Elite life
Kenya (Kenyan Recipes)
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 tblsp. oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds (the black kind, if possible)
8 medium potatoes, quartered
1 and 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, crushed
1 large garlic clove, minced and crushed
1 tblsp. ground cumin
1 tblsp. whole coriander, crushed
2 chili peppers or 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
4 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
4 oz. tomato paste
1/2 lb. green beans
1/2 of a small cauliflower
1 medium eggplant
1/2 lb. fresh green peas, shelled, or 1 small package of frozen green peas
1 bunch of fresh leafy greens or 1 small package of frozen greens
1/2 cup dry chickpeas, cooked, optional
Cooking Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large, heavy skillet or pot, brown the onions in moderately hot oil along with the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Add the potato pieces (peeling is optional), and stir to coat each piece with the spices. Now add the remaining spices and continue to stir for several minutes. Thin the tomato paste with about 2/3 cup of water. Stir into the pot. Add vegetables, one at a time, cooking for a minute or so between each addition, and put in the cooked chickpeas last. If your pot is not oven proof, transfer mixture to one that is. Cover with a lid or seal with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, checking after the first 20 minutes. The consistency should be rather thick, but add liquid if necessary to prevent burning. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Serve over rice or with Indian bread.
Ingredients:
1 inch piece ginger root
6 cloves of garlic
2 pounds ground lamb or beef
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon mussala
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
Salt, optional
2 pound frozen egg-roll dough, thawed
Flour
Oil
Cooking Instructions:
Chop the ginger and garlic very fine or if you have a blender until well mashed. Add the meat OR vegetables, onions, mussala, curry powder and turmeric. Sauté in a heavy frying pan on low heat for about 30 minutes. If you opt for the meat, do not add oil and stir occasionally to break up the meat; for the vegetables sauté until nice and done. Cut sheets of thawed egg-roll dough into 4 by 4 inch quarters to end up with a nice triangle. Put some of the meat OR vegetable mixture in the middle; just about the amount to end up with a nice, neat triangle. To secure use a paste made out of flour and water. Deep-fat fry the filled samosas, a few at a time, until golden brown. They are great to keep in the freezer, and to serve, just thaw and place in a hot oven until hot.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 cups of Flour
1 teaspoon salt
Water
Cooking Instructions:
Sift the flour and the salt into a mixing bowl. Add some water to make a fairly stiff dough, moistening your hands frequently to ease off the bowl. Shape dough into a ball, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it stand for at least ½ hour. Divide dough into 4 or 5 balls and roll each out into a flat, round disk. Heat a large creased griddle or frying pan over medium until it is hot. Cook each chapati until golden; when you see tiny bubbles it’s time to turn them over. It should take about a minute for each chapati. Press them down with a wide pancake turner or a clean towel to cook evenly. Serve hot.
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
1 cup dried peas (or canned peas)
1 lb canned corn or 6 ears of fresh corn
Several potatoes or instant mashed potatoes
½ lb pumpkin greens or spinach
Lima Beans (optional)
Chopped fried onions (optional)
Black pepper
Salt
Cooking Instructions:
Boil dried peas until détente, drain and set aside. Also boil the potatoes, corn, lima beans, and the greens, drain and set aside. Mix the fried onions with all the above, add salt & pepper to taste and mash. The consistency should be that of firm mashed potatoes. You can also add a little bit of butter if desired. The leftovers taste great the next day when fried with a bit of oil in a pan.
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
3-4 plantains, sliced in rounds
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of curry powder
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1-2 cups of coconut milk
Cooking Instructions:
Combine all ingredients, except the coconut milk, in a heavy saucepan and stir. Pour in 1 cup of coconut milk and simmer over low heat until the plantains absorbed the milk and are very tender. It takes a while for them to get soft; give them about the same time you would need for cooking potatoes. You can add more coconut milk if you desire. Serve hot and try with fish or curries.
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons Oil
1 Onion
2 cups tomatoes
2 cups black-eyed peas
1/4 cup peanut butter, natural or roughly grounded peanuts
¼ cup water
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Mince onions and sauté lightly until translucent. Add diced tomatoes and simmer about 5 minutes to cook down. Cook the black-eyed peas and add with all remaining ingredients and mix well. Lightly mash the peas with a fork. Simmer about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add more water as needed to get a stew-like consistency. Serve with rice.
Ingredients:
6 cups chopped fresh collard greens
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 medium onion
1 cup stewed tomatoes
1 green chili pepper (seeded & chopped)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon flour
½ to 1 cup water
Cooking Instructions:
Fill the bottom of a saucepan with about an inch of water. Insert strainer filled with greens and bring water to boil over high heat. Turn down if water begins to evaporate. Cover and steam for 8 minutes. Chop the onion and tomatoes. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, tomatoes, chili pepper and sauté until the onion is clear. Reduce heat to low. Add additional oil to prevent sticking. Mix lemon juice, flour and ½ cup water in a small bowl until well blended. Pour into onion mixture and mix well. Add ½ cup water, cooked greens, salt and pepper and mix well. Increase heat to medium, cover and cook for about 3 minutes.
