Meru, Kenya
My friend Monica got a chance to volunteer for a trip to Kenya with a group of speech therapists to test children's hearing and train teachers at a School for the Deaf.
She shared some of her photos and told me about her trip. THANKS, MONICA!
Hearing test
Painting the schoolThe town of Meru is about a three-hour bus ride northeast from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The roads were ok, but the driving was scary, she told me, with oncoming traffic narrowly escaping as the bus driver charged on.
Open air market
When I asked what struck her the most about the area, she said it was the beautiful scenery in great contrast to people living in shacks. There were homeless children ("glue kids" they were called) wandering around with glassed-over eyes.
They met a lady who would walk six miles to get water and then walk six miles back!
The people were very friendly and put on dance performances in their visitors' honor.
Monica went on a two-day safari to a Wild Animal Refuge and got to pet a tame rhino!
No big wild life ventured into the populated areas, but this little lizard seemed to feel at home with people!
A local way of "carpooling"
Lots of fresh fruit, especially bananas.
Monica's favorites: Wheatabix, chapatis, madas, and samosas.
Talking with Monica about her Kenya trip has put East Africa high on my wanderlust list!
P.S.
Here's a picture of chapati, a flatbread that is used as both bread and "utensils" -you break off a piece and wipe your plate clean.
Samosas are savory pastries filled with potatoes and other vegetables and ground meat.
I looked up a recipe from food.com -I want to try these!
Note: This recipe suggests deep frying, but in the interest of health, I'm going to try a baked version and mix in whole wheat flour. I'm also adding peas into the filling, as I noticed it was mentioned in a lot of the recipes I looked at. You can add cooked ground meat into the filling as well.
Samosas (makes 20)
Ingredients
Pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour (or half whole wheat, half white)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
water
Filling:
2 large potatoes, boiled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 green chilis, very finely chopped
3 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
1/2 tsp garlic, crushed
coriander seeds
1 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
juice of half lemon
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala*
1/2 tsp red chili powder
salt
(peas, cooked ground meat)
Directions
1. Mix together flour, oil, and salt
2. Add a little water until mixture becomes crumbly
3.Keep adding water, kneading the mixture till it becomes a soft pliable dough.
4. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside for 20 minutes.
5. Beat dough on a work surface and knead again.
6. Cover and set aside.
Filling
Heat 3 Tbsp oil
Add ginger, garlic, green chilis, and a few coriander seeds
Stir fry for 1 minute, add onions and saute till light brown.
Add cilantro (fresh coriander), lemon juice, turmeric, red chili, salt, garam masala* (or ground cumin)
Stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add potatoes and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Set aside and allow to cool.
(Add cooked ground meat)
Divide dough into 10 equal portions.
Use a rolling pin, roll a piece of dough into a 5" oval.
Cut into 2 halves.
Run a moist finger along the diameter.
Roll around finger to make a cone.
Place a tablespoon of the filling into the cone.
Seal the third side using a moist finger.
Deep fry the samosas on low to medium heat until light brown.
*garam masala, an Indian spice mix, can be omitted and replaced with a dash of ground cumin
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