The West Kenyan Sugar Experience

Sugar is a big commodity in Kenya. The country consumes so much, that although though they produce vast amounts, they still import sugar into the country to meet demands. It’s an on going joke that Coca Cola put more sugar in their Kenyan bottles then they do for any other market. I came to believe this when I visited the West Kenyan Sugar Factory in Kakamega, Kenya.

Being the second biggest the Western Province, The West Kenyan Sugar Factory, processes sugar for the surrounding area of Kakamenga, which only has a population of about 500,000. For this, they have to produce 2,500 tons of sugar a day, employ 900 members of staff and support 53,000 farmers.

The huge factory spreads out over 15 acres of land and lies amongst some of the Western Provinces most stunning scenery. This doesn't spoil the natural beauty of the area, but instead offers a stark difference, showing off the area’s industrial might. The smell of molasses in the air and the glisten of soft brown sugar everywhere can dazzle the senses. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the colossal stainless steel structures that make up the factory. The enormous factory not only churns out masses of sugar, it literally runs on the sweet stuff too!

All this raw cane can will be processed in 1hr

Hot seam escaping from cooling down machinery. Bagasse in the background,
the by product of cane used as fertiliser and to power the machinery. 

The pipes that carry raw cane juice to be processed into sugar

The factory produces 2,500 tons of sugar a day. These bags each weigh 50kg and are ready to be dispatched and feed Kakamega's sugar addiction. 

Chai Tea, FYI the proper way

I love the ceremony involved with making tea and coffee. The wait, the patience and the routine makes the process unique to every individual. Whether it's you're early morning caffeine hit or a warming mug of herbal tea after a meal, every cup has a comforting quality. The “ummms” and “ahhhhs” that follow after the first sip are evident of the pleasurable and familiar aroma that warms our cockles and helps us deal with whatever may be thrown our way.

Those who know me, will know I love a tea. The two shelves in my kitchen dedicated to a wide variety of teas and coffee is ever growing is now spewing over to the third shelf. Without a fail, though, I will always have my regular four cups of chai a day.... with lots of brown sugar. Every time I make chai, I do it from scratch in a saucepan with lose tea and fresh spices, the way it should be done. This may be seen as time consuming to some, but to me it’s a ritual I look forward to, and if you are lucky enough to be around when my Chai clock strikes, then I'd be more then happy to provide a cup of spicy sweetness.

I've been asked how to make chai tea many times, and I always explain my precise tried and tested method, but I think this scares people. I have friends who have tried to chase the authentic flavour of chai they've tried in India, and end up buying pre-packaged cheap tea bags that claim to be “chai tea”… no… this is not right, and I am telling you now, you will never find the true taste of chai in a pre packaged box in any supermarket. The only brand I found to be pleasing is Clippers Chai Tea, and even though it isn't truly authentic, it has the right spice blend, and has a milder taste to true Indian Chai. But, the proper way to make chai follows a few simple, but very essential dos and donts:

DO:

Use a saucepan, non-stick is good as this prevents the milk from burning

Use lose black tea, Fair Trade always and only

Use fresh spices or Chai Masala

Use a tea strainer

DON’T:

Use tea bags

Use a kettle

Use the microwave (yes… I have seen it be attempted)

Use skimmed milk… why would you really?

So why so strict? Well, to understand the actual science behind a decent cup of chai, you have to look at the essences of flavour infusion:

1. A saucepan allows for a decent amount of space for the flavours to permeate and mingle.

2. Lose tea contains essential tannic acid which gives tea it’s slightly bitter but moorish quality. This flavour potential isn’t fully released when packed closely together in a semi porous bag. The longer the tea is brewed, the more the tannins are released. This gives the tea a darker bitterer taste.

3. Fresh spices have more flavour then dried spices. Chai masala is a blend of spices, which can differ from manufacturer (if bought) and households (if blended at home). The spice blend is a personal reference, and because of this, I think it is better to blend your own spices. I also vary my combination of spices depending on my mood and the time of the day. For example, in the morning I like a fair bit of lemongrass, ginger and cloves in my chai blend as I feel this helps wake me up. But in the evening, I prefer my spice blend to only include cinnamon and cardamom, as I find this to be more relaxing. It is entirely up to you what you want your chai to taste like, some people even like mint in their chai tea. 

Chai Masala Blend (foreground) and typical spices that
go into a Chai masala Blend (background)

The method bellow is how I make chai. The ratios don't have to be followed to the “tea”… and can vary depending on personal taste, so experiment till you find your perfect mixture. You could even grind down your individual spice selection and make your very own Chai Masala. Chai is a great digestive after a meal and is a perfect accompaniment to Indian nasto (spicy snacks). You could even try cook with chai in cakes, porridge, or even ice-cream. 

