Kitchen Hygiene when Handling Food

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Food preparation is undoubtedly a must for human survival. The food may be eaten raw or cooked. Whichever the case, it must be clean to avoid ill health caused by bacteria and germs. It is therefore important to ensure every aspect of kitchen hygiene when handling food.

Dressing
Before you start, wear an apron. You must also wear a head cover to prevent hair from entering the food being prepared. All kitchen clothing and napkins must be washed and disinfected on a regular basis to avoid contamination. Soap must always be used and you have to make sure that they are completely dry before using them again. White or other bright colored clothing are most advisable because dirt and stains are easier to notice.

If you (or someone else in the kitchen) have flu or coughing, you must wear a face mask. It will prevent contamination of food and utensils. If someone else can prepare the food then let him do it and take a rest. You can however stay in the kitchen to guide him if need be.

And Then Wash….
Having gathered all the ingredients you need, wash them to remove dirt and any soil particles. It will also remove any pesticides remaining on the foods. For those eaten raw like vegetables and fruits, the pesticides may cause illnesses and because the presence of some pesticides in the body may take a long time to be noticed, it may eventually lead to long-term complications.

When washing, it is advisable to start with the foods that are least dirty, especially so if you have a garden and grow your veggies. You can always wash for a second time especially the veggies and root tubers like cabbages and potatoes since they grow either nearer to the ground or underground.

Before cutting the food, all knives and cutting boards must be clean and free from any food particles from previous cooking. All utensils must be thoroughly washed after use. This will ensure that no particles remain because germs and bacteria may grow on the surface of the utensils posing a health hazard. You should use different cutting boards for vegetables and fruits, and for meats and fish. This will help reduce cross-contamination.

All cooking surfaces must be clean and free from spills. Cut the ingredients and place them in bowls in one place to avoid making the entire working area dirty. It will make the ingredients easily accessible once you start cooking.

When cooking, clean utensils with soap so that by the time you finish, most of the bowls and knives you used are clean. This way you will have fewer utensils to wash after enjoying your meal. Ensure also that you wash them immediately and do not pile them in the sink. This has the benefit of avoiding unsightly dirty dishes which may attract insects posing health hazards. It will also make preparation for the next meal easier since you will have clean utensils.

Benefits of Eating Okra

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Okra is a common green vegetable used throughout the world. It is mostly known because of its mucilaginous nature. Also referred to as lady’s fingers or gumbo, it is mostly cultivated in tropical climatic regions of Africa and the Americas. 

Okra is a rich source of vitamins A and C. Vitamin A is important in improving vision and maintaining a healthy immune system. It is believed to reduce the occurrence of cataracts. Vitamin A is mostly supplied by vegetables and fruits. Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant that helps protect the body against infections and quicken the repair of wounds. It also helps in lowering the blood pressure. It is rich in fiber and calcium, and therefore helps reduce blood sugar levels and keep them at a stable level. This assists persons with diabetes and high blood pressure maintain healthy bodies.

Okra can be cooked in a variety of ways, from steaming to stir frying and inclusion in stews. Cooking them whole reduces the sliminess compared to cooking in cut pieces. They can be used to cook fritters while whole or added to rice to cook main dishes.

Okra should be eaten while still green and fresh. They should be bought while firm and not soft or flaccid. They should also be stored like other vegetables in a refrigerator or a cool place away from direct sunlight.

How to Cook Ugali/Sima

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In almost every Kenyan family, Ugali is a staple food. It is also referred to as Sima in the coastal regions. It is a simple dish prepared by cooking two ingredients; water and maize/corn flour. Various communities in Kenya have their own local name for the dish. It is called ngima in my local dialect.

Ugali is also common in a number of other African countries like Tanzania, Uganda and Southern African countries each with its distinct name. Others like Nigeria prepare a common dish referred to as fufu cooked using cassava flour.

Ugali/Sima can be served with various vegetables like collards/kales, spinach, meat dishes and stews. Some of these vegetable dishes are found on this blog, so do check them out. Ugali provides the body with carbohydrates because the main food ingredient is maize or corn. Some people opt to add salt while cooking although it is not necessary. You have the option of cooking with or without the salt according to your taste and liking.

