Pomp and colour as curtains come down at Mombasa Cultural festival.

Without mincing words  Mombasa county is the home of rich culture and amazing heritage. During his address to the public who were in attendance at the close of the carnival,His excellence the Governor of Mombasa  Ali Hassan Joho put it clear that Mombasa has a wide section of communities living in Mombasa and is happy to see that they co-exist even if they believed in different political affilliation.

He even further invited the leader of the opposition and his party  leader Right Honourable Raila Amollo Odinga amid cheers from his supporters where he echoed the same. 

This years event was highly successful and paved way for a more exciting, fun filled and widely publicized Mombasa  regionally and nternationally as the one stop tourist destination. 

 Kimanga

As a Street  Food enthusiast,this did not escape my mind.Food brings many of us  together and  as I went down to sample diverse cultural Organic Food on display   from ‘Kimanga’  of  the Taita to the Matoke of the Kasii. From the spicy  and flavors of the swahili to  Muthokoi  of the Wakamba,  Traditional drinks were in a ubundant as well. Honey fermented beer from the Embu and Muratina from The Kikuyu,  Busaa  from the Luhya and Mnazi from the Miji kenya communities summed it all.

From where i stand now food has evolved from the original cooking Styles to new trends. 

People have forgotten the best healthy Organic local delicacies to unhealthy processed foods and fast foods in equal measure.

The parade grew in numbers along Digo road and within minutes, the entire streets were filled with crowds that shouted excitedly to reaffirm that Mombasa was Security safe for visitors  and also the place to be; cars hooted as everyone stopped what they were doing to witness the annual spectacle.

Mama Ngina Drive bordering the Likoni ferry was the highlight of Events. Music from local Artist, traditional dances, Kids Shows, etc brought it down.Participants were drawn not only from Coastal Kenya and  upcountry tribes,other countries such as Europe and middle East participated in the event. 

The high attendance of hundred of thousands people was proof that Mombasa is indeed safe and welcoming for all visitors.
If you did not attend this Carnival,  then you missed a lot . Put down Tukutane Mombasa in your diary next year. 

Vegetarian Frittata

FRITTATA  as described in wikipedia   is an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelette or crustless quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta. The word frittata is Italian and roughly translates to “fried”
.You can give as many twists as possible for this snack dish. What  you  need is creativity on  fillings to this anytime meal .I am saying any time meal because  Frittata can be eaten for breakfast,  light lunch or dinner, Cold or hot.  Below is my signature,easy and fast to make version. I like Having this with some Tamarind sauce ….. 
You need the following ;

6 eggs 

100g mozarella /mature cheddar  or any easy to melt cheese grated 

2 irish potatoes, chipped  and fried 

1/2 pc medium green pepper juliene

1/2 pc medium yellow pepper juliene

1pc small onion jiliene 

1pc tomato seeded  and cut into juliene

1pc green Chillies (optional)

2tbs white wheat flour 

Salt, mixed  herbs  and pepper to taste 

This can serve 2-3.

Procedure :

*In a dish, mix together the  eggs,herbs, flour salt and pepper. Using a wire whisk, whip through untill  all the Ingredients are incorporated through. 

*Fold  in all the vegetables in the egg mixture using a serving spoon  or cooking stick

*Lastly, rub your baking tray or frying pan with  butter/Margarine  and consequently Put it over the stove on a low flame. 

*Pour over the mixture in the pan and let it fry slow for 2 Mins and remove from the stove and Put in oven or below Salamander to let it cook through  for around 3 Mins or till golden brown

*Remove from the oven and flip  it over a plate, cut into sex pieces from the centre and serve. 

N.B: The cooked frittata should came out when flipped with ease if the pan was well oiled, but however when it gets stuck,use a spatula to loosen the edges then get it out from the bottom  of the pan. 

Croque monsieur Vs Croque madam

Croque Monsieur( Ham and Cheese Sandwich) 
Makes 2 sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk

A pinch each of salt, nutmeg, or to taste

1/2 cup  Gruyère cheese, grated  or 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

4 slices of sandwich bread

2 slices ham  or( beef sandwich slice for halaal consumers) 

Dijon mustard

METHOD

1.  Preheat oven to 200°c

2.Make the béchamel sauce by:

Melting butter in a small saucepan on medium until it just starts to bubble. Add the flour and cook, stirring until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, cooking until thick. Remove from heat. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the Parmesan and 1/4 cup of the grated Gruyère. Set aside.

3.Lay out the bread slices on the grill or on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven, a few minutes each side, until lightly toasted.

 For extra flavor you can spread some butter on the bread slices before you toast them if you want.

4 Lightly brush half of the toasted slices with mustard. Add the ham slices and about 1 cup of the remaining Gruyère cheese. Top with the other toasted bread slices.

5 Spoon on the béchamel sauce to the tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère cheese. Place on a skillet  or the grill and leave to cook .When browned , turn the other side using a spatula. 

 Alternatively you can place the assembled slices on a broiling pan,pour the sauce over and  bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

If you top this sandwich with a fried egg it becomes a Croque Madame.

Hellooo! Enjoy this flavorful and rich French sandwich.. 

Lack of Knowledge Vs. Bad Attitude

 Thanks to restaurant owners.com..

