Maji ya Miwa/Tamarind Juice Recipe

This should be a quick and easy one for you juice lovers! It is ejoyable in the east African heat and a favourite in Tanzania and Kenya.

 

Ingredients:

Tamarind (100-200g depending how strong you want it), packed

Water

Ice

 

Instructions –

Have the tamarind soak in a bowl of water, the water must cover the tamarind. Leave to soak for 15mins. Then user your clean hands to squeeze and separate the tamarind off the stones and sticks. Keep doing this for around 5mins. The water should go very dark as the juice is developing.

Sieve the into a blender jug, make sure no stems or seeds or other contents go in the jug. You want just the juice.

Add a 4-5 cubes of ice. Blend. Relax and enjoy.

Perfect in the summer and for BBQs.

 

Mahamri/Mandaazi – Fried Sweet Bread Recipe

Mahamri or Mandazi is a tradtional Kenyan/Tanzanian bread. It is usually triangular shape and deep fried until golden or light brown. It is served as a dipping bread with a main dish e.g. curry or soup. But is also a nations favourite with tea, whether for breakfast,lunchtime or dinner.

Ingredients –

• 500g of Flour
• 100g of sugar
• 100ml of milk
• 50ml of water
• 30g of yeast (dried/powder)
• 5 cloves of cardammon

Instructions –

In a large bowl put in the flour and mix in the sugar and milk, yeast, and gradually the water if it needs it. Be careful not to make the mixture to runny. Mix into a dough. Add the cardamon seeds into the dough mixture and keep mixing some more.

Knead the dough for 30mins by hand or 15minutes with a mixing machine.

Once done it should be a tiny bi sticky but not too much. Sprinkle coat it with some flour. Need again for a few minutes. It shouldn’t be sticky at all now.

Split the dough into 5 mini dough balls.

Cover them and let the yeast get to work. After around 40mins they should be ready to go!

Sprinkle some flour onto a table top and roll them out circles one by one. Then cut into two once rolled out to make the triangle shapes.

Each circle should give you four mahamris shapes.

Heat up some oil in a deep pan. And after 4mins the oil should be hot enough so go ahead and fry them. Don’t put more than four into the pan or it will be difficult to cook.  If the oil is hot enough it should only take around 1-3 minutes on each side of the mahamri. It will puff up and turn brown very fast. Once golden brown turn it over. Once both sides are done remove and drain the oil out.

 

For extra softness add 50g of butter when mixing all the ingredients together in the early stages.

Chai – Traditional Kenyan Tea Recipe

Tea is the worlds most drinked beverage and a favourite with everyone in Kenya, not surprising since they produce some of the best tea leaves you ever find! Its so good its shipped worldwide. To make this tea your going to need the very best in Kenya tea, tea bags or even better loose tea powder. To find some try your large supermarket or go to Kenya!

 

Ingredients –

Tea bags or loose tea powder

100ml of water

500ml of milk

3tbsp of sugar

 

Instructions –

Put the tea bags in a large saucepan. Add the water and bring the water to a boil. Add the milk and sugar. Bring it to a boil again. Now turn the heat down to the lowest and simmer for a further 5mins.

Remove and serve. Use a seive if you used the loose tea and don’t pour any tea into your mug!

Best served with Mkate wa Mayayi or other cakes and biscuits.

Muhogo wa rojo – Casava Stew Recipe

Muhugo wa Rojo basically means casava stew or curry. It is a favourite as a tea time snack in Tanzania and Kenya among the young genereations. It is simple to cook, contains lots of carbs and can be served as a main meal.

500g of frozen or freshly peeled casava

1.5l of water

100 of plain white flour

1tbsp of salt

1teaspoon of Chili powder (only add if you love heat!)

1 onion

 

Instructions:

Chop the onion and shallow fry in 4tbsp of oil until lightly brown. Keep mixing at this stage as the onions could burn easily. Wash,drain and add the casava pieces. Add the water and bring it to a boil. Switch down to medium heat and with a wooden spoon add the flour gradually and keep mixing to stop the flour rolling into small balls. Even a whisk could help here, you’ve got to whisk fast though as your adding the flour or someone else could help.

Cook for a further 15mins and for the meat lovers you can add 200g of small boneless and cubed lamb or beef or goat meat at this stage. Turn the heat down to the lowest, cover and simmer for a further 20mins. Keep an eye on it every 5 or so minutes and mix it to stop it sticking or burning.

 

Serving: Can eaten with a spoon as a soup or with a few slices any bread. Even throwing in a few nanchos or crips would add a lovely crispy taste if eaten as a snack.

Wali wa Mahindi – Maize Flour Rice Recipe

This is a local secret thats uncommon but very welcomed in the Kenyan streets, especially smaller cities such as Malindi.

Ingredients –

500g Maize flour

1.5l of water

1tbsp of salt

Instructions –

Bring the water to a boil. Add the flour and then the salt. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 30mins. Keep stiring to get the flour to be like rice or cous cous.

Remove and serve with a tomato soup and chicken or red meat soup.

Sukuma Wiki/Mboga Recipe

What we have here every nations favourite in East Africa. Sukuma wiki or mboga literally means spinach. It is served in just about every corner in East Africa, especially in Kenya.