Ugali takes a relatively short time to cook. The following is the procedure.

Ingredients:  Serves two

1.)  4 cups of water
2.)  2 cups of maize flour/cornmeal

Procedure:

1.)  Pour water to a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil
2.)  Add a handful of the maize flour/cornmeal to the boiling water.
3.)  Using a flat wooden spoon, stir the mixture to form a porridge-like consistency.
4.)  Continue adding the maize flour a little at a time while pressing to the sides of the saucepan to remove any lumps.
5.)  If there are no more lumps stop stirring and let it cook for about ten minutes.
6.)  At this point the mixture has become firm. Stir with the wooden spoon again and let it cook for a further three to five minutes. 
7.)  Form the mixture into a round shape by bringing together the dough from the sides of the saucepan to the mixture. Transfer to a flat plate by turning the saucepan over on top of the plate.
8.) If need be, the ugali can be cut into smaller chunks.

You should allow the ugali to cool down for about two minutes before you start eating because it is usually pretty hot.
Most Kenyans eat using their hands by pinching a handful amount and using it to scoop vegetables. If the ugali is being eaten with a stew like omena, beans or vegetable soup, the ugali can be eaten using a spoon.

Beef stew in Coconut milk

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In a previous post I shared how to prepare a simple dish of green vegetables using coconut milk.
It is common practice to cook a lot of dishes in the coastal region with coconut. I will now share with you a quick method of preparing beef stew using coconut milk. It can be served with rice, ugali/sima (a firm cooked meal of corn flour and water), chapatis, pasta or any other accompaniment of your choice.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 kg Beef, cubed 
  • 1 onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 green or chili pepper (optional)
  • 4 pieces of garlic, crushed or chopped into tiny pieces
  • Oil for frying
  • Sat, and
  • Coconut milk

Follow this procedure:

  1.  Chop the onion, add oil and put on heat. Cook till tender.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute
  3. Add the cubed beef pieces and stir to coat all the pieces with the onion and garlic flavors
  4. Cover and cook till beef is all browned. Do not allow the beef to stick to the sides or bottom off the cooking pot
  5. Add the bell peppers at once and continue stirring. Add salt and cover.
  6. Cook for about ten minutes then pour in the coconut milk into the cooking pot. Mix thoroughly.

 7. Cover again and let the food simmer for about five minutes then serve hot.

If you would like to add any spices, do add in moderation, so that the taste of the coconut milk is preserved. Enjoy your meal.

Spicy Plantains (Matoke) and Potatoes

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Green bananas  or plantains are available throughout Kenya and make delicious dishes.  They are sold in supermarkets and local green grocers.

There are two ways that you can use to peel them:
 i) hold each piece and start peeling with knife from top to bottom or,
ii) cut off both ends then cut along the skin of each piece. Peel off the skin as though a ripe banana.
Add the peeled pieces to clean water and wash.

Plantains can be cooked separately and served with stew or cooked as one dish with other ingredients including potatoes. If you prefer to cook them separately, simply put them in a saucepan, add water and salt then bring to a boil till tender. You can check whether they are cooked by piercing with a fork. Once done remove and serve with a side dish/stew.

If,however you want to prepare as one dish, follow this method:

Ingredients:

  • Peeled plantains
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 chopped bell pepper
  • Peeled potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Dania/coriander
  • Crushed garlic (optional)
  • Cooking oil
  • Salt 
  • Royco/curry powder
  • Ground dhana jeera (tumeric, coriander & cumin seeds)

Procedure:
1. Add cooking oil and chooped onions to sauce pan (sufuria) and cook till tender.
2. Add the chopped bell pepper and garlic and cook for a further three minutes.

3. Add potatoes and cook for about five minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and dania/coriander, stirring to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the sufuria.
5. Add ground dhana jeera or a mixture of ground tumeric, coriander and cumin seeds. Amount to add depends on how spicy you want the dish to be.
6. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add 1 1/2 cups  of water for the amount of green bananas showed above. Bring to a boil.
7. Pour in the plantains then add salt and the royco/curry powder.