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1 Serrano or Jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly grounded black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh collard, mustard or turnip greens, chopped
or
1 bag / 10 ounces frozen chopped greens, thawed
1 pound fresh spinach, chopped
or
1 bag / 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
2 tablespoons butter
3 large tomatoes, cubed
1 large yellow onion, peeled & chopped
1 cup canned unsweeten coconut milk
4 teaspoons dry roasted peanuts, chopped, optional
Cooking Instructions:
Fill a large pot half-full with water. Add the chile pepper, salt, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the greens and spinach. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the greens and spinach, tomatoes, onions, and milk and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the greens for tenderness and seasoning. Cook for an additional 10 minutes and add more seasoning, if needed. Sprinkle with the peanuts, if desired.
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
½ pound vermicelli
4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 egg
½ cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Prepare the vermicelli according to the package direction and drain. Heat the coconut milk and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Add the vermicelli and ginger. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the coconut milk mixture to the beaten egg, and then stir the egg mixture into the pan with the vermicelli. Whisk in the flour and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 1 hour or until soft and spongy. You can cut it into squares or whatever way suits you.
Ingredients:
Corn cut fresh off the cob or frozen 2 cups or 3-4 ears
Beans, any type cooked 2 cups
Water to cover
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Simmer with a little water, salt and pepper until cooked through.
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
Water 4 cups
Salt 2 tsp
Cooking Instructions:
Cornmeal, white, finely ground 2 cups. Bring water and salt to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in cornmeal slowly, letting it fall though the fingers of your hand. Turn heat to medium-low, and continue stirring regularly and smashing any lumps until mush pulls away from the sides of the pot and becomes very thick, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool somewhat. Place into a serving bowl. Wet your hands with water, form into a ball and serve.
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Melted Butter
4 cloves Garlic very finely minced
1 cup Chablis
4 Tbs. Chopped Parsley
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Freshly Ground Pepper
Few drops Tabasco
Cooking Instructions:
Ladle half of above sauce (1 tsp. per oyster) on each one. Bake at 350'F. for 6 to 8 minutes. Ladle the remaining sauce uniformly over the oysters again. Serve immediately, four per person, with Lemon Wedges on a 9 inch plate or on hot rock salt if available.
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
2 cups Cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 cup Carrots in very, very thin slices
1/2 cup Sweet Onions (Bermuda or Spanish or scallions)
1/4 cup Green Pepper in fine strips
Cooking Instructions:
Fluff the mixture up. That's it. There is no dressing or seasoning. Fill small sauce dishes, allowing about 1/3 cup per person.
Ingredients:
Beef stew:
1 lb beef (not ground)
2 carrots
2 green peppers
4 tomatoes
4 onions
Coriander
Curry powder
Black pepper
Seasoning salt
Crisco cooking oil
Salt
Pilau rice:
1.5 LB rice (water according to rice)
0.5 LB green peas
2 cans pilau masala (type of spice)
3 onions
3 tomatoes
Crisco oil
Salt
Cooking Instructions:
Beef stew: Fry the onions that have been chopped until they turn brown (use Crisco oil). Add tomatoes and chopped green pepper. Add carrots, black pepper and coriander. Wash the cut meat and sprinkle it with seasoning salt. When the carrots have become slightly soft add the cut meat. When meat is almost cooking add some curry powder and salt to taste.
Pilau rice: Wash the rice with cold water. Boil the peas until its cooked. Chop onions and then fry them until they turn slightly brown. Then add tomatoes that have been peeled and cut. Boil some of the rice water with the pilau masala until it boils. Add some salt to taste. Add the rest of the water to the fried onions and tomatoes Then add the green peas when the water starts boiling and the rice. Let it cook.
Servings: 8-10
Ingredients:
2 3-lb chickens, cut into pieces
5 inches fresh ginger, grated, or 2 tblsp. ground ginger
20 small cloves garlic
2 hot chili peppers or 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tblsp. Oil
2 tblsp. curry powder
1/3 cup clarified butter
1 bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
1 tblsp. whole cumin seeds, pounded
4-6 cups coconut milk
1 cup coconut cream
Clarified butter:
Makes just under 1 cup
8 oz. (2 sticks) butter
Coconut milk:
Makes about 3 cups
fresh white meat of 1 coconut
Cooking Instructions:
Wash the chicken and pat it dry. Pound the ginger, garlic, chilies, and curry powder with a mortar and pestle, or puree in a blender or food processer. In a small skillet, saute the onions in oil for 4-5 minutes, then add the spice puree and simmer. Braise the chicken in butter in a large skillet or stew pot. When the chicken pieces are golden brown, transfer the onion/puree mixture to the chicken pot. Add coriander, cumin, and coconut oil, and cook until the chicken is tender. Pour coconut cream over the chicken, remove pot from heat, and let stand until ready to serve. To eat, spoon over rice.
