Kashata
I find that Kenyans have very few deserts or sweets that we can call our own. Unlike the French or English. Now this Swahili sweet will take your taste buds right back to when you were in class 2, you remember those days when you’d save money from your break or lunch so that you could afford to buy either kashata, mabuyu or cool after school? They cost just 1 shilling but those days that was quite something. And they came in all colors and in our heads we thought they were different flavours. Ohhh the good old days of pur innocence.
When I saw people asking for this recipe sometime last year on a facebook group I just had to look around for it. Hope you will love it as much as I did and I hope it will make you feel like a child again. HAPPY COOKING!!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 cup moist grated coconut (or one desiccated coconut moistened with 2 tbsp of milk or water)
- 1/2 teaspoon Cardamon
- ½ teaspoon food color (optional)
Instructions
Heat the food color, water and sugar on medium heat till the sugar dissolves, continue heating the mixture till it thickens and becomes a syrup, it should be thick and should feel sticky between your fingers and leave a string when you pull your fingers apart. While this is happening add 2 tablespoons of water to your desiccated coconut
Add the coconut to the sugar syrup and mix well ensuring that it is well incorporated, keep stirring and let it cook till it has reduced in size and it begins to clump up together, sort of foaming balls.
Grease a cake pan or line with parchment paper. Using a spatula put the coconut mixture into the pan, patting down to about an inch.
Let this cool for about 8 minutes and slice. Slice using one motion. Let this cool further before your serve
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/kashata-2/Bread Crumbed Sweet Potatoes
There are things I generally never ate as a child. If you ask me why I never ate them I really wouldn’t have an answer. I just thought that they were gross and generally anything natural or healthy I just did not like. I also had silly things I did not eat like beef!! Now this is a funny story..
When I was a toddler, must have been between 3 and 6, my mum tells me I always made a fuss about beef. I would state with authority that “mimi sikulangi nyama ya ng’ombe nakulanga ya mbuzi pekee” (I do not eat beef I only eat lamb) honestly there was no reason as to why I did not eat nyama ya ng’ombe and I was too young to even know the difference in taste between the two. But I was adamant about it so each time they cooked meat and I was in the kitchen they’d be forced to say “heeee hii nyama ya mbuzi itakuwa tamu” (this goat meat will be very tasty”) and yet they were cooking beef!!!!
My brother Nyaga also went through such a phase when he was around 6 or 7 years old. He was apparently, VERY allergic to the crusts of bread. He would make a big fuss and cry if you did not cut the crust out for him and he was allergic SMH. GOD children are stupid!! So like him and bread crusts I never ate sweet potatoes or enjoyed them till maybe 3 years ago. Now I’m learning new ways of making them like these sweet potato fries and this recipe today.
I do not really have the exact measurements for this as it was such a random make but I bet you will get the drift. I served it with string beans and stir fried chicken breast. Quite healthy I think
HAPPY COOKING!!!
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, boiled and sliced width wise
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Pepper
- Chilies
- Garam masala
- 1 egg
- Oil for frying, about 3 tablespoons
Instructions
Mix the bread crumbs with pepper, chillies and garam masala.
Beat the egg.
Dip the sweet potato into the egg then coat with the breadcrumbs,
Place in hot oil and cook till browned then turn.
EASY PEASY. HAPPY EATING!!
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/bread-crumbed-sweet-potatoes-2/
Easy Fried Canned Tuna
There things in life you do not see yourself enjoying. For me canned tuna was one of those. I tasted it a long time ago and I really did not like it. I later resorted to taking the “flavoured” (for lack of a better word) one eg, mango salsa, thousand island, coronation etc. I stayed like this for years till some time in 2011 when I had dinner at my pal Liz’s house and she had made fried canned tuna with ugali that I really enjoyed. I remember thinking to myself that that was a new discovery but I did not think of it again till some time last year when I ate the same dish at my pal Mo’s house.
Now I’m not saying anything (-: but Mo’s tuna was delicious. She had put in some onions and tomatoes and fish masala. Then she served it with sukuma and ugali….. my GAWD that food was tasty and I just had to try it out myself. I remember I even borrowed her fish masala on that day I went to Kakuma town the next day and bought the tuna and that night I fell in love with the dish all over again.
Ingredients
- 1 canned tuna
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 1 large tomato or 2 small (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon chicken masala ( I use nature’s own)
- Small bunch of chopped dhania
- Salt, pepper and chilli to taste
Instructions
If your tuna is canned in oil open the can slightly and empty some of the oil into a pan and discard the rest. Use this oil to cook. Add in the onions and cook till translucent then add in the garlic till its aromatic.
Once the garlic is aromatic add in the tomatoes, fish masala, salt, pepper and chilli and cook till the tomatoes are soft then add in the Dhania cook for 2 mins then add in the tuna. Mix well and let to simmer for 3-4 minutes then serve with ugali.
HAPPY EATING!!
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/easy-fried-canned-tuna-2/