The following method has been tried and tested by my own fair hands. I believe this method brings out the right amount of flavour and aromas from the ingredients, without "over cooking" the tea.  

Ingredients (two cups):

1 cup Water

1 cup Milk

1 tbsp of Fair Trade Lose Tea

20 Cinnamon seeds (not pods)

Pinch of Grated Nutmeg

4 Cardamom Cloves 

2 Cloves

Quarter inch Grated Ginger

Fair Trade Brown Sugar, According to taste

Place the water, milk and the lose tea in a saucepan. Place on the hob on full heat. You could add more or less water/milk depending on your taste.

Either use a pestle and mortar or a grinder to crush the spices. Add to the saucepan.

Add the sugar if desired. I think 2 tsp is enough, although traditional chai is a great deal sweeter then this.

I personally think it is essential to stir only once all the ingredients are added, but only once, as this can disrupt the heating process and allows for oxygen to escape.  Oxygen is very important in any liquid as it helps carry flavour

Allow for the tea to boil. Once the chai has boiled, you should turn down the heat and not boil to the boil again, as it makes the tannins from the tea too strong and bitterly over powering.

Once the tea has simmered for about a minuet, strain into individual mugs. In India chai is normally served in small glasses in cafes, and in small clay cups on the streets, almost like little shots of sugary, milky, spiciness. A ceramic mug is just fine though. Enjoy your Chai with a pista cookie or a couple of Palle-Gs, or spicy Indian Nasto. 

GOATS MILK & ROSE HIP PORRIDGE

Full of vitamin C, rosehip, is easy to preserve as tea, jam, or even as a concentrated syrup. Coupled with an energy food like oats, which are good for lowering cholesterol and packed full of fiber, this porridge is a great start to the day, especially during the colder months. Like a lot of unprocessed grain, oats also contains phytochemicals, a chemical that lowers the chances of cancer. Compared to soya milk and cow’s milk, goats milk is high in essential fats, amino acids and high in protein content. It’s rich and creamy flavour sometimes has a slightly salty undertone that works well in cooking, especially in porridge. Goats are easier and more economical to farm compared to cows. They eat scraps, take up less space, and unlike cows they’re milk doesn’t have to be homogenized.

Ingredients

1 Cup Scottish oats
2 Cups goats’ milk
1 tbsp Rosehip tea, loose
Handful of Dried Rosehip
Honey to taste

Method

In a saucepan bring the goats milk and loose rosehip tea, to a boil. Turn down and allow to simmer for a further minuet. Strain and return the infused milk to the saucepan. Gently heat, adding the oats and the dried rosehip, stirring continuously on a simmer for four to five minuets or until the milk thickens and the oats are cooked. Drizzle with honey, and serve piping hot.

SWEET ELDERFLOWER AND CARROT HALWA

Carrots have a natural sweetness which when used in sweet dishes means less sugar is needed. Carrot halwa is an Indian dish, which typically has cardamom, a selection of nuts and uses ghee and rich condensed milk. In this recipe, I have used elderflower syrup as a complimenting flavour and sweetener, unsweetened butter, and powdered milk. The flavours are fragrant and delicate. I topped it with a couple of plump, sticky, brandy soaked raisin, from the larder. Best served warm.

Ingredients

1 cup water
4 large carrots peeled and grated
4 tbsp elderflower syrup
25g unsalted butter
2 tbsp powdered milk
Brandy soaked raisins (optional)

Method

In a pan bring the cup of water up to boil. Add the grated carrots and stir for 10 minuets on a low flame. Add the powdered milk and syrup and continue stirring until all the carrots start to soften. Add the butter and stir till melted. Leave to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minuets or until the liquid has reduced to a rich sticky syrup. Plate, ready to serve, and top with brandy soaked raisins.

Mock Pineapple Jelly

Mock Pineapple Jelly

The combination of Rhubarb and Strawberry recreates a very similar flavour to Pineapple. So I have called this Jelly recipe mock Pineapple, as during the war time there were quite a few “mock” recipes which tried to recreate flavours and textures of unavailable or expensive ingredients. I decided to add natural yellow food colouring as it looks more like pineapple jelly.