Are You & Your Managers Responding to Poor Performance in your restaurant? We all once or twice pass the same challenges in running any eatery .

As an ambitious  restaurant Chef Manager  then,   the most difficult part of my job was dealing with underachieving, problem employees. 

Although it never became easy, I started doing a better job handling them after my boss pulled me aside one day and shared a few words of wisdom. Thanks to Mike  Brown  . 

He said that before taking action with anyone who was performing below par, he would always try to find out the underlying reason for it. He explained that there are usually three primary causes of poor performance.

The employee doesn’t know HOW to do a good job. Make sure the employee has been properly trained and knows exactly what’s expected of them. It’s possible that some remedial training and clear communication of your expectations is all that’s needed.

The employee doesn’t have the ABILITY to do a good job. After they’ve been trained, are they “capable” of doing the job up to your standards? If not, could they handle a less demanding position? If that’s not possible, it would be in everyone’s best interest to get them started on a new career somewhere else.

The employee doesn’t have the DESIRE to do a good job. If they know HOW to do a good job and have the ABILITY to do it, poor performance is probably due to attitude. A bad attitude can be very difficult to change. If an employee can’t turn their attitude & performance around in a reasonable time, they really leave you with no alternative but to let them go.

Meet with the employee and get a sense of what’s causing the poor performance. It should then be much easier to determine what form of corrective action is appropriate. 

Having underperforming employees is never fun, but dealing with the situation quickly, fairly and decisively will make your job easier, your restaurant run better and will be appreciated by the good performers on the job. 

Beef Gordon Bleu

There are many variations of the dish,  all of which involve a Ham  slice, cheese, and meat. A popular way to prepare chicken cordon bleu is to butterfly cut a chicken breast, place a thin slice of ham inside, along with a thin slice of a soft, easily melted cheese such as mozarella or cheddar .The chicken breast is then rolled into a roulade , coated in bread crumbs and then deep fried or baked. 

Other common variations include omitting the bread crumbs by wrapping the ham around the chicken, or using bacon in place of ham.

In largely Muslim populated countries, the halal versions of Beef/Chicken cordon bleu are also popular, such that the chicken is rolled around beef bacon or mutton instead of pork product.

You will need;For: 1 portion

100 g fillet of beef

10 g cheddar cheese/mozarella 

1 pc whole egg

10 g bread crumb

5 g flour

5 g beef ham/1pc slice

50 ml cooking oil

15 g butter

Salt to taste 

Pepper  to taste 

Method:

1. Cut the beef 0.5 cm thick, make thin with meat tenderizer to around peris  5×10 cm size. Seasoning both side. 

2. Layer the meat with arrangement cheddar cheese and ham. Cover the top with thin of beef. 

3. Coated with flour, put in the beaten egg and bread crumb.

4. Heat butter, sauté until golden brown.

Serve with Salad or Roast potatoes or Fries. 

Chicken trotters/feet/claws

​This is an adopted recipe that grabbed my heart. Chicken feet can be found in most Asian markets  and are most common in asian cuisine such as korea, Indonesia, India, Chinese and the phillipines. And in african, they are commonly used in south african. In Kenya we have not embraced this delicacy. However few Homes when chicken is slaughtered they chargrilled the claws  while others even discard them not knowing that they work very well in stews, stocks and even soup. 

Try this simple recipe  and you will never  discard  the claws again! 

Ingredients :

Served 2,

8*chicken feet , declawed and skinned 

3*tablespoons dark soy sauce

3*tablespoons rice vinegar

1*small root ginger sliced

3*sprigs spring onions

1*tablespoon barbecue sauce 

1*teaspoon sugar 

1/4*teaspoon pepper

1*pint water

Directions :

1. Put all ingredients except the feet in a wide bottomed pot. Mix well.

2. Add the chicken feet.

3. Cover pot and cook over medium-low fire for 45 min to 1 hours or so. …

4. Remove the cover of the pot and cook over medium heat until the liquid turns into a sauce.

Enjoy  with polenta (ugali) and some Mix vegetable compote 

Scotch eggs

With this scotch egg recipe you can enjoy a pub snack from the comfort of your own home – Served with onions and cheese. 
A Scotch egg consists of a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in bread crumbs and baked or deep-fried.
You need, 

Serves 2

2 hard boiled eggs peeled 

3 pcs beef /pork Sausages depending on your preference, removed  from casing

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

1/4cup plain white flour

2eggs raw beaten 

2tsp worcestershire sauce(optional ) 

-Pinch of salt, mixed  herbs and black pepper

-Enough oil for deepfrying

Procedure :

1 .Remove the sausage meat from the casing and mix with the seasonings  (herbs, worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt) 

Divide the sausage into two equal parts. Mould each part around one of the hard-cooked eggs, rolling between your hands to shape.

Place the beaten egg and bread crumbs into separate dishes. 

Dip the balls into the flour then egg, then roll in the bread crumbs until coated. Shake off any excess.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep fryer to 180 degrees C,  or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns brown in 1 minute. Lower the eggs carefully into the hot oil. Fry for 5 minutes, or until deep golden brown.

Remove from oil and let it cool for around 1 minute. 

Cut each egg into half and serve with your Favourite chutney,onions and cheese.