Kenya

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Thank you Ruth Waweru for providing the content for this page.

Etiquette and Customs in Kenya

  • Basic etiquette in Kenya – The most common greeting is the handshake. Every contact between people in Kenya starts with a greeting. Even when entering a shop, you shake hands and make polite small talk with the shopkeeper. Shaking hands upon meeting someone or when they depart is normal. When greeting someone with whom you have a personal relationship, the handshake is more prolonged than the one given to a casual person.

  • When pointing to someone or something, it is polite to use all fingers of the hand.

  • Using the left hand to pass something is rude in the Kenyan culture; one must use the right hand, or both hands.

  • When seeing guests out, it is considered polite to walk with them to their car or to the bus stop.


An authentic cuisine from Kenyan culture: Kenyan Bhajis

Bhajis are a very popular snack in Kenya and the East African region as a whole. Bhajis are savory snacks that are normally deep fried till they become crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.

This is a video of a fellow Kenyan: I make my Bhajias this same way except I use a little more ingredients than her. It’s your choice you can use as many or as few.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE KENYAN POTATO BHAJIA – SERVES 10-12 AS APPETIZER:

·Potatoes – 3 medium

·Chickpea flour/ Gram flour – 1 ¾ cup

·Rice flour – ¼ cup

·Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

·Cumin coriander powder – 1 tsp

·Red chili powder – 1 tsp

·Garam masala – ½ tsp

·Ginger – 1-inch piece (finely grated)

·Salt – to taste

·Cilantro – ¼ cup (finely chopped)

·Water – as needed

·Oil – to deep fry the bhajias (any deep frying oil, e.g., vegetable oil)


Directions

·Wash the potatoes and peel them. Using a mandolin slicer (or knife) slice the potatoes into thin round slices and keep them immersed in a bowl of water.

·Rinse the sliced potatoes and then dry them entirely by patting them with a kitchen cloth or paper towels. It is important to have the slices very dry because if they are wet, they will dilute the batter.

·In a large bowl combine the flour and all the spices. Add water slowly and make a thick batter. The batter should be as thick as pancake batter.

·Heat the oil in a wide pan to deep fry the bhajias. Make sure the oil is not too hot to burn the potatoes

·Place ¼ of the sliced potatoes in the batter and mix well. Take out one slice of potato at a time and shake off the excess batter. Now slowly drop this in the heated oil and repeat the same with few more slices of potatoes. Cook the bhajias until golden brown on both sides and then drain them on a paper towel lined dish.

·Serve the Kenyan Potato Bhajia warm with ketchup or chutney. Enjoy!