Ingredients

Preserved Rhubarb in syrup
Preserved Strawberry in syrup
Gelatine leaves
Natural yellow food colouring

Method

Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water. It is recommended that four leaves are sufficient for a pint of liquid, but this is all dependant on how firm you like your jelly. In a saucepan, heat up some preserved strawberries and rhubarb in their syrup, but be careful not to boil. Once the gelatine leaves are softened, add them to the saucepan and whisk till totally dissolved. Pour into mould, and leave to cool to room temperature. Pop in the fridge to set for five hours. Serve with whipped cream.

POP-AGANDA!

So, I’ve been really interested in a supposed World War 3 situation, and how we would cope with it. The reduction of imports would mean exotic ingredients wouldn’t be so readily available. Our dependence on locally grown, seasonal and preserved foods would grow. Government propaganda would also surround us, encouraging us to support the choice of war. As you can imagine, a WWIII would be significantly more devastating compared to previous wars. With nuclear weapons and chemical war fare destroying cities with a simple touch of a button. I’m pretty sure, a war on this scale would last for many years, with the consequences being way bigger then ever seen before.

So with all this horror, I came up with a subversive product which the British Government could realise: Popaganda. A lollypop, which bought by kids, would encourage and condition them for war. The lollypop shaped like am army man, would be handed out to kids as a treat. Maybe this sugary treat would lift the moods of children, whilst also being a pre-training for war.

I looked into different flavour combinations, and from reading an extract by Edmund and Dixon, American food writers from the 1800s, I found the combination of rhubarb and strawberries, created a mock Pineapple flavour. This flavour combination could be used in other possible foods and drinks from tarts to cocktails.



I needed to make a casting, so I could make a lollypop shaped like a solider. So I got my mould of a solider from a toy army man. I stood him up on a plinth….



I covered him in a box of clear acrylic. (It wasn’t a perfect box by any means, so I needed to seal up any gaps with some plastering.)



I filled it up with rubber silicon and let him set for a good hour. Once removed from the over, I broke of the acrylic, cut down the sides, so to create the male and female parts of the mould. I filled it up with my sugary rhubarb and strawberry mixture (This was very difficult, as I made the mixture without using a sugar thermometer. I do highly recommend getting one if making any kind of sugar craft). I let it set for 20 minuets, and then removed from mould.



I also made a wrapper to go with it. I used the net, of old ice-lolly wrappers. They seemed well suited. I was in a bit of a debate, as to weather I should have called the flavour pineapple, or Rhubarb and Strawberry, but in the end, as the colour I chose was red, I decided to stick with the latter. I also came up with a few other possible typical English flavours like sherbet and strawberry & cream.

SHOOTING STARS

I came across some edible paper in the Sainsbury’s the other day, and picked it up, not really knowing what I wanted to do with it, but knew I wanted to do something. It was only 99p for a pack of 12 A5 potato starch sheets, which is very decent, so why not. I found the paper very similar to rice paper. It is a little bit more stiff then rice paper, but still quite malleable, and as the serving suggestion suggests, good for cake decorating. It is pretty taste-less, but this means it can take on not only colour, but taste also. One thing I really like about edible paper, is its “third dimension”: taste. It can also be its downfall though, as any liquid added on it instantly dissolves the paper, reducing it to mush. So great care has to be taken with handling it, but otherwise, it’s a great “new” product available in most supermarkets.

So, anyhow… I was playing about with the paper, trying different origami shapes, and one that seemed to hold really well was the origami star. The stiffness of the potato starch paper means too many folds and creases result in tears and weak edges. But the star holds very well, and has a hollow centre great for filling…








There are a few things I could have tried to fill my starts with, but nothing would have been best suited then a sweet, spongy, meringue filling. So I made a few stars, set them aside, whilst I made a simple meringue mixture: 1 egg white; 70grams caster sugar; 1 tsp corn flour; 1 tsp white vine vinegar. I separated it into three and added strawberry flavouring to one, peppermint to another, and lemon to the last.




















I got three syringes (left over from the Cherry Bombs) and filled each with a different meringue mixture. I injected a couple of stars, being carful with how much went in, as the meringue filling would expand during cooking. I also had to be careful that they weren’t sat around for too long between the injecting and popping into the oven phase, as the liquidly filling inside would start dissolving the paper. Before they went into the oven, I gave them a quick brushing of natural food colouring mixed with honey and sugar to give them a slight glazed exterior.



They didn’t take longer then 5 minuets, and came out with a crisp finish. I let them cool for another 5 minuets so that making the holes for the sugar spear was made easier.

