30 Most Popular Foods in Kenya and how to cook them

If you want to take a meal in Kenya, you have to pick one of these 30 most popular foods.

 UGALI

Ingredients

• (495 g) whole maize flour, white
• cups (1026 g) water

Preparation 5 minutes, Cooking 25 minutes  

• Measure water and flour into separate bowls.
• Put all the water into a cooking pot, cover and bring to a boil.
• Add flour into the boiling water and keep mixing while pressing against the wall of the cooking pot until the mixture is smooth without lumps.
• Once properly mixed, reduce the fire and simmer for 13 minutes.
• Serve as desired.

POTATOES IN RICE

Ingredients

3 potatoes, unpeeled, Irish, white, raw

1 carrot, orange, raw  

1 onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled  

2 tomatoes, red, ripe

 Cooking fat

1 glass raw white rice

2 glasses of water

Salt, iodized

Serves 2, Preparation 10 minutes, Cooking 45 minutes,

• Peel, wash and chop the onions; wash and cut the tomatoes.
• Peel, wash and grate the carrots.
• Peel, wash and cut the potatoes into cubes.
• Heat the oil in a cooking pot, add the onions and cook until golden brown.
• Add tomatoes, salt and stir; cook until tender.
• Add potatoes and stir. Add little water; bring it to a boil.
• Add the grated carrots after 6 minutes.
• Add rest of water (2 glasses), stir and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Wash the rice and set aside.
• Add the rice to the boiling mixture and stir.
• Leave the mixture to boil until all the water dries up

SWAHILI BIRYANI RICE

Ingredients

 (½ kg) raw white rice

(4 glasses) water

½ g food colour powder, egg yellow

1 tsp. salt, iodized

Cooking oil

Serves 2. Preparation 5 minutes.  Cooking 25 minutes.

• Take out 2 tablespoons of water and put the rest of the water into a cooking pot, add salt and      bring to a boil.
• Wash the rice and add into the boiling water. Cover to cook for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile mix the food colour in the 1 tablespoon of water.
• Add oil and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add the food colour and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Serve with biryani stew.

RICE IN BEANS

Ingredients

1 cup of kidney beans, cooked

4glasses of water

2 glasses of raw white rice, long grain

1 large onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled  

2 tomatoes, red, ripe, raw

Cooking oil

Salt

Serves 6, Preparation 2 hours 45 minutes, Cooking 3 hours 45 minutes

• Soak the beans in in water for 2 hours 35 minutes.
• Boil the soaked beans for 3 hours.
• Peel, wash and cut onions and tomatoes separate­ly.
• Fry the onions in cooking oil until golden-brown, add the tomatoes until they have cooked down to a paste.
• Add salt to taste.
• Add the previously boiled beans and stir until evenly mixed and well coated with the tomatoes.
• Add 8 cups of water and let it boil.
• Wash rice until water runs clear.
• Add rice. When it starts boiling, reduce fire and let it cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
• Remove and serve hot.

PILAU

Ingredients

• ¼ kg raw white rice
• ¼  kg beef
• 5  seeds  cardamom, whole
• 2 sticks cinnamon, whole
• 2 seeds black pepper, whole
• 2 seeds cloves, whole
• ½  tsp. salt, iodized
• ½  tbsp. cumin
• 3  potatoes, unpeeled, raw
• 1 onion, red skinned, unpeeled, raw  
• 1 clove garlic, whole
• 1 root ginger, cut a portion
•  green capsicum, measure according to your liking
• coriander, fresh
• 2glasses of  water
• Enough cooking oil measure

