Homemade Peri Peri Spice Seasoning

Are you tired of bland and uninspiring meals? Do you long for an easy way to add a burst of flavor to your dishes? Look no further! In this blog post, we're diving into the world of homemade peri-peri seasoning, a versatile spice blend that will elevate your culinary creations to a whole new level. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a novice cook, this recipe is for everyone who appreciates the magic of spices in the kitchen. Who Is This Recipe For? This homemade peri-peri seasoning recipe is perfect for: Spice Enthusiasts: If you're someone who enjoys a bit of heat and a medley of aromatic spices, you're in for a treat. This seasoning will become your pantry staple. Home Cooks: Even if you're just starting your culinary journey, this recipe is simple and easy to follow. You'll impress your friends and family with your newfound spice expertise. Health-Conscious Foodies: Unlike many store-bought seasoning blends, this homemade version allows you to control the ingredients, ensuring no unwanted additives or preservatives. Budget-Friendly Cooks: Making your peri-peri seasoning at home is not only tastier but also more cost-effective in the long run. So, why is this recipe great? Because it brings restaurant-quality flavors to your home-cooked meals, and you can customize the level of heat to suit your taste buds. Let's dive into the details! I have been featured on   Top Kenya Food Bloggers 2022. Go check it out for more delicious recipes!

Top 30 Recipes on Nairobi Kitchen You Tube Channel

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY LOVES!!!

 

I know, it’s already February but it still feels like a new year. Happy New Month! 2020 came and went just like that. It had been a tough year with all the pandemic issues that we had to deal with. I thought that now that we are quarantined, I would have the chance to cook dozens of meals but I guess the inspiration was lackluster to the point I was always happy that there were left overs. No need to cook. I hope this year will be a bit better and hoping for the best. So to start us off, ill share with you my top 30 recipes on my YouTube channel. My channel has officially crossed 6,000 subscribers with 500, 000 overall views! It’s something small to celebrate because when I started my channel I was a bit scared about not receiving feedback or people not watching the content, but thank you guys for your interactions, comments and even views, you are my MVPs! Which recipe was your favourite on my blog and on my channel? What would you like me to cook this year? What content would you like me to add on my YouTube channel? Let me know below in the comments, I always look forward to all your interactions! much love and kisses!

VOTE NAIROBI KITCHEN IN THE 2019 BAKE AWARDS

I have AWESOME news! My blog was nominated in this year's BAKE WARDS 2019! BAKE is a Kenyan platform that allows bloggers to share and also learn from each other. They usually have workshops where they invite different leaders and specialists to train on various aspects of blogging. From writting, to monetizing, to promotions and even knowing your right as a blogger or content creator. They normally have annual Awards where different categories are represented and the top five in each category are listed for the public to vote their favourites. BAKE AWARDS is a well known anticipated event, Businness Today featured the list of nominees. I was pleasantly surprised when I received the Email that I had been nominated. The Category I am in is FOOD BLOG, my blog is under (5e). Thank you for being a part of my small Kitchen space and I'm requesting for you guys to vote for my blog. I will leave all the details below on how to vote. Lets bring the trophy home!

PANTRY ORGANIZATION PART 2

Series 2 of our pantry organization continues with the process of getting an organized pantry. You never know that you have so much stuff until it is all laid out out of the pantry. The best way to declutter and organize your pantry is laying everything out so that you know where to begin. Once everything is out you can plan where and how the items will be placed back. You get a much better perspective. For now there are no canisters or containers to put the dry food stuff in, but it still needs to be decluttered and arranged in a way I can find things easily.  You
saw how the pantry looked which was giving me negative unsettling vibes. Today is the day I work on it. Since it is a process with some stages, I will post the organized pantry next week. Today I will just show you my process and give you some tips then next week will be the big reveal. I cannot wait to start on this pantry organization so lets get on with it💪💪

HOW TO PEEL RAW BANANAS HUSTLE FREE

Peeling raw or green bananas has always been a hustle for me, probably why I haven't been cooking them. Whenever you peel green raw bananas, there is that sticky stuff that gets left behind on your fingers and hands. Plus there is a dark purplelish stain that also sticks to your palms. You need to thoroughly wash your hands after with something rough in order to remove thr stain and stickiness. I have heard of tips like smearing your hands with oil before chopping raw green bananas, soaking the bananas in salty water first before chopping or even covering or wrapping your hands with plastic paperbags and the chopping. Well apart from being such a hustle, paperbags were banned in Kenya so that is scrapped off. The method that I have seen is fast and though it does not scrape off all the stain, at least the stickiness is reduced and you do finish much faster. Another advantage is that you will not be chopping off too much flesh from the green raw bananas. So here is how I peel green raw bananas that I used for my matoke recipe.