Clarified butter: Cut the butter into pieces and melt it in a saucepan over low heat. Skim off the buttermilk fat that will foam to the top with a slotted spoon. Remove the pan from the heat. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then pour off the clear liquid, leaving behind the residue of milk solids that has settled to the bottom. The clarified butter will last 3 weeks or so if refrigerated. If no refrigeration is available, simmer the butter over the lowest heat, uncovered and undisturbed, for 40-50 minutes. Strain the clear liquid two or three times by pouring it through a clean, finely-woven cloth into a bowl. This removes any solids that might spoil it. The clarified butter will now remain fresh for several weeks at room temperature.
Coconut milk: Grate the meat by hand or process it in a blender. To extract the flavorful moisture from the gratings, it is easy to mimic the Africans' method of using a conical woven basket. Line a bowl with a cotton cloth such as cheesecloth, making sure that the lining is big enough to drape over the sides of the bowl. Dump the grated coconut onto the cloth and then pour 1 cup of boiling water over it. When it is cool enough to handle, gather the edges of the cloth and lift it above the bowl. Wring it with both hands to squeeze out the mlky liquid, which you should pour off and save. Repeat this process three times. The first squeezing is the most concentrated, so you should keep each squeezing separate and use them in order (i.e., use the first squeezing as the first cup in a recipe, etc.).
Coconut cream: Coconut cream has two different meanings, either of which can be used for recipes. "Cream" sometimes means simply the first squeezing (see the above recipe for coconut milk). Another meaning is the thicker layer that forms on top of chilled coconut milk. Coconut cream will remain good for 2 or 3 days if refrigerated, and can be frozen for several months.
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
1 cup dried red kidney beans
2 medium-size yellow onions, chopped
1-2 tblsp. Oil
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. turmeric
3 chili peppers, ground into a paste, or 1 and 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cups coconut milk
Coconut milk:
Makes about 3 cups
fresh white meat of 1 coconut
Cooking Instructions:
In a large pot, cover the beans with water and simmer until they are just tender. Saute onions in oil until golden brown. With the remaining ingredients, add to the pot and simmer several minutes until the beans are very tender and the tomatoes are cooked. Serve over rice or a stiff porridge.
Coconut milk: Grate the meat by hand or process it in a blender. To extract the flavorful moisture from the gratings, it is easy to mimic the Africans' method of using a conical woven basket. Line a bowl with a cotton cloth such as cheesecloth, making sure that the lining is big enough to drape over the sides of the bowl. Dump the grated coconut onto the cloth and then pour 1 cup of boiling water over it. When it is cool enough to handle, gather the edges of the cloth and lift it above the bowl. Wring it with both hands to squeeze out the mlky liquid, which you should pour off and save. Repeat this process three times. The first squeezing is the most concentrated, so you should keep each squeezing separate and use them in order (i.e., use the first squeezing as the first cup in a recipe, etc.).
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 lbs. white fish, bones removed
3 large yellow onions, sliced
2 tblsp. Oil
2 chili peppers or 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic
4 medium-size tomatoes, or 6 oz. tomato paste
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay the fish in a baking pan. Heat oil to a moderate temperature and fry the onion slices until they are transparent. Arrange over the fish. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. (Or crush chilies and garlic with a mortar and pestle and mash tomatoes well with a fork before combining with other ingredients.) Pour over fish, cover the pot, and simmer about 30 minutes until fish is just cooked.
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
3-4 plantains, sliced in rounds
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
1-2 cups coconut milk
Cooking Instructions:
Combine all ingredients except coconut milk in a heavy saucepan. Pour in 1 cup of coconut milk and simmer over low heat until plantain is very tender and milk is absorbed. Add more coconut milk if necessary. Serve hot.
Ingredients:
1 chicken
2 tsp. tomato puree
1 tsp. curry powder
3 cloves garlic or less, mashed
3 tblsp. Oil
Salt
Pepper to taste
Ingredients for sauce:
1 cup tamarind juice (if unavailable, use white wine)
Salt
Chili pepper to taste
Sugar to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Combine tomato puree, curry powder, garlic, salt, pepper, and 3 tblsp. oil. Rub the chicken outside and inside with this mixture and leave it for about 1 hour for the flavor to penetrate the meat. Grill or roast the chicken until nicely browned and tender (a spit is ideal). Serve with a sauce made by combining the tamarind juice with enough seasoning to give a pleasantly sharp sweet-sour flavor.
