Best Kenyan Swahili dishes - recipes for your pleasure!

A few decades ago, Swahili dishes were a preserve of those visiting or living at the Kenyan or East African coastal region. However, with the urbanisation in major towns and cities as well as the blend in cultures, Swahili dishes recipes found their way into most homes and hotels. Many people from all parts of the country have since enjoyed them. In fact, the spices and flavours used in these dishes have even been adopted in other cuisines. If you would like to enjoy Swahili food right at home, how about starting with recipes of some of the most popular foods?

Most Swahili dishes are characterised by lots of spices and flavours that bring about unique flavours. Some of the commonly used spices include coconut, chilli, ginger, and cloves widely known as ‘Karafuu’ in Kiswahili. The best thing about most Swahili dishes is that you can easily prepare them at home by yourself –you don’t need expert help unless you are hosting an event.

7 traditional Swahili dishes recipes to try out

Have fun working your way through these recipes:

1. Kaimati recipe

These sweet crusty dumplings are probably one of the most recognisable Swahili cuisines. If you take a stroll down in Mombasa or coastal villages in other towns in the country, you are likely to find kaimatis being prepared in roadside kiosks. They are also some of the most popular Swahili snacks during Ramadan.

READ ALSO: How to make mahamri: a simple and delicious recipe

Ingredients

To prepare kaimati, you need:

• 1 cup of flour
• ½ cup of sour milk
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda or yeast
• ½ cup of sugar
• ½ of water
• ½ cup of cardamom powder (feel free to choose any flavour of choice)
• 2 litres of liquid sunflower or corn cooking oil
• 1 cup of icing sugar

Instructions

• Mix sugar with sour milk, butter, and water
• Simmer the syrup mixture to its maximum boiling point, then cool it down
• Pour the mixture in a bowl and add in flour and the rest of the ingredients
• Knead the dough mixture with your hand until it is thick enough to be rolled
• Cover and leave it for about 20-30 mins to rise
• Roll your dough into small rounded dumplings
• Heat the oil in a pan until it is hot then turn the heat to medium
• Carefully place in the dumplings one by one
• Make sure not to cramp many of them in the pan. Spacing allows enough space for each to cook both on the inside and outside.
• Leave them to fry until they are brown on all sides
• Once you are done cooking, drop your kaimatis into the icing sugar and spread it evenly on their surface.

You can now enjoy your kaimati with tea or a soft drink.

2. Swahili pilau

Swahili pilau is a one of a kind dish that requires precision for you to get it right. However, if you ace it, you will switch your favourite from ugali nyama or any other dish and prepare pilau more often.

Ingredients

Wondering how to cook Swahili pilau? Well, you need:

• ½ kilo of beef
• 3 cups of rice
• 2 diced onions
• 2 tablespoons of pilau masala
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon of pepper
• 1 tablespoon of garlic
• 4 cloves ‘Karafuu’
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder
• Cooking oil

READ ALSO: Chips masala recipe: add some flair to your potatoes for yourself

Instructions

• Boil the meat until it is soft
• Remove the meat from the broth. Keep the broth aside
• Pour some cooking oil in a sufuria and heat
• Add diced onions and fry until they are golden brown.
• Add ginger paste and garlic to the oil. Let it cook for a minute then add the tender meat.
• Let it cook while stirring until the meat turns reddish-brown.
• Add pilau masala, cloves, pepper, and cinnamon and let them cook for about eight minutes.
• Pour in the broth that you set aside in the second step, add some salt to taste and let it boil. If the broth isn’t enough to cook your rice, add some water.
• Wash your rice, rinse it and add to the cooking beef
• Cover the cooking point and cook at a low simmer
• Wait for all the water to evaporate and leave your pilau to cool

Serve and enjoy with cold juice or soda

3. Mahamri

To prepare tasty mahamri (also known as mandazi), follow this recipe carefully.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of baking flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ cup of sugar
• Cooking oil
• ½ of water
• ½ cup of cardamom powder-here you can select the best flavour of your choice

Instructions

• Mix the baking flour with baking soda in a bowl
• Add in the sugar, cardamom and water
• Knead the mixture with your hand until it forms a dough
• Cover it and leave it for a while for the dough to rise
• Heat the oil until its hot
• Slice the dough into small squares
• Add them bit by bit into the oil. Make sure they aren’t too many at a go
• Fry them until they are golden brown
• Let them cool down before serving

You can serve mandazi with coffee, tea or a soft drink of your choice.