Serves 4, Preparation 15 minutes, Cooking 30 minutes

• Cut meat into medium size chunks.
• Boil the meat in a large cooking pot with all the water for 30 minutes, drain the water and set both meat and water aside.
• Prepare and chop onions and potatoes, grate capsicum, pound coriander, crush garlic and ginger.
• Place each prepared ingredient in small separate bowls.
• Toast cumin seeds under medium heat on a dry pan until they start to brown. Remove from the heat and grind.
• Toast cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper together until they produce an aroma. Grind them.
• Put oil into the pan used to boil the meat.
• Add onions into the hot oil and cook for 5 min­utes until they brown (a golden-brown colour).
• Add ginger and garlic. Stir.
• Add all browned spices; cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom after 3 minutes.
• Add capsicum, coriander and potatoes after 1 minute and stir. Meanwhile, wash the rice.
• Add rice and salt after 3 minutes and stir in to properly mix the ingredients.
• Add water drained from boiling the meat, stir the rice and bring the mixture to boil for 25 minutes.
• Add the cooked meat to the boiling mixture. Cook for 15 minutes and serve.

ONION FRIED RICE

Ingredients for 1

5 glasses raw white rice

4 onions, red skinned, raw, unpeeled

2/3 cup (cooking oil

3 tsp salt, iodized

7 ½ cups of water

Serves 1, Preparation 35 minutes, Cooking 45 minutes

• Wash the rice and soak in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes. Drain and discard the water.
• Peel, wash and chop the onions and fry them in a separate pan until golden brown.
• Boil 5 ½ cups of water in a pot.
• Add salt and the rice into the boiling water. Cover to cook for 10 minutes.
• Add onions with the oil with which it was fried in to the rice.
• Cover with aluminium foil and simmer for 11 minutes.
• Remove from fire.

MUKIMO (PUMPKIN LEAVES, POTATO & FRESH MAIZE,)

Ingredients

6 potatoes, unpeeled, Irish, raw

4 bunches pumpkin leaves

2 ½ cups green maize, white, boiled

2 cups of water

12 salt, iodiz

Serves 4, Preparation 15 minutes, Cooking 1 hour 15 min­utes,

• Peel the potatoes and wash.
• Wash the pumpkin leaves and chop finely.
• Put 2 cups of water into a pot. Add the potatoes, pumpkin leaves and salt.
• Cover the pot and boil the mixture for 20 minutes.
• Add the boiled maize and cover to cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove from fire and mash to serve.

 MAIZE, BEANS, POTATOES & PUMPKIN LEAVES (MUKIMO)

Ingredients

• 10 potatoes, unpeeled, Irish, white
• 9 stalks pumpkin leaves, raw
• white maize and kidney beans, cooked
• cups water
• Salt, iodized

Preparation 15 minutes, Cooking 1 hour

• Peel, wash and cut the potatoes.
• Cut the pumpkin leaves.
• Meanwhile, measure 7 ½ cups of previously boiled maize and beans mixture (the ratio of maize to beans is 1:2).
• Put all the water into the empty cooking ves­sel. Add potatoes and salt.
• Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes and add the cut pumpkin leaves. Cover the pot and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the cooked maize-bean mixture and cov­er to cook for 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and mash the mixture.
• Serve while hot.

MUKIMO WA NJAHI (BLACK BEANS, GREEN BANANAS & POTATOES)

Ingredients

6 potatoes, unpeeled, Irish, raw

6 green bananas, unpeeled, raw

2 ½ cups njahi, dolichos lablab, raw, dry

25 ¾ glasses of water

4 tsp. salt, iodized

Preparation 20 minutes Cooking 4 hours

• Boil 2 ½ cups of njahi (dolichos lablab) in 21 cups of water for 3 hours.
• Peel and wash the potatoes and green bananas in sep­arate bowls, chop them.
• Put the rest of the water into a separate cooking pot.
• Add the chopped potatoes, green bananas and salt.
• Boil for 10 minutes.
• Add the cooked black beans, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
• Remove from fire and mash.

MASHED POTATOES WITH BANANAS

            Ingredients

• 5 large potatoes, unpeeled, white, Irish, raw
• 4 bananas, raw, unpeeled
• 1 onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled  
• 2 tomatoes, red, raw
•  cooking fat
•  salt, iodized and  water

Preparation 10 minutes, Cooking 45 minutes

• Peel, wash the potatoes and bananas into separate bowls.
• Peel, wash and chop the onion. Wash and cut the tomatoes.
• Heat the cooking fat in a pan. Add the onion into the pan and cook until golden brown.
• Add tomatoes and stir until the tomatoes are cooked or tender
• Cut the potatoes and bananas and add into the cooking pot.
• Add salt, cover and keep stirring at intervals.
• Add all the water and bring to a boil.
• Cook until the potatoes and the green bananas are tender.
• Mash to a smooth consistency and serve while food hot.