Ingredients –

1000g of spinach, in a can or fresh whole leafs(even tastier)

1tbsp of salt

1l of water

Optional –

1tbsp Garam Masala

1teaspoon Tumeric power

 

Instructions –

Bring the water to a boil. Add the spinach and then salt. Lower the heat to medium and  cook for 20minutes. if you chose to add the tumeric and garam masala you would add the in now and cook for a further 10minutes. If not 10 minutes will do.

Serving: Best served with tradtional Chapati, roti or paratha. Bread or rice will also be perfect.

Muhugo wa ku Karanga – Fried Casava recipe

5 large sticks of casava, peeled and half in to smaller pieces

Salt

Chilli powder

Lime

Instuctions –

Deep fry the casava sticks until they are golden brown or for around 10mins. Best heat to cook them on is medium-high heat. If you have it too high the casava will burn.

Take out the casava out and dry in a drainer so the oil drains off.

Place the casava sticks on a small plate and carefully split each about 90% down with a knife. Mix the salt and chilli powder together. Use a butter knife to spread it into the casava halfs. Sprinkle lime juice over and serve.

Enjoy!!

Serves: 2

Githeri – Vegetable bean stew recipe

Githeri/kitheri/kideri contains high protein and fiber and carbohydrates too and its very healthy. It is a tradtional main meal usually served with fish on the side and bread or it can include meat and also served with bread. This stew is very common in the villages and surburbs in East Africa.

500g of red kidney beans
500g of gungo peas
250g of potatoes cubed into small pieces
500g of chickpeas
100g of sweetcorn (seeds)
100g of cubed and chopped carrots
20g of salt
1l of water

Serves – 3 people

Instructions –
Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt. Add the casrrots and potatoes. After 15 mins of cooking, drain the cans of kidney beans,gungo peas,and chickpeas. Add them to the boiling water too. And lastly add the sweetcorn.

Leave it cooking for another 30 minutes on medium heat.

Ready to serve. Enjoy!

Tip: You can add small cubes of chicken or red meat is best to the mix while cooking.

Ugali/Sima – Maize Meal Mash recipe

Maize meal (made from dried corn) is a traditional swahli recipe and is very common in East Africa. It is eaten in Kenya, Tanzania and in Uganda. There is also different variations of it such as Fufu which is eaten in central/west Africa.

Good for what meal?
Main meal and best served with tomato soup and any fish(the more exotic the better) or meat and salad.

Serves: 2 people

Ingredients –

200gm of maize meal flour
400ml of water
10g of salt

Tools –
Wooden spoon

Instructions –

Bring the water to a boil in medium to large saucepan. Once boiling carefully pour the flour into the water with one hand while stiring it in with the other hand. You can get someone to help you here. Add the salt while your still mixing. The trick here is to gradually stir and pour until all the flour is in. Try a whisking style of mixing and motion with the spoon this will help break down any lumps of flour.

Keep in mind this mixing stage should only take approx. 5-10 mins max.

Keep mixing some more. And more. And keep mixing. Until you end up with solid looking food. Its should look like a white cake.

Just make sure you don’t end up with something thats too moist or too hard. Somewhere in the middle would be perfect

Enjoy it!

NOTE: THIS RECIPE IS MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR NUT ALLERGY SUFFERERS. ALWAYS CHECK THE INGREDIENTS LABEL OF EACH INGREDIENT YOU USE, IF UNSURE CONTACT THE  MANUFACTURER OF THE FOOD OR YOUR DOCTOR.

Mkata wa Mayayi – Basic Swahili Cake Recipe

 

Good for what meal?
Desert and best served with tea.

 

Serves:4 peopleIngredients –

4 Eggs
500g of Flour
1 tea spoon of baking powder
300g of sugar
Instructions –

Break the eggs into a large bowl. Use an electric hand beater/blender or a wooden spoon if your hands are strong to whisk the eggs together, add a touch of salt to smoothen the mix. Whisk for approximately 5mins max. Add the flour gradually into the eggs while beating the mixure slowly this time. Beat the mix for a further 5 mins until the texture is smooth and make sure there are no lumps of flour. Throw in the sugar, mix slowly again for a few mins, 3mins would do.

 

Add the salt and lastly the yeast. Mix slowly for 2 mins. Leave the mix on the table top covered for 15 mins. This will allow all the mixture to come together.

 At the same time preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/180c. 

 

Grease a baking tray, an a circle or oval shape which are deep would be great. Use butter or any veg or sunflower or veg spread oil for greasing. After the mix has settled for 15 mins, pour slowly into the baking tray. Place the tray in the oven for 35 mins or until lightly golden brown on the top.

Remove and place on a cooling tray and allow to cool for 20 mins.

 

Cut and enjoy!

 

 

The one on the pic has almonds – You can have the same if you just sprinkle them a few seconds before you put your mixture in the oven. NOTE: THIS RECIPE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR NUT ALLERGY SUFFERERS. ALWAYS CHECK THE INGREDIENTS LABEL OF EACH INGREDIENT YOU USE, IF UNSURE CONTACT THE  MANUFACTURER OF THE FOOD OR YOUR DOCTOR.