Week 35 - Kenyan

I love the challenge weeks that focus on different countries or regions of the world, because they can really push me out of my comfort zone to try something new (sort of like the whole AtWCC). I had zero familiarity with Kenyan food when this challenge came around other than a tilapia dish I made in a cooking class, so I blindly searched around until I found something that sounded both doable and delicious. I decided to try something called irio, following a recipe from Eat Well Abi. The site notes that the word irio means food and originates from the Kikuyu and Meru tribes in Kenya, and that the same dish of mashed food is sometimes called mukimo.

Irio is basically potatoes mashed with corn and green beans, and this recipe also added caramelized onions (instead of fried), which I love. It was pretty straightforward to make. We ate it along with some chicken tenders and grape tomatoes. I'm sure that's not traditional, but we always try to make sure we have some familiar foods on the plate for B when we try something new.

This was a really hearty and filling dish, and I think I would make this again, maybe next time alongside some other Kenyan dishes. I don't know how long it's going to take to get to Kenya since we're still doing countries starting with A, but someday!