MUSHENYE (SWEET POTATOES AND GREEN MAIZE)

Ingredients

3 ¾ cups beans, kidney, dry

2 cobs green maize, with husks

4 sweet potatoes, unpeeled, pink skin, raw

4 tsp .salt, iodized

30 cups water

Serves 6 Preparation 20 minutes, Cooking 4 hours 40 min­utes

• Boil beans for 2 hours in 21 cups of water.
• Remove husks and shell the maize grains into a bowl.
• Add the green maize and 4 cups of water to the cooked beans.
• Let the maize boil until it is cooked for about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile peel and wash the sweet potatoes.
• Add sweet potatoes, peanut butter, salt and the rest of the water.
• Cook the sweet potatoes in the maize-bean mix­ture for 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Once cooked, mash, remove from heat and serve.

KIMANGA CHA NDIZI  (SMOKED GREEN BANANAS AND KIDNEY BEAN)

Ingredients

Beans, kidney, dry

Green bananas, peeled smoked

            Salt, iodized

Water

Preparation 1 week (for smoking the bananas us­ing a charcoal stove) Cooking 2 hours 20 minutes

• Boil beans in all the water until they are ready.
• Without draining the water used to cook the beans, add the smoked bananas, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add salt and stir. Cook until the bananas are soft.
• Remove and mash.
• Serve while hot.

MASHED POTATOES

This dish prepared for 2 people requires the following;

Ingredients

• Take the amount of potatoes that you need (raw)
• Peel the potatoes, do not cut them into small pieces
• Boil (whole) until they cook
• 2 onions
• 2 tomatoes

Preparation 10 minutes, Cooking 25 minutes

• Peel the potatoes and clean them.
• Put them in a cooking pot, add salt and cover with all the water.
• Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are ready and tender.
• Drain any excess water.
• Mash the potatoes to a smooth consistency and serve warm.

MASHED BANANAS

Ingredients

• Unpeeled bananas, green, raw (1 kg)
• Cups of water
• Salt, iodized

Preparation 10 minutes Cooking 45 minutes

• Peel the bananas and clean them.
• Put in a cooking pot; add all the water and salt.
• Bring them to boil until the bananas are tender.
• Mash and serve warm

GITHERI (FRESH BEANS AND MAIZE)

Ingredients

• cups maize and beans, dry, boiled
• 1 onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled
• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 3 tsp. salt, iodized
• cups (389 g) water

Preparation 10 minutes, Cooking 15 minutes

• Measure 11 cups of previously boiled maize and beans mixture
• Prepare, wash and chop the onion.
• Pour oil in a cooking pot over fire, add onions and cook for 2 minutes and add salt.
• Add the boiled maize-bean mixture.
• Stir and add 1 3/4 cups water.
• Cover and let the mixture to cook for 10 minutes.
• Serve while hot.

MUTHOKOI

Ingredients

• maize, white, de-germed
• beans, kidney, dry, raw
• (water (to boil muthokoi)
• 1 onion red skinned, raw, unpeeled
• cooking fat, shortening, commercial, vegetable fat
• salt, iodized

Preparation 2 hours 45 minutes Cooking 15 minutes

• Heat oil in a cooking pot for 1 minute.
• Add the chopped onions and cook until soft.
• Add muthokoi and salt; stir to mix.
• Add the water drained from the boiled muthokoi.
• Cover to cook for 3-5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat.
• Serve.

