Kenyan Meal

Kenyan food is influenced by immigrants who brought their native cuisine with them. It is also influenced by the cuisine brought by the invaders from the north. This Kenyan meal has dishes influenced by cuisine from India, Persia and the Ottoman Empire.

Githeri is a stew prepared with mixed vegetables. Fresh corn was flooding the grocery stores when I made this dish. Fresh corn with bean, carrots and tomatoes made for a very colorful dish that was really tasty. It took a while to cook but the it was worth the wait.

It made an excellent base around which I planned the rest of the meal. The preparation of the Kenyan chapati is very similar to the Indian kulcha. The difference being the chapati is unleavened whereas the kulcha is leavened with baking soda. The pulao is a simple rice dish made with basmati rice roasted in whole spices. It goes well with Tzatziki which is a cucumber salad popular in every country that the Ottoman Empire had an influence on. Kachumbari is a simple tomato onion salad flavored with a touch of lime juice and olive oil. For dessert I made Kashata Za Nazi, a delicious coconut barfi (cake).

I did not use any new ingredients in this meal. In fact, it was the familiarity of the dishes that was surprising to me.

As they say in Kenya in Swahili, Ufurahie chakula chako!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Githeri (Mixed Vegetable Stew)
• Kenyan Chapati 
• Pulao 
• Kachumbari 
• Tzatziki 

And for dessert

• Kashata Za Nazi (Coconut Barfi)

Githeri (Corn and Bean Stew)

A Kenyan style side dish made with corn and beans perfect for when fresh corn is available in the market. The contrasting colors of the dark red kidney beans, the corn and the carrots are a treat for the visual eater.

As with any stew the dish takes a while to cook but it does not need constant attention. This is perfect for a day when you have the time but do not want to spend it hovering in the kitchen.

You will need
1 cup dark red kidney beans
2 corn on the cob (or 2 cups frozen corn)
1 onion
1 large tomato
1 carrot
1 potato
1 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. garam masala (curry powder)
salt to taste (optional)
cilantro to garnish

Note: If you would like this soup style, increase the amount of water.

Soak the beans overnight. Take the husks off the corn and rinse. Using a sharp knife cut the corn kernels off the cob. Cook the corn and beans in a pressure cooker until just done, about 5 minutes once it is pressurized. 

Alternately, you can cook the beans and corn in boiling water on the stove top. This is the traditional way of cooking the beans and corn. If using frozen corn you can microwave the kernels for 1 minute before use.

Drain the cooking water and reserve. Keep the beans and corn aside. Dice the onion. Saute in a couple tablespoons of water until it is translucent. Add more water a tablespoon at a time if needed. 

In the meantime, dice the tomatoes. Separately peel and chop the potatoes. Peel and slice the carrots. Keep aside. When the onions are done add the tomatoes along with the reserved cooking liquid and cook until the tomatoes are mushy.

Add the potatoes, carrots, paprika and garam masala. Combine and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Make sure there is enough cooking liquid, add either the reserved cooking water or plain water as needed.

Add the cooked beans and corn. Add another cup and a half of the cooking water and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste (optional).

Simmer for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tzatziki (Kenyan Cucumber salad)

There is a version of the cucumber salad in a lot of countries and Tzatziki is the Kenyan variation of this salad. It goes well with rice.

Finely dice half a cucumber. Combine with 1/2 cup of yogurt. Season with salt and a minced garlic. I never use garlic in my everyday cooking. It is one thing to add it to dishes that are cooked, it is something else to eat it raw. I left the garlic out.

Kachumbari (Kenyan Tomato Salad)

I was not surprised to find this salad but I was surprised by the name. So I read up on it from multiple sources until I was sure I was on the right track.

A simple salad made with two thinly sliced tomatoes and half thinly sliced onion. Flavor the salad with a teaspoon of lime juice. Season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with cilantro.

Kenyan Pulao

A simple rice dish made with basmati rice. Whole spices are roasted in oil until the oil is fragrant. The rice is then cooked in this spice infused oil. The resulting rice has a lovely aroma of the spices.

As always I used brown basmati rice. We have eliminated white rice from our house years ago. My daughter the only member of the family who loves rice prefers rice to be super soft rather than fluffy. So I tend to make it the way she likes it.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
1 cup basmati rice
1 tbsp. olive oil
4-5 cloves
1 inch cinnamon
2-3 cardamom pods
4-5 peppercorns
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 cups water (I used some of the water in which the beans and corn had been cooked for Githeri)

Rinse the rice thoroughly and soak it in water for 20-30 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add the spices. Let them sit in the hot oil for a minute or two. Add the onion and saute until the onion is translucent. Add the drained rice and roast for a couple minutes until the rice starts changing color. Add the water and bring it to a boil.

Cover, lower heat and let the rice cook for 15-17 minutes. Turn off heat and let it rest for another 5-10 minutes. The rice is ready to eat.

Kenyan Chapati

Kenyan chapati is super soft and tasty. It is a layered chapati made entirely with all purpose flour. A lot of oil is used to make the layers flaky. I compromise. I use the all purpose flour but go easy on the oil/ghee. The layers in my chapati are clearly visible but are not as flaky as they could be.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
oil when roasting

Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Add oil and rub it into the flour. Use warm water to mix the dough adding a little water at a time until you have a soft ball. Knead the dough for 20-25 minutes. Take a couple drops of oil in the palm of your hand and rub it all over the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and keep aside for half an hour.

The dough will be soft but will dry out quickly. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Each portion will give you a chapati that is 8-9 inch in diameter. If you prefer smaller chapatis divide the dough into 8 or 10 portions. Use one portion keeping the others wrapped in the plastic wrap. On a floured surface roll the portion of dough into a large disc of 8 inch in diameter.

Brush the surface with oil. Sprinkle with dough and spread it all over the surface. Now fold the chapati accordion style starting from the center.

Press together.

Hold on to one end and twirl the other end around until you have a disc. Tuck the loose end into the center.

Press flat and keep aside. Repeat with the other portions of dough. Let it sit for another half hour.

Heat a griddle pan on high. Roll out one of the portions of dough into a disc about 8-9 inches in diameter.

Place it on the hot griddle pan. After about 5 seconds flip  it over.

Brush oil on the surface and flip it over after another 5 seconds. Brush oil on the surface now on the top. When the underside has brown spots all over flip it over. When both sides have brown spots take it off heat and keep it covered so it remains soft.

Repeat for all the portions of dough. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Kashata Za Nazi (Coconut Cake)

Very similar to coconut barfi that I make frequently. One big (and nice) difference is that this dessert uses water instead of whole milk called for in the coconut barfi. The end result if flakier than the recipe that uses milk. We really liked this lighter version.

In fact I think this is the way I will make coconut barfi in the future. If you like coconut barfi you should try this one.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
2 cups desiccated sweetened coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
green food coloring
1 pod cardamom, shelled, and seeds crushed to a powder
ghee to grease the pan

Grease a pan with some ghee and keep aside. Soak the coconut flakes in 1/2 cup water and keep aside. Meanwhile heat sugar, water in a thick bottomed pan. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer until the syrup is thickened. Add a drop of food coloring and the powdered cardamom. Swirl the pan to combine. Add the coconut flakes along with the soaking water, almost all the water should have been absorbed.

Let the mixture cook on medium low heat until the syrup is almost gone. At this time the mixture should leave the sides of the pan easily and try to stick together to form a ball. Transfer to the greased pan and pat down to form a uniform top.

Let it cool for 5 minutes. Using a blunt knife cut into squares. Let it cool completely before storing.

Should last for a couple days outside in summer longer in winter. Should last for a couple weeks in the refrigerator.