KUNDE
I have always said that I am not a fun of greens. Growing up I only liked cabbages and I later got to enjoy sukuma wiki (Kales) but of late I have a certain fascination of trying new leafy greens that I ordinarily would not have done a few years or even months ago.
Maybe it’s growing up; I’m now a woman of a certain age you know. And I am more open to trying things that I hated as a child.
Or maybe, it’s the influence of hearing people talk about vegetables that they enjoy to eat.
Or maybe, and I think this is it, it’s because I grew some in my kitchen garden. There is a certain satisfaction I get when I walk out of my house and go pick fresh herbs and veggies to cook. I can’t even explain it but I just smile, my heart smiles.
Anyway I digress. My friend Judith told me how to make this dish. She told me to boil the Kunde in Magadi which I think is Bicarbonate of Soda. She, however, stated that traditionally or at home they use a special salt that they make from burning dried maize cobs or dried peel from green cooking bananas or dried bean husks. The ash that comes out from this burning is then put in a container with holes and hot water is put through it. The water that is gotten from this is then used to boil the vegetables. This process softens the Kunde and the ash water helps maintain the green colour.
Since I did not have the time or the means to make the ash, bicarbonate of soda had to suffice. It was quite easy to make this. I had it with ugali and tuna and I really enjoyed it. You can mix Kunde with other leafy greens such as spinach, sukuma wiki, mchicha, terere etc. I chose to make this plain as it was the first time I was eating or even preparing it. How do you like to eat your?
HAPPY COOKING!!!
Ingredients
- 2 big bunches of Kunde
- 2 Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 large Onions. chopped
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
- handful of Dhania (Coriander), chopped
- 1 tablespoon Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Chillies (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
Pluck the leaves from the stalks so that you remain with the leaf ONLY Clean the leaves thoroughly.
Put the kunde in a pot add enough water to cover them completely, add the bicarbonate and boil for at least 10 minutes. Drain and set aside
Put the onions in a pot, fry until soft. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Cook for about 4 minutes till the tomatoes soften. Add the chillies and dhania and cook for a further two minutes Add the kunde and mix well.
Cook for about 3-4 minutes until warmed through. Serve hot.
HAPPY EATING
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/kunde/
ROSEMARY ROASTED POTATOES
I LOVE POTATOES…………………
I am sure in one of my earlier posts I probably mentioned that I am in love with them. For me potatoes are what I can not live without. Life would TOTALLY suck if I could not have them. My friends always make fun of me and say that I love potatoes because I’m Kikuyu (a majority tribe in Kenya) well this could be true, seeing as we Kikuyus tend to add potatoes to every dish save for tea 🙂 but Kikuyu or not I love them.
But like any other food they can get monotonous. So I am always looking for new ways to make them and discovering and rediscovering. I was taught the basics of this recipe by my mother. You boil the potatoes to soften them and cook them through. Then you shallow fry them so as to give them a nice crunchiness and beautiful color.
You can try these potatoes by boiling them in your beef or chicken stew then removed them from the stew and shallow fry them. Or you could use a ready made stock of your choice, you can even try and experiment different spices in the water if you’re using water to boil. Try ginger, some onions, masalas etc. You could also use aromat or garlic salt instead of normal salt. Anything could work just depends on your taste. I enjoy them this way, served them for company a couples of times and they are always quite popular so do try them. HAPPY COOKING!!!
Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Garlic powder
- Rosemary sprigs (fresh or dry)
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Put them in a pot, fill the pot with water till all the potatoes are fully immersed.
Put about a tablespoon each of garlic powder rosemary to every 1.5 ltrs of water (you could adjust this depending on taste) boil till the potatoes are cooked through but not too soft that they break when pierced.
Drain all the water from the pot; give the potatoes a good shake. This breaks of the edges and makes them even crunchier.
Fill the base of a shallow frying pan with the oil. Heat the oil
Place the potatoes into the oil and cook them till well brown turning them around. Half way through sprinkle a few rosemary sprigs on top.
Once it’s all brown place the potatoes to drain on a kitchen towel.
Serve when still hot. HAPPY EATING!!
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/rosemary-roasted-potatoes/BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP + Homemade croutons
I’m sure many of you have memories of being forced to eat pumpkins when you were growing up. For me I never really understood what my mother’s obsession was with pumpkins??? I mean they tasted horrible, to date I don’t think I have tasted a dish made with the (normal) pumpkin and liked it.