NCHENNGA (CRUSHED MAIZE)

Ingredients

• Cups (231 g) crushed maize, white, dry
• 1 onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled
• 1 carrot, orange, raw
• 2 ½ tbsp. cooking fat
• 2 ½ tsp. salt, iodized
• 4 ²/₃ cups (1004 g) water

Preparation 10-15 minutes, Cooking 1 hour

• Wash the crushed maize and boil in all the water until soft.
• Peel the carrot and grate. Wash, peel and chop the onion.
• Melt the cooking fat in a pot. Add onion and cook until golden brown.
• Add the grated carrot, salt and stir for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the boiled crushed maize, stir and cover to cook for 2-5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat.
• Serve hot.

BEEF STEW

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef, medium fat, without bone, raw
• 2 onions, red skinned, raw, unpeeled
• 3 tomatoes, red, ripe
• Salt, iodized
• Cooking oil
• Cups (682 g) water

Preparation 10 minutes, Cooking 25 minutes  

• Peel, wash and chop the onions and the toma­toes into separate bowls.
• Cut beef into small pieces and wash.
• Boil the meat in all the water until tender. Turn off the heat, strain the remaining water and place the meat in a separate bowl.
• Heat cooking oil in a cooking pot for 1 minute.
• Add onions and cook until soft.
• Add tomatoes and salt and cook until soft
• Add the boiled meat and stir.
• Add the liquid drained from boiling the meat, stir and cover to cook for 8 minutes.
• Turn off the heat.
• Serve.

FRIED GOAT MEAT

Ingredients

• 1 kg meat, goat, medium fat, raw
• 1 onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled
• 3 tomatoes, red, ripe, chopped
• Cooking oil
• 1 ½ tsp.salt, iodized
• (494 g) water

Preparation 5-10 minutes, Cooking 1 hour 40 minutes

• Cut the goat meat into small pieces.
• Add the meat, all the water and salt into a cook­ing pot. Bring the mixture to a boil.
• Meanwhile, prepare and cut the onions and toma­toes into separate bowls.
• Add the onions and continue boiling.
• When all the water has dried, add oil and stir.
• Add tomatoes and stir.
• Simmer until ready.
• Serve while hot

MINCED MEAT BALLS

Ingredients

• 1 kg minced raw beef, medium fat
• (1207 g) water
• 4 onions, red skinned, raw, unpeeled (376 g)
• 5 tomatoes, red, ripe (439 g)
• 1 bunch coriander leaves (51 g)
• (12 g) salt, iodized
• ½ cup cooking oil (102 g)
• (4 g) cumin seeds
• Curry powder
• Royco cubes
• 1 whole garlic
• ¼ cup white raw rice

Preparation 30 minutes, cooking 1 hour 15 minutes

• Pound the minced meat in a mortar.
• Prepare and cut the onions as well as the tomatoes and chop into two separate bowls.
• Divide the onion, garlic, cumin seed and coriander in two equal portions. Mix and pound one half of each divided ingredient and add into the pounded meat.
• Add rice to the pounded mixture and crush the grains.
• Fry the other half of onions in ½ cup of cooking oil until they turn golden brown. Add salt and stir.
• Add tomatoes and all the water, and then simmer until the tomatoes are tender.
• Pound the rest of the garlic, cumin seeds and corian­der into the pounded meat.
• Work the meat with palms to form balls using ¼ cup of cooking oil.
• Add the meat balls into the simmering tomato soup.
• Add garlic, curry powder and Royco® cubes.
• Simmer for 30 minutes until the meat balls are ready

STEWED DRIED FISH

Ingredients

• 210 g dry fish
• 3 tomatoes, red, ripe (319 g)
• 1 whole onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled
• (104 g) cooking oil
• (28 g) peanut butter
• 1 g magadi (water and ash)
• (406 g) water

Preparation 15 minutes, cooking time 25 min­utes

• Soak the dried fish in ¾ cup of warm water for 10 minutes.
• Chop the onion, cut the tomatoes and place into separate bowls.
• Wash the dried fish in the soaking water and drain the water.
• In a cooking pot, heat cooking oil, add the onions and cook until they turn golden brown.
• Add peanut butter and the grated tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes while stirring at inter­vals.
• Add 1g of magadi and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add salt and the rest of the water and bring the mixture to boil.
• Add the washed fish and cook for 10 minutes or until ready.
• Remove from heat and serve.