PANTRY ORGANIZATION PART 1

I'm literally OCD when it comes to organization. I love things to be neat and organized, just makes my life that much easier, and so light. The kitchen is where we spend most of our time since we have three meals a day, on a good day, it is where we store a lot of the food stuff. Therefore the storage area should be clean and clutter free not only to look organized but also to prevent contamination of food items or rotting of others. Most of us have the opportunity to have a kitchen pantry that you can store food items when you buy in bulk. And that is where pantry organization comes in. I know I said I love organizing but look at this pantry, giving me the chills just walking into it. Call it laziness, procastination or whatever, I need to work on it ASAP! But why do you need to have an organized pantry? Well read on to find out why

10 SUPER FOODS YOU NEED IN YOUR PANTRY

poppy seeds

When you are thinking about stocking your pantry, you need to think about including some super foods that are not only delicious but healthy and filled with lots of necessary nutrients that we need on a daily basis. Super food generally refers to foods that have the added benefit of offering maximum nutritional benefits yet with for minimal calories. These great foods are packed with minerals, antioxidants and vitamins. Among the super foods include, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, yoghurt, chocolate, fish, beans. The best part about having super foods in your pantry is that you can grab them any time since most like nuts and seeds keep for  long time. You can eat the super foods individually or you can mix and match them to create a delicious meal that will be filling build or even protect the body from infections. Most of these super foods are readily available at the local market, or even in the frozen section like fish.

MEAL PREP TIPS AND IDEAS FOR EVERYDAY COOKING

bacon cilantro scrambled eggs recipe

Meal preparation, which sometimes called "meal prep," is the process of planning and preparing meals. It can mean preparing meals ahead of time for a short extended period of time. When it comes to meal preparation, the food may be fully cooked, precooked or even just set out in readiness for the preparation. People often do meal preps for different reasons which include but not limited to those who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, those who want to lose weight, those who want to gain muscle or even as a recommendation by their doctors for certain diets based on their illnesses. Meals may eb prepared in small quantities and store in containers to be cooked at a later date or even cooked just waiting to be warmed up.

NAIROBI KITCHEN ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!

Nairobi Kitchen turned ONE this year, and to celebrate I will be awarding someone with a special gift! I have had so much fun creating recipes for this blog that has grown because of your support and comments. I cannot believe it has been a full year of doing what I love and getting to share with you what has been great recipes that have been inspired by my own stories, your stories and even events in my life. It all started with this delicious amazing watermelon lookalike bread and this journey has seen me through my favorite theme month like the avocado august month - which was a blast by the way! Look out for another theme month that is coming up in January 2019! Cooking has been one of those things that is therapeutic for me and fun especially when cooking for family and friends. There is nothing more special and blessed like watching people eat what you have prepared and enjoying the food! It just melts your heart. So to give back to you guys for being there with me and for me throughout this whole year of food blogging, I wanted to do something a lil' special for you guys. That is why I will be gifting one deserving reader the chance to start the Christmas celebrations early, read the details below!

HOW TO CREATE AVOCADO GARNISH

For me Avocados are life! Since they are seasonal fruits I always look forward to their arrival with bated breath like my life depended on me getting the avocado. I live, live for the days when I can have my hands on avocados so that I can eat them as fruits, desserts or even the main meal. How awesomely delicious is guacamole that you can eat with this delicious Kenyan style nyama choma without the guilt? It is said that people first eat their food by sight. How food is presented really matters especially to us foodies who sometimes get too clinicaly obsessed when it comes to food pairings and presentations. One of the best ways to present interesting and delicious looking food is by garnishes. Garnishing food just gives it that much more EXTRA vibe! Food should never be boring. Even if you are just making for yourself, a little garnish won't hurt. So I thought I would combine my love for avocado and garnishing and present to you how to create an avocado garnish or otherwise known as Avocado Rose. When creating an avocado rose make sure you do not use an over ripe avocado. It should be firm so that you can slice it as thinly as possible and it will not get all mushy on you. Make sure to sprinkle lemon juice on the avocado so that it does not turn grey before you have had the chance to present it. You can garnish your toast bread, salad, main meals with this avocado rose making the food already appetizing and beautiful to look at. Such an easy method that you can try out to give your food a touch of cuisine class. Have you made an avocado rose before? Let me know

HOW TO PERFECTLY WHIP CREAM

I cannot say how much I love whipping cream! The first time I got my electric hand mixer, I was itching to make whipping cream with it! I literally lick the bowl every time I make whipping cream, well, who doesn’t? Right? Whipping cream should be light, soft yet creamy and rich. It should be very easy to add dollops on pies, cakes and even ice-cream and even simpler to spread as icing. When you start whipping cream, make sure that the heavy cream is chilled, refrigerated for at least 12 hours. the colder the better. Chill the bowl and beaters for at least 20 minutes to give you an easier time whipping the cream. The best bowl to use when whipping cream is a metal bowl which chills much better. Use a very large bowl when whipping because the cream whips to three times its volume! You do not want your whipped cream to be pouring out all over the counter! To give the whipping cream that wonderful texture and rich flavor you need to make sure the the cream whips as quickly as possible, too long and you will over whip your cream. Here are a few tips I have learnt on how to perfectly whip cream perfectly. I used the whipping cream to make my cookies n cream ice cream. 

