1/2 kilo (1 lb) ground beef
1 carrot, finely grated
1/2 medium green pepper, finely chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, grated
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
Garlic Lemon and Parsley to taste
Garam Masala to taste
Pilau Masala to taste
As some alternative spices for Garam Masala and Pilau Masala, try 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons curry powder, and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. If you do not have Garlic Lemon and Parsley, try 1 clove garlic, crushed, and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. I have not tried it with these substitutes; however, I found them in another samosa recipe.
Instructions for meat filling:
Cook the ground beef with the carrots, ginger, green pepper, cilantro, and green onions. Add the red onions when the meat is almost done cooking. Now add the salt and the other spices to taste. Let all cook together for a while until the meat is "dry". All the liquid needs to cook out. Let meat mixture cool.
Samosa Wrappers
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon oil
Instructions for samosa wrappers:
Put warm water in a large bowl. Add salt and stir. Add flour; mix well. Knead a few minutes. Now make a "bowl" or hole in the dough and add the 1 Tablespoon oil. Knead again. Cover, and let sit 30 minutes. Divide into balls just big enough for your fingers to curve around loosely. Roll out a ball into a 6-in diameter circle. Spread circle lightly with melted butter. Roll out another 6-inch circle, and lay on top of the other with the melted butter between. Flour lightly so it won't stick to the counter. Now roll this double circle out very thin. Cut the circle into 4 triangles. Cook the triangles like tortillas until little white bubbles appear. Separate triangles very gently. Do the same with all the balls.
Make a thick flour paste to serve as "glue" for holding the samosas together.
To fill the samosas and fry:
Lay a wrapper on counter in front of you with the point of the triangle facing you. Fold one side corner of the wrapper to the middle. Apply a little flour paste along the edge of that side. Now fold the other side corner to the middle over the paste. This will make a open cone, and there should be no hole in the bottom of the cone. Hold the cone in one hand, and fill about halfway full with the cooled meat filling (will only be about two spoonfuls). Now fold front flap (point of triangle) in tightly over the filling. Put flour paste across the inside of the back flap and fold flap over top of the samosa. Seal any places that want to open with flour paste.
Heat oil in pan to deep fry. Fry samosas until they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Eat while they are warm and crisp.
Coconut Beans (I love these beans! They have the best flavor!)
1 lb or 1/2 kilo dry pinto beans
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz cream of coconut (comes in a can. I found it at Wal-mart in the States, but you have to really look for it.) Or one coconut, grated and soaked in hot water to make the cream.
3 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons Mchuzi mix (Kenyan spice that might be equivalent to a beef cube or two? Test to taste.)
2 cups of water
Instructions:
Cover beans with water in large sauce pan, and boil until tender. Drain. Saute onion in 3 Tablespoons of oil in large saucepan. Add beans again, and add the coconut cream. Add 2 cups of water. Let beans cook a few minutes. Then add 1 teaspoon salt and 3 teaspoons Mchuzi mix. Stir, and let cook until beans are soft.
Chapati
Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups flour
3 Tablespoons oil
melted butter or margarine
Instructions:
Place the warm water in a bowl. Add the salt and stir. Stir in the flour until well blended. Transfer to counter, and knead a few minutes. Make a well in the dough and add the oil. Knead in the oil until well blended and the dough becomes soft like bread dough. Cover and let rise at least 30 minutes.
Roll into a log and break off chunks into balls that fit nicely in loose-fingered grasp. Let balls sit on counter for 10 minutes. Roll each ball out quite thin like a tortilla. Spread a small amount of melted butter on "tortilla" after rolling it out. Now take a spoon or knife, and starting in the center of the circle, cut straight out to the rim of the circle in any direction. Take the cut corner and roll it up all the way around the circle.
It looks like a cone after you get it rolled up. Tuck in loose edges and then push in the point of the cone to make a ball again.
Sprinkle with flour and place on the counter. Repeat with all of the balls.
Now heat a skillet. Roll out each ball again. Put on med-hot griddle until it starts to bubble up.
Flip chapati over. Spread a little melted butter over chapati,
1 lb or 1/2 kilo dry pinto beans
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz cream of coconut (comes in a can. I found it at Wal-mart in the States, but you have to really look for it.) Or one coconut, grated and soaked in hot water to make the cream.
3 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons Mchuzi mix (Kenyan spice that might be equivalent to a beef cube or two? Test to taste.)
2 cups of water
Instructions:
Cover beans with water in large sauce pan, and boil until tender. Drain. Saute onion in 3 Tablespoons of oil in large saucepan. Add beans again, and add the coconut cream. Add 2 cups of water. Let beans cook a few minutes. Then add 1 teaspoon salt and 3 teaspoons Mchuzi mix. Stir, and let cook until beans are soft.
Chapati
Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups flour
3 Tablespoons oil
melted butter or margarine
Instructions:
Place the warm water in a bowl. Add the salt and stir. Stir in the flour until well blended. Transfer to counter, and knead a few minutes. Make a well in the dough and add the oil. Knead in the oil until well blended and the dough becomes soft like bread dough. Cover and let rise at least 30 minutes.
Roll into a log and break off chunks into balls that fit nicely in loose-fingered grasp. Let balls sit on counter for 10 minutes. Roll each ball out quite thin like a tortilla. Spread a small amount of melted butter on "tortilla" after rolling it out. Now take a spoon or knife, and starting in the center of the circle, cut straight out to the rim of the circle in any direction. Take the cut corner and roll it up all the way around the circle.
