“Mombasa Pilau, rice with all the spices you can think of!"

This was Agnes Maitha’s answer when asked for her favorite food.

 A short interview with Agnes about Kenyan Costal cooking.

Agnes is Mombasan born and bred. She speaks English, Swahili and Kamba.  She went hotel school where she learnt to cook but now works as a beautician.

What are the most frequently used ingredients here?

 Spices, everything contains spices. Fresh chillies, coconut and people eat a lot of rice.

Where or from who did you learn to cook?

I learnt quite a lot at school- hotel school and from my mother.

What is the staple food here?

I would say rice.

Do people here snack? What is typical snack food.

Oh yes they love their snacks- you’ve seen the baobab sweets and simsim balls sold on the streets? Then there's some of my favorites- potato bhaji,  also mkatewasinia- a sweetend baked rice pudding.

Do Coastal people eat out?

Yes, restaurants, café’s snack bars, street food, people are eating everywhere.

What are typical meals served for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Lunch and dinner are mostly birianis, curries, kuku choma (grilled chicken), with a delicious simple salad- kachumbari- and rice, chapati’s, naan bread or chips But for breakfast we serve different food. Mahambri is a favorite, and a cassava dish called minogoya nazi.

coastal cooking food decoder

potato bhaji- small potatoes boiled, battered and deep fried to a fritter

simsim- sesame balls

biriani- spicy rice casserole served with meat, chicken, seafood or vegetables

kuku choma - grilled chicken

kachumbari- salad of tomato, onion, some fresh coriander, salt and lemon juice 

mahambri - a triangular shaped spicy fritter, sweentend and laced with coconut and cardamom.
minogoya nazi- cassava pieces stewed in sweetend coconut milk

Lunch: chicken tikka, naan and kachumbari,
 above left: chicken biriani, right baobab sweets, dried mango