I made the sugar spear by melting sugar in a pan, till it just started to turn a rich caramel colour. I then let it cool a little till it was just manageable to handle, and plied it to a spear shape. I must add that this was rather coincidental as I was initially trying to create this shape with a spoon, but as it cooled and stuck to my spoon, I tried to twist and pull it away, and thus… this rather perfect shape was created! I made a pierced the stars through with the needle from the syringe, then very carefully let the sugar spear follow through. This was a very delicate job.




















Well, it’s not really a filling desert as such, but it was rather fun to create. It’s quite remarkable what can actually be done with edible paper. Used with the right vegetable ink, edible paper can leave suspended txt/images in jelly. This looks very impressive, but is actually really quite simple. You can also buy edible ink (not for all printer types, mainly inkjet Canons and HPs), which doesn’t have the best quality finish, but does mean you could possibly eat a picture of yourself!!! Homaro Cantu’s restaurant in Chicago, Moto, prides itself on being a futuristic, postmodern eating experience, by using inkjet printing on edible paper in their recipes/inventions. Diners order from, then eat the edible menu which is made of parmesan-flavored rice paper which has been imprinted with edible soy ink. Puffed rice and freeze-dried shallots frame the menu, which sits on bed of crème fraiche. Once the presentation has been admired and the food ordered, the “menu” is stirred up and becomes the first course of risotto. Sounds mental… looks it too. Here’s a link to their website: http://www.motorestaurant.com/ . It’s defiantly worth a gander if molecular gastronomy is your kind of thing. Happy Eatings!

Potato & Nutmeg Ice Creams

I’ve never really had much appreciation for ice creams. I’ve always tended to favour more substantial desserts if I had the choice. One reason for this is my sensitive teeth situation: biting into cold solid ice-creams leaves my mouth feeling numb, my fingers feeling sticky and my teeth zinging with pain. But all this was put behind me when I had my first ever Italian Galati. A creamy, silky, rich scoop of melon and passion fruit galatia saw the beginning of my love affair with ice creams. It opened up my world to the many different possible flavours out there and even more exciting, the combinations! I started replacing my shopping break coffees with galatias, picking a different flavour each time. This even continued back in England. Despite an erratic summer and the lack of sun, I was spending money which would otherwise have be spent on alcohol, on ice-creams and lolly pops. I rediscovered childhood favourites like Mr Whippy, Mint Choc Chip, Solaro, and even Milk Ice Creams. When I felt like being adventurous I’d pick the most colourful or most bizarre looking ice cream; discovering the more unusual flavours like Pistachio, Chilli, Saffron, Blue Diamond, Macaroon, and Oreo Cheesecake. Yep, there are so many possibilities when I come to ice creams, you could be well spoilt for choice.

So one day, after having a very unusual conversation with a friend about how surprisingly nice cold mash potato is, and then coincidentally coming across a recipe for purple yam ice-cream that very same day, I decided to embark on making potato ice-cream. I could have well used sweet potato, yam, or cassava, but I happened to have left over boiled potatoes in the fridge from lunch so I used them


It was rather late at night when I decided to make this, so had to work with what I had in the fridge. I decided just potato wouldn’t hack it, so needed something suitable to work with the texture and ordinary taste of your standard potato. I decided to play it safe and use nutmeg. So in a bowl I popping in boiled, skinned and chopped up potatoes; single cream; unsalted butter; caster sugar; and a pinch of nutmeg. As it was rather late and my mum was asleep upstairs, I thought it rude to wake her up by using the food processer. So the considerate person that I am, I took the hard route and mashed up all the ingredients together with a fork. This was very very hard work. So I got out a sieve and pressed it through so the mixture had no lumps and was smooth, but not too runny. I wanted to keep the texture of the potato so added enough cream to make it silky, but not too smooth so it resembled the consistency of clotted cream. I put it in a tub and let it set, mixing it every 30 min. But as it was rather late, I only managed to mix it twice before hitting the sack.


The next morning I woke up in much excitement. I ran down stairs, went into the kitchen, opened the freezer, opened the freezer drawer, took out my ice-cream tub… and it looked normal! Thank heavens! I got a spoon scrapped at the top layer… normal again. Then I put a bit in my mouth. Interesting… tasted like cold mash potato, but sweeter. The nutmeg came through and worked well with the creamy potato texture. It did feel more dense then normal ice-creams, but the smoothness counteracted this buy melting evenly on the tongue. Overall it was a pretty good breakfast. The more I ate, the more I enjoyed the complexity of the simple flavours. Next time, I’d probably improve it by adding another layer of flavour to it instead of nutmeg. I'd keep the smooth texture of the potato though as it made the ice cream rich and creamy. So maybe to replace the nutmeg I'd add ground up cashew nuts or even almonds. Maybe even using cashew nut/almond milk instead of cream. Till then I think my potato and nutmeg ice cream was probably the most unexpectedly rewarding ice cream I’ve eaten this summer and I really do recommend it. Happy Eatings!