4. Viazi vya Rojo

Viazi vya Rojo is another Swahili dish that you can easily find in small restaurants or big hotels that offer Swahili cuisine. Here’s how you can prepare the dish right at your home.

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 big sized Irish potatoes
• 2 diced onions
• Cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon of chilli, grounded garlic
• Lemon juice
• Paprika
• Diced raw mango

READ ALSO: Easy rhubarb cake recipe

Instructions

• Blend the potatoes
• Add oil in the sufuria and heat
• Add the potatoes and cook until they become soft.
• Add the other ingredients from the recipe
• Cook them for a few minutes until they soften up
• Add some water and cover it
• Let it cook for a while until it becomes a thick sauce

Remember to add a bit of salt and the lemon juice to improve the taste.

5. Wali wa nazi

Wali or rice in English is a staple addition in most Swahili dishes. Preparing rice is not that difficult, but you need to be careful to do it well to bring out a desirable taste.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of rice
• 2 coconuts
• Fresh coconut milk
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• Cooking oil
• 4 cups of water

Instructions

• Pour four cups of water into a sufuria and bring it to boil
• Add a little oil or butter
• Add salt and coconut milk
• Wash the rice and add it to the sufuria
• Cover and let it boil
• Grate your coconuts and pour them into the cooking rice
• Leave it to cook until all the water has vaporised

You can serve wali wa nazi with any type of stew. The most popular types are beef, chicken, mutton and goat meat.

6. Bhajia

Bhajia is made from fried potatoes that are coated with spices and flavours like chillies, coriander or onions. Bhajia is a Swahili snack that is popular and can be often found in street foods. Here is a simple way to make bhajia at home:

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 large-sized potatoes
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of chilli powder
• Coriander leaves
• 2 green chillies
• Cooking oil
• Ginger root

READ ALSO: Easy and healthy chicken Balti recipe

Instructions

• Boil the potatoes for a few minutes so that they are soft but not mushy
• Slice the potatoes into small circle shapes
• Grind the ginger root and green chillies
• Mix them with coriander, flour, salt and chilli powder
• Add a little water to make the mixture runny
• Place a pan over heat and add about one litre of oil then leave it to heat
• Dip your potato chunks into the mix until they are fully coated
• Place them into the cooking oil to fry for a few minutes
• Wait until they are crispy and brown and cooked on all sides evenly
• Serve your bhajia while hot

7. Nduma za nazi

You have probably taken nduma. But how about nduma za nazi? Well, coconut brings out a different favour to this delicacy. The good thing about it is that it only takes a few minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

• 3 peeled and washed nduma sliced into pieces
• 2 diced onions
• 1 tablespoon of salt to taste
• 2 medium peppers
• 2 cups of thick coconut milk

Instructions

• Place your nduma on a cooking pan and pour 1 cup of the coconut milk on it.
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix them
• Cover the pot and cook the nduma until it is tender and the coconut milk has receded.
• Remove it from the stove and put it aside.
• Boil the rest of the thick coconut milk till it’s denser and finally pour it over the already cooked nduma.
• Let it cool down and enjoy it with a stew of your choice

Many Swahili dishes are popular nowadays, and you can enjoy them in your nearest Swahili restaurant. However, with the recipes above, you can cook for yourself some of the most common African dishes right at your home. The good thing about these delicacies is that you can tweak the ingredients to create your preferred flavour. So, get your ingredients together and prepare to bring the taste of the Kenyan coast to your kitchen.

READ ALSO: Viazi karai recipe: this is how they do it down at the coast

Source: TUKO.co.ke

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