Habari?
Welcome back everybody! Today my journey of random countries took me to Kenya, back to East Africa, which gave me an opportunity to also retry some dishes that didn’t turn out super well the first time I made them for my first post about Uganda. Nevertheless, I am not here for perfection, I am here to learn! In this case, how to cook Kenyan food – which was super tasty I might add and made for a wonderful meal prep.
Figuring it out
For what it’s worth, Kenya does seem to be one of the more prominent and well-represented countries, when it comes to their cuisine. I was able to find a German blog of a Kenyan lady, Carol, bringing African and specifically Kenyan food to Germany. This time, I did not include an appetizer but kept it to 4 dishes.
Next to serving national dishes, I also try to look up the way in which they are eaten, such as the order of foods, preferred utensils, how they are served, etc. For Kenya this means eating using your right hand, and potentially helping yourself to pick up things using the Ugali (cornmeal) made into a little scoop. As a lefty I had a bit of difficulty but I did get the hang of it.
This week’s menu (2025/6/15)
The Recipes
Pilau Kuku: Chicken Pilaf Rice – with homemade Pilau Masala spice mix
I chose this dish for my main because it had a lot of potential to be tasty – and it did not disappoint. Super flavorful spiced rice and tender chicken are always a winning combination. The inclusion of warm spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and clove adds a certain depth to the rice that really makes it stand out. Even my Austrian grandma used to stick cloves into half an onion and threw that in with rice to be steamed – and to this day my dad doesn’t like his rice made any different.
Ugali: super thick polenta
Ugali is maybe the simplest dish I’ve made so far, on par with steaming plain white rice. You boil water, throw in the Ugali flour without any salt, etc. and just stir stir stir. It comes together easily – trust the process. Once still warm but cooled enough to touch it it makes for a convenient vehicle and really aids in balancing out the flavors.
Sukuma Wiki, “stretch the week”: Round two of this every-day dish. This time I managed to find actual kale instead of just regular cabbage which lifted this dish up SO MANY LEVELS.
Mandazi, East African donuts: I didn’t mess them up this time and actually posted them! This recipe is a bit different to the Ugandan one but the reason I succeeded is because this time I actually listened to the Recipe Notes and made sure my oil was not super hot. – Hot take: take heed in what recipe writers tell you
Kenya was a lot of fun and a nice throwback to both Uganda and also a little bit to Jordan, with the warm spices and chicken-y rice of the Pilau Kuku reminding me of Jordanian Ouzi. 4/5 ⭐️!
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