Wontons ...

Mince Meat - 100 gms
Spring Onions - finely chopped - 2
Mushrooms - Re-hydrated Shiitake diced - 3
Ginger (Inch Piece) - finely chopped - 1
Oyster Sauce - 1 ½ tbsp
White Pepper - Large pinch (Optional)
Splash of Soy Sauce
Cornflour - 1 tbsp

Mix the above ingredients thoroughly. Leave it to sit for about 15 minutes.
Take a Won Ton wrapper in your hand, leaving the others well covered to prevent drying out. Place a teaspoon of the mince mix in the middle. Wet the edges and fold over into a rectangle.
What you are trying to do here is wrap the mix so that it remains sealed and does not open in the Soup, Some are known to make various shapes, you choose yours. Imagine a hankie with sand in the middle.

To cook, simmer in some water for 10 mins.
Avoid cooking in the Soup stock as the flour dusting from the wrapper will cloud the Soup / Stock.
Add to stock with or without noodles.
These freeze very well, and can be cooked from frozen.
This mix will makes approx 25 dumplings

Chef’s Tip: I like to add Fresh green Chillies, Garlic with some Coriander in my mix.
The choice of meat has to be which cooks easily, such as baby lamb, Prawns, Chicken, Etc.
However, you could use Beef, Pork, Lamb, Chicken, Seafood or even Vegetables of your choice.

All those from the continent of Africa & Asia, a Kebab mix will do perfectly. I often do that, from my left over mix the day after the Barb’Q.

Sweet Potato Salad

4 Sweet Potatoes (ready cooked) Roasted / Fried / Baked
4 Onions finely diced
2 Celery ribs diced
½ cup Olive Oil
½ Lemon Juice (Extracted)
½ Orange Juice (Extracted)
1 tbsp Soy Sauce (Light)
Handful Coriander finely chopped.
½ tsp Red Chilli powder (Optional)
Salt for seasoning (to taste)
½ tsp Black Pepper (ground)
A couple of Fresh Green Chillies finely diced (Optional)

Cut the Sweet Potatoes into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl. Add the Onions, Celery and Coriander. Place in fridge to cool.
Prepare a Mixture by adding the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well. Place in fridge to cool.
Only mix when ready to serve.

Sweet Potato (Gwa'chi) Fries

2 Sweet Potatoes (Large)
1 tbsp of Olive Oil
¼ tsp Salt (to taste)
1 Fresh Lemon
1 tsp Red chilli powder (Optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Cut the Sweet Potatoes into ½ inch strips or wedges and toss in Oil and Salt. Arrange in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet. Place in oven for 30 minutes, turning once. Sprinkle Fresh Lemon, Salt mixed with Red Chilli Powder and serve. Simple as that …
Ideal for those Health / Gym freaks ….


Chef’s Tip: Sweet Potato can be fried just any ordinary Potato fries too, if required. You can also spice up your fries. For you Desi’s you can also use a little Chunky Chaat Masala …

All you East Africans also know, that you can simply roast a Sweet Potato with Skin, for a delicious bite whilst having a Barb-A-Que.

A Point I'd Like to share with you ... For some Odd American reason. The American's are under the impression that Sweet Potatoes is only a American homegrown product, and the African similar root Veg is Yam.
Let's educate the Americans and let them know, that Sweet Potatoes are grown all over the world. All East Africans would agree with me that we have all grown up eating them atleast once or twice a month. All the people from the Indian sub-continent and the far East seem to have eaten Sweet Potatoes too.

Chefs: Did You Know ...

Sweet Potatoes are a great source of vitamins A, B6, C, E and Calcium, Potassium,Beta-Carotene, as well as a good source of Fibre.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest ranks the sweet potato as the world’s most nutritious vegetable.

The humble sweet potato is actually a power vegetable - in more ways than one.
Here are some other appealing facts about sweet potatoes:

One medium-sized sweet potato contains just 118 calories and is cholesterol-free and almost fat-free.

They have more fiber than oatmeal: 4 grams in a medium-sized potato.

One cup of cooked sweet potatoes provides 30 milligrams of the antioxidant beta carotene. You’d have to eat 23 cups of broccoli to get that much.

The body converts beta carotene into vitamin A, and a serving of sweet potatoes contains twice the recommended daily allowance. Vitamin A helps maintain a healthy immune system and protects the body from strokes and heart disease.