8. Continue boiling then reduce heat and simmer when nearly cooked.
9. Serve.

Collard greens/Spinach with coconut milk

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Previously, I shared with you a simple recipe of cooking collard greens (sukuma wiki) and spinach with few ingredients. In this recipe, I will show you how to prepare the collards in coconut milk.
Coconut milk can be bought from supermarkets ready to cook in its liquid form or dried where you would have to make the milk at home using water and sieving (if need be).

You can also buy the whole coconut fruit and using a special grater, make the milk commonly known as tui in Kenya and other East African countries. I will share with you the process of home made coconut milk in another article. But for now, here is the recipe where I used ready to cook coconut milk.

Ingredients (Serves three)
– Coconut milk ( 1 cup)

– Cooking oil and salt
– 1 onion
– 1 bunch spinach and sukuma wiki(collards)
– 2 large tomatoes
– Dhania (Coriander)
– Carrots (optional)
– Okra (optional)
– Pepper (optional)
– Royco (optional)

Method
1. Add cooking oil and chopped onions to sauce pan (sufuria) and cook till a little browned.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes, pepper, carrots, okra and coriander. Cook for a few minutes then add salt an royco if desired.

3. Add the chopped collards and spinach to the sufuria and cover to cook for about ten minutes.

4. Once the greens are almost cooked or start changing colour, pour in the coconut milk and and allow to simmer for five minutes.

5. Remove from heat and serve.

This dish is commonly served with ugali (sima), rice or chapatis.
Spices can be used sparingly in order to keep  the taste of the coconut.

Spicy tea

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This is a simple recipe for making quick tea in the morning or any other time of day.
I love the spicy taste and is  healthier compared to the normal tea.

Ingredients:  Serves Three
1. 1 tablespoon Ketepa tea leaves
2. 1 teaspoon powder Cinnamon 
3. 1 teaspoon Ginger powder
4. Sugar
5. 500ml Milk (Optional)
5. 2 glasses Water

Procedure
1. Add water in a  sufuria (sauce pan) and place on cooking stove.
2. Add cinnamon & ginger and allow to boil.
3. Add Ketepa tea leaves and boil for further two minutes.
4. Pour in the milk and let it boil again till it starts to rise.
5. Add the sugar to your taste.
6. Remove from heat and serve while hot.

The Ketepa tea leaves are also available at local supermarkets with ginger added although I prefer adding more to make it more spicy.

Crunchy Pancakes

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I love cooking pancakes on Saturday mornings when not in a hurry to go to work.
This recipe is no only simple to cook but also crunchy at the edges.

– 2 1/2 cups wheat flour                                         – 2 tablespoons sugar
– Pinch of salt                                                         – 1 freshly squeezed orange
– 1 teaspoon baking powder                                   – 1 egg
– 1 cup of water or milk                                          – Oil

Here is how to prepare them:
1. In a bowl, mix the flour, pinch of salt, sugar and baking powder.
2. Add the water or milk and mix thoroughly until there are no lumps.
3. Put the frying pan on heat to warm up.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and then pour into the mixture of flour.
5. Add the freshly squeezed orange juice and mix.
6. Spread little oil onto the pan then pour the mixture. Cook on that side until a little brown and hard enough to be turned over. Pour just enough to cover the bottom of the pan thinly so that they are not too big.
7. Flip and cook the other side as well.
8. Spread oil all over the side of the pancake. Turn over and apply oil on the other side.
9. Let cook for about two minutes to absorb the oil then remove from pan.
10. Repeat same procedure with the remaining mixture.
11. Serve.

The milk and baking powder are optional. Water will still do the trick. I once forgot to add the baking powder but the pancakes were still tasty. I find that the level of crunchiness at the edges depends on the amount of fresh orange juice I add. Also, taste the mixture before pouring on the pan to avoid too much sweetness.

