Kenyan Recipes

Kenyan home cooking is simple, filling and built on a few staples. Maize meal cooked into stiff ugali sits at the center of the plate, eaten with greens such as sukuma wiki (collard greens or kale), beans, stews or grilled meat. Communities add their own dishes: mashed potato with greens (mukimo) and the maize and bean stew githeri in the central highlands, fried tilapia near Lake Victoria, and coconut-rich beans, rice and fish along the Swahili coast. Indian influence brought chapati, samosas and spiced pilau rice, and tea boiled with milk is drunk throughout the day, often with a fried mandazi. Nyama choma, meat grilled slowly over charcoal and eaten with a fresh tomato and onion salad called kachumbari, is the favorite way to gather with friends. Most food is mild and fresh, with a spoonful of chili sauce (pilipili) served on the side for anyone who wants it.

Staple ingredients

• maize meal
• beans
• sukuma wiki (collard greens or kale)
• tomatoes and onions
• coconut
• potatoes
• goat and beef
• tea and milk

• Breakfast 1
• Salads 1
• Main Dishes 6
• Side Dishes 3
• Breads 2
• Snacks 2
• Drinks 1

Breakfast

• Uji wa Wimbi (Kenyan Finger Millet Porridge)KE20 minEasy

Salads

• Kachumbari (Kenyan Tomato and Onion Salad)KE15 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Nyama Choma (Kenyan Grilled Goat or Beef Ribs)KE1 h 55 minMedium
• Pilau (Kenyan Spiced Beef Rice)KE2 h 5 minMedium
• Githeri (Kenyan Maize and Bean Stew)KE3 h 5 minEasy
• Ndengu (Kenyan Green Gram Stew)KE1 h 20 minEasy
• Samaki wa Kukaanga (Kenyan Fried Tilapia)KE45 minMedium
• Maharagwe ya Nazi (Kenyan Coconut Beans)KE2 h 5 minEasy

Side Dishes

• Sukuma Wiki (Kenyan Braised Collard Greens)KE35 minEasy
• Ugali (Kenyan Stiff Maize Meal)KE25 minEasy
• Mukimo (Kenyan Mashed Potatoes with Greens and Maize)KE50 minEasy

Breads

• Chapati (Kenyan Layered Flatbread)KE1 hMedium
• Mahamri (Kenyan Coconut Cardamom Buns)KE55 minMedium

Snacks

• Mandazi (Kenyan Cardamom Fried Dough)KE45 minEasy
• Samosa za Nyama (Kenyan Beef Samosas)KE1 h 40 minChallenging

Drinks

• Chai ya Maziwa (Kenyan Spiced Milk Tea)KE17 minEasy