oil • The rind of one lemon - grated • Vegetable oil, for frying Preparation • In a large bowl add flour and salt. Incorporate the grated lemon rind to the flour, followed by 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and mix well. • Make a hole in the middle of the flour mixture; add the warm water and start kneading until the water has been absorbed. • Knead the mixture for 5-10 minutes and add flour if needed, until the dough is non-sticky on your bowl and hands. • Add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and continue kneading until the oil mixes well and the dough feels soft. • Cover the dough and leave it to rest for 20-30 minutes • On a smooth flat surface, roll out the kneaded dough using a rolling pin (make sure the surface is dusted with flour) • After completely stretching it out, divide it into 8 straight strips using a sharp knife. Coil each of the strips to form a balllike shape. • Dust the flat surface with more flour and take one of the balls and roll it out using a rolling pin to a flat circular shape. • Repeat this process to the rest of the remaining balls. • On a hot pan, place the rolled out circular Chapati and fry (using medium heat) each side with a little bit of vegetable oil until its golden brown. Place your cooked Chapati on a flat plate and cover with aluminum foil or store them in a hot pot. Repeat this step with the rest of the remaining coiled dough Source web address Favorite Kenyan food Recipes  

Groundnut Sauce This rich and smooth recipe is unique to the Luhya and Luo communities. It is usually fed to older infants and children. Ingredients 3 1/3 cups (472 g) groundnuts, raw, with skin 2 ½ tsp. (12 g) salt, iodized 4 1/3 cups (979 g) sour milk ½ cup (119 g) water Preparation 5 minutes | Cooking 1 hour 40 minutes | Serves 4 • Place a saucepan over fire and let it preheat. • Add the groundnuts, salt and ½ a cup of water or as desired. • Cook until the water evaporates as you stir gradually. When ready, the nuts produce a pop sound. • Once they pop, turn down the heat and continue stirring until the groundnuts are dry (about 13 minutes). • Remove from heat and allow it to cool down. • Using a blender, blend the nuts into a paste. A pestle and mortar can be used in the absence of a blender. • Put the groundnut paste into a bowl, add sour milk and stir into thick paste. Water or fresh milk can be used in place of the sour milk. • Once ready, put another pan on the heat, add the peanut paste and stir. • Stir until it is smooth but not too thick. • Serve hot with green leafy vegetables of your choice, fish, sweet potatoes, green bananas, ugali,etc. Nutrition data per 100g of recipe: Energy 1,237 kJ/ 298 kcal |│ Fat 23.4 g │| Carbohydrates 9.6 g │| Protein 10.6 g │| Fibre 3.5 g Vitamin A 28 mcg │| Iron 2.3 mg │| Zinc 1.20 mg Kenyan Food Recipes download pdf