Africa, Cooking with Kai

Kenya Vibibi

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Kenya is a wild place, literally. At our second camp, Offbeat Mara, we had to be escorted from our tent to dinner after dark. On the first night, our escort told us to “move quickly.” Then he shone his flashlight into the brush about 30-40 yards away, and we could see a pair of eyes looking back at us. Needless to say, we picked up our pace. Animals were always all around us. It really felt like we were out in the wild. 

The people were absolutely wonderful. Everyone was so kind to this little 5-year-old. But I have to say, one of the most underrated parts of the Kenyan safari experience was the food. Each camp had some amazing chefs. Each meal, made with ingredients fresh from onsite gardens, was excellent.

At Offbeat Mara, we had a type of pancake for breakfast. I never asked what they were called, but they were delish. They were my favorite breakfast item to have each morning. About two years after our trip to Kenya, I got an Atlas Crate in the mail as part of a KiwiCo subscription. These boxes are all about geography and culture, which you know is an important part of Kaiventures. This particular box was all about Kenya. One of the items inside was a recipe card for Vibibi, a Swahili coconut rice pancake.  And that’s when it clicked; that is what I had for breakfast in Kenya. I knew this is what we had to do for our Kenyan Cooking with Kai. 

So, here is the KiwiCo recipe for Vibibi.  I hope you enjoy it. 

Recipe – KiwiCo

Prep Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Enjoyment Time: Breakfast

Parents accompaniments:  A fruity Champagne

Ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 1/3 cups rice flour
  • A pinch of cardamom
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • Fruit and yogurt for topping

Instructions

  1. Mix the yeast, water, and a pinch of the sugar together.  Let it stand for about 5 minutes.  The mixture will start to foam!
  2. Mix together the sugar, rice flour, and cardamom.  Then add the coconut milk and yeast mixture.  Stir well.
  3. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave it alone for at least an hour.
  4. GET AND ADULT ASSISTANT.  Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a pan on medium heat.  Pour roughly ¼ cup of batter in the pan and spread it to form a small pancake.
  5. When the bubbles start to form, flip the pancake to cook the other side.
  6. Repeat steps 4-5 to cook the rest of the batter. Be sure to heat a little more oil on the pan before pouring each pancake.  Serve with fresh fruit and yogurt.