HOW TO CUT MANGO CUBES

It seems like a pretty obvious easy thing, cutting mangoes. But when you think about it, it’s not really just taking a knife and butchering that poor fruit in an effort to devour it hungrily. Cutting mangoes is an art that is simple and for those who want a pretty presentation at the end of it all. Want to impress your friends, family or guest? Then this is for you, though you might want to impress yourself first with a very nicely cut pieces of mango. Mangoes are packed with lots of vitamin C and fiber apart from being sweet and delicious.  Mangoes are usually in season all year long, though some varieties have specific months that you can find them, like the small green mangoes. This method works for any type of mango and will be a favorite way of cutting your mangoes whether for yourself or for others. This tried and true easy method is how to cut mangoes into cubes. If you want similar sized pieces when cutting mangoes into cubes, this method is the sure way to get that. The best way to go about getting cubed mangoes is to first choose a mango that is ripe yet firm. If the mango is too ripe then you will end up with a mess as the fruit will be too mushy to cut into your desired pieces.  Always sanitize your work area, utensils and hands before handling any fruit and use a clean knife and cutting board. You can eat mangoes sliced over salads; you can make mango salsa, blend the mango into smoothies, and make kabobs and even sauté in meat and sea food dishes. So let’s get cutting! Have you tried this method before? What are you favorite ways of cutting mangoes? Let me know!

VALENTINES' DAY GIVEAWAY - WIN A RED VELVET CAKE

I'm so excited to announce Nairobi Kitchen's first Giveaway! It's been great sharing recipes with you guys and I thought what better way to say thank you than giving you a gift especially since we are nearing Valentine's Day! A day to show love in its many forms. My way of sharing love with you is by having this Giveaway, where one lucky reader gets a Red Velvet Cake from one of my favorite Bakers, Kates Bakers. The rules are pretty simple:

DELAMERE YOGURT WITH REAL LEMON BISCUIT - PRODUCT REVIEW

Ever tasted yogurt so good that you literally had a foodgasm in your mouth? That o-m-g-what-is-happening-in-my-mouth kind of moment? I bet you haven't! That is what Delamere's Yogurt with real lemon biscuit does to you. There's yogurt, then there's flavored yogurt, then there's fruit yogurt, and then there's this yogurt that beats it all. When they say real lemon biscuit, it's real biscuits in the yogurt. You don't just get two or three pieces of the lemon biscuit in your yogurt, all those yummy biscuits are in every bite!I love the fact that the yogurt is thick and you can eat it with your spoon as you enjoy every flavor of its ingredients. I have made a Parfait Dessert with this yogurt and I must confess that was the first time tasting the Yogurt With real lemon biscuit and I got hooked!

METAL CUPS AND SWEET TEA

I have been away for so long I miss being in the kitchen. But I travelled to grandmas at the village where I have been so relaxed that I forgot city life... just a bit... I promise. Today's post is random since it's about my stay at the village with grandma. I love Tea and if anybody knows, great tea is in how it is prepared. At the village grandma always uses the old traditional cooking methods, cookware and utensils. For instance at the village we still cook with a three stone open fire flame. So this is our authentic tea preparation at the village. Cows are milked at 5am latest. Jiko ya kuni kwa mawe tatu (3 stoned open fireplace) is used to cook the tea in a mud thatched kitchen. A large sufuria (heavy bottomed pan) blackened at the bottom from constant use on the open fire is used to cook the tea. Sugar is poured into the tea just before it is removed from the fire place. I suspect grandma doesn't trust people putting individual spoonfuls of sugar in their tea. Especially "sisi watu wa nairobi" (nairobi folk) ;)... once the tea has thoroughly boiled its poured into huge birikas (silver metal tea pots) and then poured into metal cups. You can "poesha" (cool) the tea or wait for it to cool on its own. Hot tea in metal cups burns your lips, nothing serious, I promise, but that is the beauty of village tea! Tea is usually served with njugu (peanuts), mabwoni (sweetpotatoes), mahindi boiled (boiled maize), nduma (yams) or leftover githeri (boiled maize and beans)... I usually drink 2 or 3 cups of this sweet tea! What are your favorite village experiences and food that you always look forward to when you visit upcountry/the village?

