Recipe: Mexican Bhel Mexican Bhel is actually like a Mexican Salad but with a slight twist. A bit of sev is added as that goes almost in all the chaat recipes. Also the salsa is prepared a bit more spicy as Indian green chillis (lavangi or jwala) are used. Add vegetables of your choice. The basic components are sweet corn, onion, tomatoes, beans either red or black, bell pepper and avocado. Adding carrots, cucumber, olives, cheese is optional. Mexican Bhel is a great addition to your party menu, for kitty parties, kids parties, as a light lunch, or as a different kind of chaat. It is amazing how India tends to ‘Indianize ‘ western dishes. Mexican bhel is an innovative way to serve the famous…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Mombasa Mix Mombasa Mix is popular as street food in Mombasa. Nowadays it is much easier to find it at fat food restaurants. It is basically a brown chickpea potato curry cooked in coconut milk. It is then served with deep fried lentil fritters, coconut chutney and some chevdo. Chevdo is popular snack made of potatoes, lentil and flat rice with spices. The origins of this super delicious dish is debatable. Some claim it originates from Mombasa and others claim it is from Zanzibar. As far as I am concerned, during the British Rule, it was all one area and coastal food was and is different from the inland. Most coastal food has a strong, Arab, Portuguese, British and Indian influence. Where To…
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Continue ReadingWhat is Dahi Papdi Chaat? Dahi Papdi Chaat is a crisp, tangy, sweet, flavorful, lip smacking, street food that is very common in the Indian Sub Continent. In fact, simple ingredients are put together to create this delicious food. By the way, Dahi means yogurt, papdi here is like a fried cracker, a crispy flat puri. Actually, chaat is the name of the savory dish that is served as a snack or hors d’oeuvre. What is Papdi Chaat/ Papri Chaat? Basically the only difference is that papdi chaat is served without the yogurt, making it a vegan friendly chaat. The rest of the ingredients remain the same. Variety Of Chaats There are so many varieties of Chaat available and new ones keep coming up. As…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #19 What is Mogo? Usually pronounced and spelt as Mogo by most Indians from East Africa, its actually called Mhogo (pronounced as M-hogo). Mogo, cassava, tapioca or yuca, call it what you want. A root tuber which originated in Paraguay and Brazil, was brought to Africa during the slave trade era. Its a staple diet for the poor as its cheap and high in starch. Filling and cooks easily, mogo is added to stews, cooked with coconut milk, fried, boiled or roasted. Mombasa and Mogo Cassava or mogo is grown in abundance in the surrounding areas of Mombasa. A visit to the famous Mama Ngina Drive or Lighthouse as most Kenyans call it, is not complete without having some mogo…
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Continue ReadingMango Kulfi Mango Kulfi is an Indian frozen dessert which is a bit more dense and less creamier than an ice cream. Addition of cardamom and fresh mango pulp makes it a must have dessert during the mango season or summer. Easy to make, it is free from any artificial colouring or flavourings. This kulfi recipe is a quicker version from the way traditional kulfi is made. Condensed milk, milk powder and fresh cream help to get the correct consistency for the kulfi in a matter of under 20 minutes. What is Kulfi? Kulfi or Qulfi is a frozen dessert that is very popular all over the Indian Sub Continent. Its the traditional ice cream for that region. However, there is a difference between ice…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Baby Corn Manchurian Baby Corn Manchurian is crispy fried baby corn in a sweet, spicy and sour. Insanely delicious, it is usually served as a starter or as part of a main dish with either rice or noodles. What is Manchurian? Manchurian is not a part of the authentic Chinese Cuisine. In fact it is a part of the Indo Chinese Cuisine which originates from India. Pieces of meat, vegetables, paneer are dipped in a batter and deep fried. Then its stir fried with a sauce and served. If served as a starter less sauce is used. If used as a part of the main meal, more sauce is added. Manchurian is believed to have been invented by Nelson Wang who was a cook…
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Continue Reading4th President elected After a long wait, the election results finally came out yesterday. The final tallying was completed around 2 or 3 a.m. on Saturday. The results were officially announced around 3.30 p.m. The nation waited patiently. Uhuru Kenyatta becomes the 4th President of Kenya and the 1st under the new constitution. The youngest guy to occupy the prestigious post, a classmate of mine, much is expected from him. Hope he is able to deliver what he has promised along with his running mate Ruto. People suddenly sprang back to life after having been in a slumber like a hibernating bear for a nearly a whole week. To celebrate this important historic moment I made a typical coastal dish, Kaimati. It is like a…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #31 Recipe: Sourdough Calzone Sourdough Calzone is a crusty, delish, oven baked, folded pizza. Add any stuffing of your choice. Make them small to enjoy as a sandwich or bake a big one to enjoy as a main meal with some salad. Updated on 07/08/2020 I must admit that when I first made calzone at home it was as flat as a pancake. Though the taste was amazing, the single click and how a calzone should look was just off scale…completely off scale. Amazing, how over years we tend to learn how to hone our techniques and methods. Admittedly, for this post I’ve not only changed the photo but altered the recipe as for sure this is much better than…
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Continue ReadingEvent: Father’s Day Recipe: Vatidar Na Bhajia/ Dal Bhajia What is Vatidar Na Bhajia/ Dal Bhajia? Well, first of all vatidar means ground dal or dar. Dal is the Hindi word for pulses and dar is the Gujarati word. Bhajia are fritters, deep fried in oil. Vatidar na Bhajia is basically bhajia or fritters made from coarsely ground dals or pulses. Vatidar Na Bhajia/ Dal Bhajia is a Coastal Speciality A visit to Mombasa is not complete if you have not had the famous vatidar na bhajia. Every coffee shop, fast food restaurant will serve these famous bhajias. In the evenings, women sit at corners or near their home preparing these hot snacks for hungry passersby. During our visit to Mombasa, a visit to the…
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Continue ReadingEVENTS: FOODIES_REDOING OLD POSTS RECIPE: BAKED ALOO TIKKI CHAAT Baked Aloo Tikki Chaat is a lip smacking, delicious dish with a medley of different flavours and healthy. Make it at home and enjoy. Aloo Tikki Chaat is famous as Street Food all over India. Generally, crispy potato patties are topped with yogurt or chickpea curry along with spices and chutneys. In this case, I have baked the tikki instead of deep frying them to enjoy this chaat guilt free. Variations Of Aloo Tikki Chaat With Yogurt Can be topped with flavoured yogurt, chopped onion, coriander, and chutneys. Usually for chaats there are 2-3 main chutneys, a green one, date tamarind one and a fiery garlic one. Most chaats are topped with Sev. As a matter…
