When I was twenty five I travelled to Kenya to visit friends who lived in Mombasa. It was the experience of a lifetime, I flew to Nairobi and spent several days in the largest city in East Africa. My friends then took me on safari, which means 'Journey' in Swahili, through the Maasai Mara, one of Africa's greatest wildlife reserves. This was before the days of intense tourism, we set off in our small bus accompanied by a Masai guide and rarely saw another person until we settled down in camp for the night.
Rather than encountering herds of tourist buses, we saw many of the reserves wild animals in all their majestic beauty and at very close range.
After our safari we took the overnight passenger train from Nairobi to Mombasa, probably one of my greatest travelling experiences. Upon arrival in Mombasa we were taken to my friends house which literally sat on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Kenya is a multi racial society and traditional Kenyan food reflects the many different lifestyles of the various groups in the country. In rural areas simple local ingredients are used to create filling and inexpensive dishes, staples are maize and other cereals, eaten mostly with vegetables. The nearer you get to the coast the more exotic the cuisine becomes due to the influence of merchant traders. Aromatic spices from the east found their way into Swahili culture reflecting an Indian influence over Kenyan cooking.
My friends had a live in cook who made the most delicious, traditional dishes, most of which were vegetarian. I loved spending time in his kitchen watching him prepare our meals and we became great friends in spite of the language barrier. Being on the coast, and I suspect because my friends were wealthy, Farah had lots of lovely spices at his disposal, he could transform a plain bean stew into a delicious Maharagwe, an aromatic coconut curry soup. We ate spicy chapattis and spiced rice which certainly had an indian influence, but my favourite was a spicy fish stew served with ugali, African cornmeal.
My time in Kenya heightened my love of spicy and exotic food, this next dish is very aromatic and I defy anyone not to be tantalised by the aromas of the fresh and ground spices used in this recipe.
Aromatic chicken
Recipe
1 thumb sized piece ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 cloves
3 free range chicken breasts
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
A large handful of fresh spinach
2 cinnamon sticks
Oil
Salt and pepper
Pulse garlic, ginger turmeric and cloves in a blender until you have a paste
Heat oil in a large pan and gently fry paste for 2 minutes
Add chicken breasts and 2 whole cinnamon sticks
Fry chicken for 2/3 minutes on each side to seal
Add chopped tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes
When the sauce has reduced add spinach
Stir and allow spinach to wilt, season with salt and pepper
Cut chicken into chunks and serve with rice
'You know you are truly alive when you're living among lions.'
- karen Blixen, Out Of Africa
Love Donna xxxxxxxx
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