Sweet potatoes are naturally low in sodium but high in potassium, calcium, folate and vitamins E and C.

Serve some tonight and you’ll do yourself a tremendous favour.

Blackberry Jam ...

2 Kgs of Blackberries
2 Lemons
500mls of Apple Juice
½ kg of Sweet Apples
200mls of water (If required)
1 Cup Sugar (Optional)

Method
Wash, Clean, Peel, Core and Chop your fruit thoroughly.
Place all the ingredients in large pan and bring to boil and simmer for about three-quarters of an hour, scrapping off the scum from time to time. Add sugar and Stir regularly to prevent from sticking.
Pour hot mixed Jam in warm sterilized jam jars and seal them.

Chef’s Tip: Some prefer not to peel Apples, just blend them to almost puree.
It need'nt be Blackberry ... you can have Fruit of your choice. Just take care to balance out the Sour with the Sweet fruit. (Plums, Apricots, Pineapples or Strwberries)

Cheesy Bread Recipe

Cheesy Bread Recipe

8oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 lb Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Sharp)
1 Onion finely Chopped (To Taste)
½ Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Sour Cream (Optional)
3-4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 stick Butter (½ cup, 4 ounces), softened to the point of being slightly melted
1 to 2 loaves of French or Italian bread, depending on the size of the loaves

Method:
In a large bowl, mix together the Cheeses and the Onion. Stir in the Mayonnaise and Sour Cream.
In a separate small bowl blend the butter and garlic until smooth.
Add the butter mixture to the cheese mixture.
Preheat Grill. Slice loaf of bread in half horizontally, lay crust side down. Spread cheese mixture over the bread. Grill until nicely browned, approx 3 to 5 mins.
Enjoy

Simply Mombasa -=- Restaurant

Some place very close to my Heart .....

Back on the drawing board ..... Let's visit the Bar in the meantime ...

Hold your breath ....

Soon on it's way Back .... "Simply Mombasa"

However ... "Simply Desi~Licious Caterers" are always in Action...!

Tandoor ~ Clay Oven

Something else cooking in a Clay Oven ~ Tandoor.
The Boys in Action @ Simply Mombasa ...

Chef's: Did you Know ...

Asparagus - Good natural source of Vitamin E. It is also a natural Diuretic.

Red Snapper Pan cooked with Fresh Garlic

Prompt me for the recipe. Fish is good for you.

You can make this recipe lower in fat by cutting down on the butter.

But ... I don't!

Mutura "Kenyan Sausage"

"Mutura" is also known as "African Sausgae."

Mt first experiance of tasting Mutura, was in a village nera Meru, just off Mt Kenya in 1975.
It was the Village Party night, and I was mesmerised by an old lady who I referred to as Grand-Ma. She sat there on one corner making a Mutura from scratch and I remained glued to her all evening. Wow! What a dish it proved to be, as a matter of fact I can still remember the taste in my mouth to date.

The original dish uses many palatable parts of the animal, ie; Neck, animals fat, Internal Organs, Lungs, Liver, Kidneys, Heart and Blood too.

My version allows many to come fairly close to the real thing, as Mutura aquires a taste for it.

My Version:
Clean Intestines throughly and leave them soaked in cold water.
Mince meat on the largest setting on the machine.
Dice~Onions, Garlic, Ginger, Corriander, Tomatoes, Fresh Green Chillies, and Mint Leaves.
Add Fresh Lemon/Lime Juice, Olive Oil, Butter and add Salt and keep on the sharp end.
In a large bowl, add all the ingedients and mix thoroughly.
Thick Lamb salty stock to replace "Blood".
Tie a firm knot on the one end of the Intestineand remove all water from it.
Now add some stock and begin to stuff with mix from the bowl and on intervals of 6inches add some stock, and carry on with the stuffing process until all the mix is finished.
Allow it to rest for 1/2 an hour, before placing it in a boiling pan of water allowing it to cook for 35-40mins on slow fire.
In a non-stick frying pan, add some Olive Oil and stir fry the Mutura unitl it colours like a normal sausage would "Rusty Brown".
Slice in 1/2 slices and serve hot.
Enjoy

Chef's Tip: Ask your local butcher that you require cleaned Intestines, and Mince meat on the largest setting available on machine.

You could make smaller sausages if it suits you. But ensure that you tie firm knots on both ends when completed.

*This Dish aquires a taste.