OMENA SERVED WITH UGALI

Ingredients

•  dried omena fish, right amount
• 2 onions, red skinned, raw, unpeeled  
• 2 cups water
• salt, iodized
• 3 tomatoes, red, ripe
• 1 cup (200 g) cooking oil
• milk

Preparation 15 minutes, Cooking 1 hour

• Sort the omena (do not wash).
• Into a clean pot, add omena, all the water and 1 tsp. salt.
• Start the fire, cover the pot and boil for 40 minutes.
• Remove from fire, drain and discard the water.
• Wash and cut the onions, and tomatoes into sepa­rate bowls.
• Into a clean pot, add cut onions and cooking oil. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add the remaining salt, mix, cover and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Mash the tomatoes with a fork.
• Add the boiled omena and mix.
• Add the milk, mix and cover.
• Add ghee, mix and heat for 3 minutes.
• Cook for another 10 minute

FRIED TILAPIA

Ingredients

• 1 whole fresh tilapia, (approx.834 g)
•  (831 g) cooking oil
• salt

Preparation 10 minutes | Cooking 30 minutes | Serves 4

• Prepare and wash the fresh fish.
• Score the length of the fish and sprinkle salt on the sur­face.
• Put oil into the pan and heat.
• Put in the salted fish into the hot oil and fry until it browns.
• Turn to cook the other side.
• Place on paper towel to drain the excess oil.

ISISWA (FRIED TERMITES)

Ingredients

• 2 cups (335 g) dried termites, raw
• 1 onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled (107g)
• 1 ¼ cups (271 g) cow’s milk
• ½ tbsp. (7 g) salt, iodized

Preparation 10 minutes. Cooking 30 minutes

• Wash the termites.
• Peel, wash and finely chop the onions.
• Put milk into a cooking pot and place on heat.
• Add onions and the washed termites.
• Add salt and stir to mix while heating.
• Continue stirring and intervals.
• Reduce the heat and cook until dry.
• Remove and serve.

OMELET

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, whole
• 2 tomatoes, red, ripe
• 1 onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled  
• 1 pinch salt, iodized
• cooking oil

Preparation 5 minutes, Cooking 15 minutes

• Break 4 eggs into a bowl.
• Heat a little oil on a pan.
• Peel, wash and cut the onion and tomatoes into small cubes.
• Whisk the eggs in a pinch of salt, add onions and tomatoes and continue whisking until well mixed.
• Pour the mixture into the heated greased pan and cook for 6 minutes, turn and cook for 6 minutes.
• Serve.

INGOKHO (STEWED CHICKEN)

• Ingredients
• 1.4 kg chicken, whole
• 2 red skinned onions, raw, unpeeled,
• salt, iodized
• 4 tomatoes, red, ripe

Preparation 15 minutes, cooking 1 hour 15 minutes

• Light a charcoal stove. Put a mesh over the fire to singe any thin feathers and lightly brown the skin of the chicken.
• After 12 minutes, cut the chicken into large chunks and continue roasting for another 5 minutes or until ready. Remove from the fire.
• Cut the chicken into smaller portions and return the pieces onto the fire for another 11 minutes.
• Put the chicken onto a heated pan. Cook the chick­en without added oil/ fat to brown further. Keep turning for the chicken to cook evenly.
• Add salt to the chicken and keep turning.
• Add the whole green capsicum into the pan with chicken. Turn the stove to low heat and let it simmer for 9 minutes.
• Prepare the onions and tomatoes. Chop into small pieces in separate bowls.
• Add the onions, cover and continue cooking for another 25 minutes.
• Remove the whole green capsicum from the pot and immediately add tomatoes.
• Continue cooking for another 13 minutes.
• Remove from the fire.
• Serve

FRIED CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 1.3 kg whole chicken
• salt, iodized
• cooking oil

Preparation 10 minutes, Cooking 1 hour

• Cut the chicken into large chunks.
• Wash the meat.
• Place a pan on fire and add oil.
• Add salt to the chicken and rub in.
• Heat oil for 6 minutes.
• Gently place the chicken pieces into the pan and turn every 3 minutes until the skin is golden brown.
• Serve hot.

