The Tastes of Kenya

Kenya is a magical country--for its people, for its wildlife and for its food. An abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables grows in its temperate climate, and Kenyans have a talent for incorporating these delicacies into a variety of interesting dishes. Since visiting there, I’ve tried to recreate Kenyan dishes, and I’ve searched several cookbooks for other good recipes from Africa.

This menu was inspired by recipes in “A Taste of Africa” by Dorinda Hafner (Ten Speed Press, 1994) and “Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture and Cooking” by Eric V. Copage (Morrow, 1993).

Menu

Plantain and Coconut Beef Stew

Kenya-Style Collards in Lemon Sauce

Banana Fritters

STAPLES

Cornstarch

Flour

Lemon

Milk

Nutmeg

Oil

Onions

Pepper

Salt

Powdered sugar

Superfine sugar

SHOPPING LIST

3 large ripe bananas

1 pound lean beef (chuck or round)

1 serrano chile

2 pounds fresh collard greens

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

3 large plantains or 4 firm green bananas

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-salt chicken stock

4 tomatoes

GAME PLAN

1 1/2 hours before: Prepare stew but do not add peas.

One hour before: Cook collard greens. Prepare fritters and keep in warm place until time to serve. (Note: Fritter batter may be prepared at this point and fritters cooked immediately after dinner.)

15 minutes before: Reheat stew, if necessary, and add peas right before serving.

PLANTAIN AND COCONUT BEEF STEW (Ndizi na Nyama)

1 pound lean beef (chuck or round), cut in 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup water

Salt

1 tablespoon oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup coconut milk

3 large plantains or 4 firm green bananas, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch-thick

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 cup chicken stock, optional

Pepper

The plantains and coconut milk are lightly sweet, giving this stew a unique flavor. The unusual mix of fruit, vegetables and meat also gives this dish an interesting texture. The stew may be made up to 1 1/2 hours before serving, but add the peas just before serving to preserve their bright green color.

Bring beef, water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in large Dutch oven. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Remove meat from pot, draining liquid.

Heat oil in heavy pan and saute onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and drained meat and cook about 10 minutes.

Add coconut milk and plantains and cook until fruit is tender, not mushy, about 10 minutes. Add peas and stir until they are warm, 1 to 2 minutes. If stew is too thick, add chicken stock as needed for desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

477 calories; 384 mg sodium; 51 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 25 grams protein; 3.23 grams fiber.

KENYA-STYLE COLLARDS IN LEMON SAUCE (Sukuma Wiki)

2 pounds collard greens (about 2 bunches)

Water

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 fresh hot chile pepper, such as serrano, seeded and minced

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon flour

Salt, pepper

Collard lovers will enjoy this lovely rendition of a favorite Southern green.

Rinse collard greens thoroughly in lukewarm water, repeating, if necessary, to remove all dirt and grit.

Remove woody stems. Stack greens few at a time and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to boil in large pan or skillet. Add collard greens, cover, lower heat and simmer 30 to 35 minutes. Drain greens well.

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add chile and cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add drained collard greens and cook over low heat, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Whisk 3/4 cup water with lemon juice, flour and salt to taste until smooth. Stir into greens and simmer until sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

159 calories; 121 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 1.91 grams fiber.

BANANA FRITTERS (Chapati ya Ndizi Tamu)

3 large, very ripe bananas

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Oil

Vanilla ice cream, optional

Mint leaves, optional

Fresh berries, optional

Tropical flowers, optional

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Although not the traditional preparation for fritters, in which whole pieces of fruit are battered and fried, this African-inspired version is out of this world. Serve the fritters warm with ice cream and sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar. If superfine sugar is not available in your supermarket, use the same amount of granulated sugar, but put it in a food processor and grind it until fine-textured.

Peel and halve bananas. Put in bowl and mash with masher or electric beater on low speed.

Stir in milk, superfine sugar, cornstarch, flour and nutmeg.

Heat enough oil for deep frying in large nonstick skillet or Dutch oven until almost smoking. Drop 1 teaspoon fritter batter into oil to test temperature. Fritter should turn golden brown but not burn. If oil is too hot, turn down and wait few minutes before testing again.

When oil is correct temperature, add batter 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook on both sides until golden brown, then drain on paper towel. Keep fritters warm while cooking remaining batter.

Place 4 to 5 fritters on each plate and top with 1 scoop vanilla ice cream; garnish with mint leaves, fresh berries or tropical flower, if desired. Sift small amount powdered sugar over each plate.

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving, without ice cream, berries and flowers, contains about:

145 calories; 5 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.23 gram fiber.

* Forma plates in photograph from Cyclamen at Fillamento in San Francisco.