Sneakers ‘BUNDT’ cake

I recently bought a Bundt cake tin online. I’m not much of a pastry cook. I’m far too impatient, always get measurements wrong and I find the whole process too slow and laborious. So why did I buy a Bundt tin? Because they are beautiful bits of kitchen ware. They come in so many different shapes and sixes and the shiny metallic moulds are so attractive. Bundt cakes are originally German and were called ‘Bundt’ because in German Bundt comes from the word Bundtkuchen which means to bundle/wrap around. Bundt cakes have a central hole which the batter is poured around. I don’t know why this is exactly, but it does means you get a nice hard coating around the cake, and the hole means more external surface area for more of this nice hard coating.

Bundt cakes were originally eaten during the German harvest, and were cooked in heavy cast iron pans or delicate ceramic which meant it was rather difficult to handle and the cake often came out unevenly cooked. Then a Mr H. David Dalquist (an American) decided to take this nice ‘bunt cake’ idea and improve it. So he started a company called Nordic Ware, which made bundt cake tins from aluminium, which meant they were easier to make and the cake also cooked more evenly. The aluminium also means more interesting shapes can be tried out. Like my Holiday Tree Tin. This is a very different design to the Bundt tins available before Nordic Ware.


So, I can’t have a beautiful cake tin and not use it really can i? So I looked in my cupboards and found crunchy peanut butter and sneakers…. Oh yes! A Sneakers cake! Made the recipe up from the top of my head baring in mind what I had available in the house… and for someone who doesn’t like making cakes, I think I did rather well.

1 cup Self raising flour
1 cup Caster Sugar
1 cup Milk
½ cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 vanilla pod
6 tablespoons peanut butter
1 sneakers bar

Greased the tin…. Put everything in together into a mixer…. put half the mixture in my tin....cut up my sneakers bar and placed it around the tin...


poured the rest of the mixture over the top....and cooked at 175c for 35 mins in a fan assisted oven….Took out of oven to cool in mould for 10 mins…. Took out of mould and placed on cooling rack… had a sneaky taste whilst still warm… dusted cocoa powder over the top… : )

CAKE IN A MUG

So I've been at the pub tonight. It's ladies's night and all ladies get 7 drinks for £5. Pretty good eh? Even better, my friend behind the bar gave me a few extra drinks. Nice... : ) So all i've had is a BLT (a very nice BLT as well from my uni canteen) today, and i'm very very hungry and so ver smashed. i want food, something simple and yummy. So me and the boyf decide to cook a stew, come hot pot, come cottage pie kind thing. We eat dinner at 12.30, worth the wait really. It was delicious. Really surprising, contrary to the belief that stews only taste good if cooked for a long time... it's not necessarily always true. Anywho... so i needed something nice and sweet to finish off with, and the first thing that came to mind was Cake in a Mug. Attempted once, but a little bit of a disaster... not eatable basically.... too chewy. Looked up the recipe to remind my self and it was so simple. decided to make a few adjustments with measurements. Poped over to BP petrol station and bought eggs and self raising. put it all together in minuets.... topped with strawberry cheese cake ice cream... OH MY DAYS!!!!! so good! Here's the reciepe... please try it, it's so simple. Really worth the few minuets.

2 Tablespoons Self Raising flour
2 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
3 Tablespoons Cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil

Get a big mug.... mix the flour, sugar and cocoa together... mix the egg in....then add the milk and oil into the mixture and mix well... put in the microwave for 4 minuets on full power... Take out, leave to stand for 1 minuet... add ice-cream... eat... enjoy....

Birthday Cakes

I recently celebrated turning 21, and what an epic birthday it was... lasting two whole weeks! i also received 4 birthday cakes. the one above being the largest. Made up of 8 different flavours and weighing a ton... it was a lovely surprise from my granddad!

The second cake was a banoffee cake. With crunchy bits of toffee on the top and a soft, moist sponge. the cream on top had a little bit of banana separating it from the sponge....YUMMY!!!

My third cake was a strawberries and cream cake thanks to my unkle!

The last cake was a Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake!!!! you can't really see it here but there was a layer of crumbled cookie bit on top. The middle was made from the icing filling mixed with mascaponi, cream cheese, caster sugar and double cream. The base was just a digestive biscuit and butter mix. It was delightful... really scrummy!!! this was a lovely product from my cousin.