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR SALADS

Hey Lovelies,
It being a lazy Sunday I decided to just find some fun facts for you guys about food. Today I'll be giving you the low down on salads. We all know what salads are and most if not all of us love to eat different kinds of salads with our meals. I always thought that serving salads came with a set of rules that had to be followed, apparently not. Salads can be served at whatever point of meal taking. They do not have to be served as a side dish with meals or before eating meals. I only knew of fruit salads, vegetable salads, pasta salads and egg salads. But there are more and even different types of salads.I want to try and make a few of them depending on the ingredients that I will find. Making salads is a fun thing because you get to mix and match your ingredients and add in herbs, oils, spices and even liquids of your choice to make the ultimate delicious salad. Are there any salads that you recognize from the list of salads below? Have you tried any of the salads in the list?

EASY REFRIGERATOR STORAGE TIPS

Hey Lovelies,
Today I will be sharing with you simple refrigerator tips. Storing food in the refrigerator seems like a simple affair but it needs some techniques and tips. When storing food in the fridge, you can keep things in place with baskets and label the baskets for eadier access. Line your shelves with easy-to-clean mats. This will give you an easier time while cleaning and will take less time. Mason jars are the longest-lasting way to keep salads. They are shaped well to fit into the storage space. Keep your milk and other dairy out of the door, since the door keeps being opened.Organize food items by size. Doing so will create a function for each shelf and make it much easier to locate your small, hard to see items. Store items in jars or bottles in the refrigerator door and bagged items in the freezer door. Read more storage ideas below

TIPS ON STORING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

I love fresh fruits and vegetables, who doesn't? In Nairobi fruits season is always around throughout the year. Except for vegetables which are literally available all year around, there are some fruits that come seasonaly. For us fruits that are always in season all year long include Bananas, Oranges, Lemons among others. There are seasonal fruits that include Avocados, Plums, Pears, Mangoes among others. It is always advisable to buy fruits and vegetables in bulk so that you avoid searching for them every single day. As much as you would like to buy bulk vegetables and fruits, you need to know how to store them. This is to avoid them going to waste as they are perishables. Most fruits and vegetables do not need to be refrigerated to preserve freshness. Still both Fruits and vegetables can be frozen and will keep for months. Frozen fruits are usually used in making smoothies to avoid watering it down with ice cubes. If you want to store fruits or vegetables that will not be in season, you can pickle them or even dry them. Here are a few tips on storing fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator

CADBURY'S DAIRY MILK RUM AND RAISIN CHOCOLATE

Okay first off, "Hi, I'm a chocoholic" So lets talk chocolate. I LOVE chocolate like the earth likes rain. Cadbury's wide range of chocolates has always been my guilty pleasure. You can literally get anything out of me when you give me Cadbury's Chocolates. My absoulte faavorite has always beeb and will always be Rum and Raisin Dairy Milk Cadbury's chocolate. Who doesn't like a bit of boozy taste in their chocolate. I love that it melts in your mouth and you are left with these crunchy bits from the raisins, which are generously distributed in every block of chocolate goodness. I need not say more, just get it for yourself and experience another level of bliss in a single bite. In the meantime, below are my 5 best Chocolate quotes. What is your favorite Cadbury's chocolate? Or what is your favourite chocolate brand? Which chocolate quotes just get to your soft spots?

HEALTH BENEFITS OF VEGETABLES

It's one of those days that you want to do nothing but curl into a warm duvet and snore away. But first before I tempt you with that, I want to talk about Vegetables. I don't know why most of us have always had a negative attitude towards vegetables. For me I think I speak for most of us, growing up, vegetables were these bland additions that we were forced to eat if we were to be allowed to go out play. Such memories have affected the way we view vegetables. But as you grow older you start to realize that Vegetables are actually good for you, and they can be tasty too! It all depends with how you cook them. It is important that you do not overcook the Vegetables. Nobody wants to chow down soggy tasteless food. Not overcooking is also not just to retain the crunch, it is nutritionally crucial to our health. When you overcook, you have removed all the nutrients that are supposed to be beneficial to us.If you want kids, and adults too, to eat and enjoy Vegetables, make the plate colorful. Don't just put one type of Vegetable on the plate. For instance if you serve Broccoli alone, it won't be too appealing. Add color with Carrots, Tomatoes and even Beets. Add color and that heightens the appetite to want to eat more. When cooking Vegetables, chop them uniformly sized pieces to help them cook evenly. So a few facts about the Vegetables in my bowl above - Steamed Carrots, Peas and French Beans.