Out Of An African Kitchen is a quirky anthology of recipes, reminiscences, anecdotes and stories from a bush kitchen set high up on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, overlooking the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Written in memory of Steve and for Anna, the book is written in honour of the chefs at Angama Mara and their guests.
Hotelier and guest lodge owner extraordinaire Nicky Fitzgerald poses the question, ‘How can you possibly feed guests who, when they are not on safari, are eating in the best restaurants on the planet?’ As she goes on to say, ‘It is a daunting challenge to prepare food in the middle of nowhere for guests who come from all four corners of the world, from different culinary cultures and who, quite rightly, expect the best of the best when it comes to choosing where to stay for their next holiday.’Angama Mara not only rose to the challenge, it has exceeded it. Perched on the edge of the Great Rift Valley overlooking Kenya’s lovely Maasai Mara, Angama Mara and its bush kitchen draws inspiration from the finest ingredients to be found in Kenya: beautiful vegetables from the highlands, tropical fruits a-plenty from the coast, cheese from a renowned supplier just outside of Nairobi, prawns from Malindi, freshwater fish from Lake Victoria and beef from the north. As you will discover as you read this book, Kenyan cuisine is deeply influenced by Arab-inspired Swahili dishes from the coast and Indian food from the significant communities that have called this country home for many generations. Aren’t your taste buds dancing with delight at the very thought?
Chapters are divided into:
- At the lodge
- Proudly Kenyan
- In the Shamba
- A touch of the Mediterranean
- On the Out of Africa kopje
- Picnics on safari
- From somewhere in the Middle East
- In the Maasai boma
- More than a touch of India
- At the forest barbecue
Recipes that caught my eye:
- Swahili chocolate pots (p30)
- Green shakshuka with olive oil crackers (p38)
- Cheesy Brioche Rolls (p62)
- Pink lemonade (p70)
- Salted caramel brownies (p75)
- Middle Eastern Breakfast (p80)
- Toasted almond & cardamom ice cream (p88)
- Karanga nuts (p94)
- Teriyaki sauce (p96)
- Indian spiced cauliflower soup (p104)
My impressions:
I liked the quirky difference of using shop it for ingredients and prepare it instead of method. The personal stories always make a recipe book that more special.
What I made:
I made the cheesy brioche rolls and they were super amazing. The only change I made was to adjust the baking time. The 20 minutes called for resulted in them being overbaked. I gave James a batch of the dough and he was also impressed.
Out Of An African Kitchen Publishing information:
Disclosure: I was sent the book to review by Penguin Random House South Africa. I was not required to write a positive review. This post is in line with my blogging policy.
Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime January 13:
-
- 2020: Caraway Seed Tear And Share Bread
- 2017: Chocolate Horlicks Chews
- 2016: Home, Sarah Graham
- 2012: Pickled Peppers
- 2011: Ganache
With over 800 cookery books lovingly collected from all over the world i had ‘sworn’ not to indulge in new offerings unless I found something really unusual ! Well, Ottolenghi’s ‘Flavour’ led me to break my ‘vows’ . . . and now I am really interested in this. . . . Have not made it out to Kenya as yet from Australia . . . one of the remaining places I truly would love to see ! My only reservation is that not enough local taste may imbue the volume . . . ?
Eha, I am so looking forward to paging through Flavour, and if it made you break your vows then it must be good. I think that Out of an African Kitchen will be well suited to Australian ingredients, and I hope you get to Kenya one day 🙂
Kenya is on our list for 2021, if it doesn’t get canceled. I’m so excited! Of course I think I’m going to be hugging chimps, and I’m sure that won’t be the case, sadly. In any case, this sounds like a really wonderful book! It’s funny to me that most of the recipes that caught your eye are in the sweet category!
I love desserts! Mimi, I really hope we all get to travel this year 🙂
They sound delicious.. anything baked with cheese is a win.. 😉
I agree!
sounds like a wonderful cookbook…
It really is 🙂
These recipes sound different and I like the local Kenyan undertones.
I must say that I will go back and try more in the future 🙂
Hi Tandy! So it was the cheesy brioche rolls that had my eye, too. So interesting! I confess, most of this foods looks very unfamiliar to me but I would be interested in trying!
I love trying new things 🙂
We ate so well in the Masai Mara. The ingredients were so fresh – no preservatives. The only real activity was in the jeeps so I was surprised when I didn’t gain weight. It really showed me what a difference ingredients make.
That is surprising indeed 🙂
So many cookbooks, so little time! I’m looking for African cookbooks outside of the tourist industry. I can see how the proprietors of a safari station would be challenged to please their clients! And how their stories would reflect an interesting set of experiences. I guess I would love to know what their staff cook for themselves!!
be safe… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
That would be a great addition, I shall have to page through again to see if any of the recipes were for the staff 🙂