Recipe origin: Kenya
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 small cabbage, chopped
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 3 eggs
- Salt, to taste
Procedure
- In a saucepan, boil the water, then add the cabbage. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Drain, season with salt, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onions and tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until soft.
- Add the salted cabbage to the frying pan and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Stir the eggs into the frying pan with the vegetable mixture and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the eggs are thoroughly cooked.
- Serve with rice, ugali, or potatoes.
Serves 2 to 4.
The only place where a distinct cuisine has developed is on the eastern coast, where Swahili dishes reflect the history of contact with the Arabs and other Indian Ocean traders. They sailed in with dried fruits, rice, and spices, which expanded the Swahili diet. Here, coconut and spices are used heavily.
Although there is not a specific national cuisine, there are two national dishes: ugali and nyama choma. Maize (corn) is a Kenyan staple and the main ingredient of ugali, which is thick and similar to porridge. Many Kenyans eat this on a daily basis. It takes a lot of practice to boil the porridge without burning it. Ugali is usually eaten with meat, stews, or sukuma wiki, which literally translates to "stretch the week." This means that the food is used to stretch meals to last for the week.Sukuma wiki is a combination of chopped spinach or kale (a leafy green vegetable) that is fried with onions, tomatoes, maybe a green pepper, and any leftover meat, if available. It is seasoned with salt and some pepper. The traditional way of eating ugali is to pinch off a piece of the dough with the right hand, and shape it into a scoop by pressing and indentation into the dough with the thumb. The ugali is used to scoop sauces or stew.