It looks like a cone after you get it rolled up. Tuck in loose edges and then push in the point of the cone to make a ball again.
Sprinkle with flour and place on the counter. Repeat with all of the balls.
Now heat a skillet. Roll out each ball again. Put on med-hot griddle until it starts to bubble up.
 |
| Another skillet is close by with melted butter in it. |
and flip back over again. Spread a little melted butter on the other side. Cook both sides until lightly browned.
Transfer to a plate and keep wrapped in a towel to keep warm until the other chapatis are done. Repeat with all the balls. Makes about 10 chapatis.
Pilau
1/8 to 1/4 kilo stew meat sliced thin (that's 1/4 to 1/2 lb)
2 onions, sliced very thin
4 cloves garlic
1-inch piece of fresh garlic
1 and 3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons Pilau Masala spice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 cups rice
3 cups water
oil
Instructions:
Saute the onions in oil until they are turning brown. Add the stew meat, and cook until the meat is done. Mash the ginger, garlic, and salt together in a morter,
and add to the onions/meat. Add the soy sauce and the pilau masala; stir well. (There is probably no substitute for pilau masala. It is an Indian spice with a distinct flavor.)
Wash the rice in a bowl with water. Wash it and drain the water off in a strainer two times to remove some of the starch in the rice.
Add three cups of water to the pan, and bring to a boil. When it boils, add the rice. Let boil again, and then cover and turn down heat to simmer. Let it cook about 20 minutes or until rice is done.
Kachumbari--A Kenyan Salad
1 to 1 and half onions, thinly sliced
Fresh, chopped cilantro (dania here in Kenya)
1 Avocado, cut into small squares (optional)
Fresh chili peppers, diced small (optional)
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Instructions:
Slice the tomatoes and onions as thin as possible. Add some chopped cilantro. It is for garnish mostly, but it does add flavor as well. Add the avocado if desired; it tastes great in there! Add chili peppers if you want it hot. (I prefer none in mine.) Now start adding salt and lemon juice a little at a time, stirring it all together. Maybe start with a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of both and keep adding until it tastes good to you! It makes some "juice", so just drain off the juice before serving. Enjoy! I love this stuff!
Sukuma Wiki
* Sukuma wiki in Swahili literally means "push the week". Sukuma wiki is very cheap, and Kenyans will tell you that these greens are so named because they help them get to the end of the week with food to eat.
A large bunch of collard greens (can use 1/2 collard greens, 1/2 swiss chard)
2 tomatoes, diced small
1/2 small onion, chopped or cut in rings
2 Tablespoons oil
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Chunks of beef, optional
Instructions:
Wash the greens and pat dry with a towel. Chop the greens very thin.
If using meat, saute the meat in the oil with the onions, and cook until the meat is no longer pink. If not using meat, cook the onions alone in the oil for about 5 minutes or until they are soft and turning brown. Add the tomatoes, and let cook about 5 more minutes. Add the beef cubes and stir. Now add the chopped greens to the pan and stir around until they cook down (about 5-10 minutes) and until they are done. Add salt to taste.
Kenyan Chai
Here is chai for two the Kenyan way:
You need equal parts of milk and water--so 1 tea cup full of milk and 1 tea cup full of water. Pour both into a small pan, and bring it to a boil. Just as it boils add 1/2 teaspoon of tea grounds, and let it boil for a few minutes until it becomes a nice, light brown color. The strength of the tea is purely up to you. If you like strong tea, add a little more tea grounds, and let it boil longer. If you don't like it strong, add less tea grounds and boil for less time.
While the tea is cooking, put two spoons of sugar in each tea cup (or however much sugar you like in tea).
When the tea becomes the color (strength) that you want, pour it through a small strainer into the tea cups. Give each a stir to mix the sugar in, and you have your tea!
Now for the quick "mzungu" way:
Again, equal parts of milk and water. So if you are making one cup of tea, fill your tea cup halfway with milk and halfway with water. If you're making two cups, do as I described above. Pour it into a pan, and bring it to a boil. While that is heating up, place your sugar in the tea cup, as well as a tea bag. I use a vanilla tea bag. Yum! When the milk/water boils, pour it over the tea bag into your cup. Stir it up, and enjoy!
Maandazi
4 and 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup sugar
3 Tablespoons oil
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom spice or cinnamon (This is optional, but it does add flavor)
2 Cups warm water
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine (room temperature)
Approximately 1/2 cup extra flour to knead into the dough
A pan of oil to deep-fry the maandazis
Instructions:
Heat the oil until it is very hot, but not until it smokes. While it is heating, mix together in a bowl the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cardamom or cinnamon, and the egg.
Stir and then make smooth with fingers until crumbly. Add the hot oil and stir with a fork. Add the warm water and stir again. Turn out onto a floured board and knead about half of the extra 1/2 cup flour into the dough. Make a well in the dough and add the 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine. Then knead in the remaining flour. The dough should feel like bread dough, soft and elastic, not sticky. Cover the dough with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes. Then divide the dough into balls that fit in a loose-fingered grip. Let the balls sit on the counter while you heat a pan of oil to about 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C.)
Roll out each ball into about an 8-inch circle. Cut the circle into fourths and then fry the triangles a couple at a time, depending on the width of your pan. The maandazis should be able to float freely in the oil, not be on top of each another. Most, if not all of them, should puff up like a balloon in the oil.
Maandazis are fun to make. I normally cut this recipe in half for our family, but when I've made for others, I've made the whole recipe. The full recipe should make somewhere between 30 to 40 maandazis, depending on the size of the balls you roll out.
Maandazis are excellent with chai!
