Food in Kenya Guide: Traditional Dishes, Snacks and Ugali Kenya

Food in Kenya

The main staples of Kenyan food and cuisine are: Maize meal (called Ugali when cooked and unga when raw) and rice. A typical day in Kenya would mean breakfast, tea (chai) at 10 a.m., lunch, tea at 4 p.m., and dinner. Kenyan cuisine is built around fresh, readily available, and relatively inexpensive ingredients. The produce that grows in the region, such as cabbage, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, kale, spinach, avocados, and other leafy greens, feature prominently in daily dishes.

Typically consumed animal proteins are goat meat, chicken, and beef, in that particular order. Along the coast, seafood such as prawns, kingfish, parrotfish, crab, crayfish, lobster, tuna, sailfish, and marlin are available and consumed in plenty. Rice, wheat, maize, corn meal, and millet and their flours are the starches of choice.

Breakfast is typically bread (mkate) or porridge (uji) with chai. Despite Kenya being recognized for its coffee (which is known for its distinctive wine-like flavor) the hot beverage of choice among the locals is tea. Drawing from the Indian connection, the tea had is Chai, a milky, sweet tea that is had at breakfast and during morning tea time and evening tea time.

Lunch is Ugali (cornmeal/maize meal boiled in water to the consistency of a paste and made into a dough – think polenta) with vegetable (maharagwe) or meat stew. Sukuma Wiki (roughly translated means “to get you through to the end of the week”), a braised leafy greens dish made with onions, tomatoes, garlic, and coriander is also lunch fare.

Kachumbari is also a salsa-like condiment that is made of tomatoes, onions, coriander, pepper, and lemon juice. For dinner, it is served as an accompaniment with grilled meat dishes such as Nyama Choma (literally “burnt meat”) which is perhaps one of the more famous dishes and is grilled skewers of goat meat or beef (less frequently, chicken).

List of food in Kenya

Traditional Food in Kenya

Here are the 10 traditional Kenyan dishes you have to try.

Ugali

• Ugali is one of Kenya’s most common staple foods. Cornmeal is added to boiling water and cooked until a paste is formed. It is thick with a granular dough-like consistency. This makes it the perfect complement to the saucy stews and vegetables Kenyans eat it with.

Sukuma Wiki

• Sukuma Wiki is a Kenyan dish that’s made with kale and diced tomatoes. They are simmered with chopped tomato and onion and spiced with mchuzi mix (Kenyan flavoring salt). The Kenyan dish is made with a variety of leaves, including pumpkin and sweet potato leaves.

Kenyan Pilau

• Pilau is a traditional, beautiful scented rice dish made with many aromatic spices that add an amazing depth of flavor to the rice. It can also be made with either beef or chicken. It has a wonderful balance of flavors. It is a festive dish, which is never missing during special occasions or events.

Nyama Choma

• Nyama Choma incorporates two words: ‘nyama’ which means meat and ‘choma’ which means barbecued in English. It is a traditional meat dish from Kenya and can be made with goat meat, lamb, or beef.

• The origin of the dish traces back to the Massai people as they immigrated from North to East Africa. It is usually served with ugali and kachumbari (a fresh onion and tomato salad).

Mandazi

• Mandazi can only be defined as the Kenyan doughnut, making it one of our favorite Kenyan dishes by far. It is one of the principal dishes in the cuisine of the Swahili people who inhabit the Coastal Region of Kenya and Tanzania.

• The dish is popular in the region, as it is convenient to make, can be eaten with almost any food or dips or just as a snack by itself, and can be saved and reheated for later consumption

Githeri

• Githeri is a traditional Kenyan meal consisting of maize and legumes (primarily beans) mixed and boiled together. The maize and beans are mixed in a sufuria, a type of pot, with water added, and the mixture is boiled until completely cooked.

• The addition of salt, chili, pepper, and chapati as an accompaniment makes this a simple, delicious, and nutritious dish.

Wali wa Nazi

• It is mainly eaten along the Indian Ocean island coast. Wali wa nazi is a starchy side dish consisting of rice cooked in a combination of coconut milk and water. It is usually seasoned only with salt and is usually served as an accompaniment to different curries or chicken, fish, and meat dishes.

Matoke

• Matoke is a traditional dish from Kenya made with green bananas (a type of banana). It is traditionally cooked with a combination of spices and frequently served as a hearty side dish. The food can be enjoyed alongside rice or on by themselves.

Maharagwe

• Maharagwe is a traditional Kenyan dish consisting of red kidney beans cooked in a rich, flavorful sauce made with tomatoes, onions, coconut milk, and spices, usually served with ugali (a maize porridge), chapati, or rice

• It is considered a staple Swahili dish and is known for its mild spice profile compared to other Indian-influenced bean dishes.