FRIED SUKUMA WIKI (KALES)

Ingredients

• sukuma wiki leaves raw (2667 g)
• 2 tomatoes, red, ripe (345 g)
• 1 onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled (184 g)
• ¼ cup (45 g) cooking oil
• ½ tsp. (3 g) salt, iodized

Preparation 15 minutes, Cooking 20 minutes 

• Wash the sukuma wiki and then remove the stalks.
• Roll up a handful of sukuma wiki leaves into a bunch and chop them finely.
• Wash, prepare and cut the onion and tomatoes separately.
• Place a cooking pot on the fire. Add cooking oil.
• Cook the onion until golden brown.
• Add tomatoes into the pot.
• Cook tomatoes until ready.
• Add the chopped sukuma wiki and salt.
• Stir until evenly mixed.
• Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
• Serve hot.

STIR FRIED CABBAGE)

Ingredients

• cabbage, white, raw
• ½ onion, red skinned, raw, unpeeled
• cooking oil
• salt, iodized

Preparation 10 minutes, Cooking 15 minutes  

• Prepare and cut the onions and the cabbage into separate bowls.
• Add the cooking oil into a cooking pot over fire and then put the chopped onions. Stir the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the cabbage and stir.
• Add salt and continue to stir the cabbage to cook it evenly.
• Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Remove and serve.

WHITE CHAPATI

Ingredients

• 4 1/3 cups (576 g) wheat flour, refined, fortified
• water
• 1 tsp. white sugar
• ½ tspsalt, iodized
• ¾ cup cooking oil

Preparation 30 minutes, Cooking 30 minutes 

• Measure flour, salt, sugar, cooking oil and water into separate bowls.
• Mix the dry ingredients; flour, sugar and salt.
• Warm all the water and add into the dry ingredients mixture.
• Knead the mixture to soft dough for 6 minutes.
• Set the dough aside and cover for 16 minutes before use.
• Place the cast iron pan over the fire and heat.
• Dust the working surface lightly with flour and start roll­ing the dough to desired thickness.
• Apply ¼ cup oil on top, cut into strips and roll strips into balls of desired size.
• Cover with cling film or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest.
• Cooking oil is added into the mixture either in water, in dry ingredients or when kneading. You can also use oil to cover the dough to prevent it from drying/ crusting. Oil can also be applied on top.
• Start rolling each ball on a lightly floured work surface into a disc shape.
• Cook each chapati on the pan one at a time until lightly browned on both sides.
• Lightly oil each side and turn before removing it from the heat. Repeat for all the chapati’s.
• Stack up the cooked chapati as you remove them from the pan. Keep covered.

STEWED POTATOES AND ARROWROOTS

Ingredients

• 4 potatoes, unpeeled, white, Irish
• 3 arrowroots, unpeeled, raw
• 3 green bananas, unpeeled
• 3 carrots, orange
• 2 red skinned, onions, unpeeled
• 3 tomatoes, red, ripe
• cooking oil
• salt, iodized
• water

Preparation 10-15 minutes, Cooking 1 hour

• Peel, wash and cut the potatoes, arrowroots and ba­nanas into large chunks. Place them in separate bowls and cover with water.
• Peel, wash, cut the carrots and tomatoes and place in separate bowls.
• Chop the onions and put into a clean pot, add cook­ing oil and cook the onion until it starts to brown
• Add tomatoes, cook while stirring until tender
• Add the cut arrowroots, stir and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add the cut carrots, 4 cups of water and stir. Cook for 4 minutes.
• Add potatoes, salt and stir.
• Cover and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes while stir­ring at intervals.
• Add the chopped green bananas and cook for 2 min­utes. Add 3 cups of water.
• Cover and cook until ready.
• Remove from heat and serve.