Beef, Cabbage & Plantain stew

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I had promised to share a stew recipe of vegetables and beef, cooked by boiling only. I was taught this by an aunt of mine who had previously lived among a certain community in Kenya known for their vast cultivation of plantains. She told me that the community has been cooking the dish for decades. In the rural areas, they use an earthenware pot.
To be honest, the first time I heard the cooking procedure, I was surprised. How could anyone prepare a stew consisting of beef, plantains, potatoes and big chunks of cabbages by simply boiling?
It was on a Sunday morning and she left for church. I stayed at home. Her husband also remained behind and she told me and the house help that in case we needed assistance, we should ask her husband who was doing office work in the house. Apparently it is such an easy procedure he could easily do it too.
Since the food is boiled for a long period of time, we multi- tasked; cooking and doing the house chores. We lit a jiko(charcoal stove) and gathered all the ingredients. This was the beginning of my idea of cooking food by boiling only. Here we go:
Serves 4
•      6 -8 plantains
• 6-8 full potatoes
•      1 kg beef/ goat meat
• 1 cabbage cut into 4 quarters
•      3 tomatoes
•1 onion (or 2-3 stems of spring onions)
•      Salt
•Curry powder/Royco (optional)
•      Green bell pepper (optional)
•4-5 cups of Water
At times when I go visiting them, I notice that my uncle likes eating the dish as it is without any accompaniment except some fruit salad. I prefer serving it with Ugali(maize/corn flour mixed with water over a period of time until firm). Click here for the ugali recipe.
Method:
1.   In a large sauce pan, put the chunks of meat and add enough water so that you do not add any more during the cooking process. You’ll get to learn how much water you need for your dish if you cook frequently.
2.   Let the meat boil for about one hour thirty minutes. You can add salt at his point or wait and add later after adding the other ingredients.
3.    Add the potatoes, cover and continue boiling for about seven minutes.
4.    Add the peeled plantains and avoid stirring frequently so that the potatoes and plantains do not crumble. Boil for a further seven minutes.
5.    Arrange the quartered cabbages on top and cook till the cabbages are soft.
6.    Add chopped tomatoes, onion and bell pepper and cook till done. Stir to mix all the ingredients.
7.    Add curry powder or royco if desired.
8.    Serve hot.
You will notice that the big chunks of quarter cabbages will be fully cooked.
You will not use any oil in the dish. Meat contains animal fat which is enough.
Notice that the ingredients are added ACCORDING to how long each takes to cook. Meat and potatoes take a longer time than tomatoes and cabbages.
The more you cook this dish, the more you will be able to adequately measure the amount of water needed. The 4-5 cups stated is an estimate since it also depends on the amount of heat you use. I would suggest you use medium heat.
So, there you go. Try it.

Vegetable salad

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During the Christmas period, our family came together although most of them turned up on the eve of Christmas due to public transport problems. many of us do not own personal cars and so just like the rest of the Kenyan public, we hard to bear with the hiked prices on public service vehicles. A number opted to travel on the eve and day of Christmas but that wasn’t such a good idea because it was at that time that prices were thrice the usual cost.
On the festive  day, cooking, which is usually a big part of such events started late. One of my cousins we were to cook with traveled that day. We started with the chapattis, which are cooked in almost every household during celebrations, then rice and later the stews.
Instead of preparing the all-too-common Kachumbari (salad consisting of tomatoes, onions and salt) I offered to prepare this salad. I had been forced to look for some of the items some two days earlier because there was a scarcity in the market . I had picked the lettuce from a supermarket only found in the district headquarters town, and due to the hot weather had to make sure it was very well preserved.
These are the few items I used:
–          – Lettuce                                       – Tomatoes                                  – Onions
–          – Salt                                             – Oil                                             – Avocado (tiny pieces)
–          – Green/red Bell pepper                -Grated carrot
I chopped and mixed all of them in a big bowl. The avocado and tomatoes were very fresh because I got them straight from the garden. Oh, I also ate so many mangoes daily since they were available at no cost and I could eat as much as I wanted. 
The older generation more than loved it. Of course most of my cousins knew how to prepare the salad, only that they don’t do it a lot due to what they refer to as ‘a lot of work’
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