Kenyan Chapati

• Kenyan Chapatis are a beloved staple in Kenyan cuisine, best known for their softness, flaky texture, and rich flavor. This flatbread, with its origins in Indian cuisine, has been warmly embraced and adapted by Kenyan cooks, making it a common accompaniment to different dishes such as stews, curries, and vegetables.

• The preparation of chapati involves kneading dough made from wheat flour, water, and oil, which is then rolled into thin layers and cooked on a hot griddle until golden brown.

Kenyan Hot Snacks and Fast Food

Here are the 10 Kenyan Hot Snacks and Fast Food you should try;

KFC

• KFC, or Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a fast food chain that has been in Kenya since 2011. KFC’s entry in Kenya is a continuation of a long family tradition. Mr Schaffer’s family has been a KFC franchisee for over 30 years when his father opened the first store in South Africa, and where he spent two years learning everything that he knows about the brand.

• It consists of two-piece chicken and fries (chips). It is a popular fast food name owing to its signature fried chicken made with a secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices.

Pizza Inn

• Pizza Inn in Kenya is a fast food restaurant chain mainly serving pizza, considered the leading pizza brand in the country. The first Pizza Inn opened in Nairobi, Kenya, in October 1998.

• As the leading pizza brand in Kenya, Pizza Inn provides Kenya’s signature pizza offerings. Our Pizza pies, Wings, Pizzas, and other sides are made using only the freshest, locally sourced ingredients.

Samosa

• Samosa is a fried pastry snack, usually with a filling of spiced potatoes, minced meat (beef, chicken), or lentils for a vegetarian option.

Mahamri

• Mahamri is a breakfast from the Kenyan Coastal Region. It’s like a doughnut but it is flavored with coconut and cardamom powder. They are usually triangular or sometimes round. Generally, they are enjoyed as a breakfast item on their own with tea or coffee or with mbaazi.

• Mahamri is also served along with stews and curries as part of the main meal.

Mutura (Kenyan Sausage)

• Mutura is a Kenyan spiced goat or beef sausage enriched with blood and then grilled over an open flame. It has a smoky, spicy flavor and is often eaten at night.

Bhajia

• This is the most enjoyed snack in Kenya. They are basically potato fritters coated with chickpea flour. This recipe consists of thinly sliced potatoes mixed into a thick batter made from rice and gram flour (chickpea flour), spices, and herbs, then fried until golden.

• They may also be served with a side of salad and a slice of lemon, or with mango chutney. In Kenya, they are usually served with a cold refreshing drink.

Viazi Karai

• Viazi Karai is one of the most famous coastal dishes known for its tantalizing taste. It is one such dish and it’s sold in almost every street corner and is consumed almost faster than it’s cooked.

Smokie Pasua

• It is a type of ready-to-eat smoked sausage that can be made of pork, beef, chicken, or a blend of all these meats and other flavourful inclusions.

Chips Masala

• Chips Masala is a famous dish on most restaurant menus in Kenya. They are easy to make, spicy, and tasty. It is a must to try out these chips when in Kenya.

Mayai Pasua

• They are the most famous street food snacks for Kenyans because of their small price and provide an important protein boost to the day of predominantly poor people. They are called ‘Mayai pasua’ (literally ‘split eggs’).

• Their recipe is simple: the hard-boiled egg is cut almost in half lengthwise, slightly opened, and stuffed with kachumbari, the classic salad of tomatoes, onions, and lemon juice, to which coriander is often added, especially on the side, and sometimes also green chili (the well-known pilipili).

Ugali Kenya Food

• Ugali is a beloved staple dish in Kenya. It is like a porridge but much more densely made from white maize meal or maize flour. Ugali or Nsima as it is known in Kenya, is normally enjoyed with a vegetable and/or meat stew.

Ingredients

• cup maize meal/corn meal
• normal water

Instructions

• Boil water until it bubbles. The water should be very hot. This ensures the ugali will cook perfectly
• Also, add a cup full of flour to the water. Let it cook for a few seconds until water begins to cover the flour
• Use a wooden spoon to quickly start mixing the flour and water
• Add a handful of flour and continue to mix the water and flour it will start to come together
• Reduce heat to medium and keep turning the ugali as it continues to stick together
• Gather the ugali and press it onto the side of the sufuria
• Place the wooden spoon under the ugali and form a ball in the middle of the sufuria
• Repeat pressing the ugali on the side of the sufuria and turning it to the middle
• Once the ugali has become firm, turn it once more and smoothen it into a round. You will know your ugali is ready once you start to smell the aroma clearly
• Turn the ugali over onto a plate
• Dip the wooden spoon into water and use it to smoothen the ugali into a round ball on the plate
• Serve the ugali whole or slice. Enjoy with your favorite stew, meat, veggies, fish etc