Western Kenyan fermented finger-millet uji
A thin, sour porridge of western Kenya made by fermenting unroasted finger-millet flour in water for a day or two, then diluting it and cooking it through.
Mkate wa sinia (Mombasa rice and coconut cake)
Mkate wa sinia
Fauzia’s Mombasa mkate wa sinia blends soaked rice with coconut milk, sugar, cardamom and yeast, then sets it covered on the hob and browns the top under a grill.
Mombasa rice and coconut cake
Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun calls this a Mombasa delicacy and recommends it with tea, especially during Ramadan. Its name, mkate wa sinia, is presented here for the source’s round rice-and-coconut cake rather than for wheat bread. The author’s batch makes two small 6-inch cakes.
The structure comes from blended rice and coconut milk, with yeast raising the batter. The recipe first sets each cake covered on the hob; the oven grill is used afterward to brown the top. The method is specific to the author’s household preparation and does not establish a single formula across the Swahili coast.
Soaking and blending rice
The source calls for overnight soaking, or at least five to six hours. Refrigerate the rice while it soaks: rice-safety guidance identifies Bacillus cereus spores in uncooked rice and recommends temperature control for rice-based foods. Drain before blending.
Blend the rice in two passes with thick and light coconut milk, instant yeast and cardamom until completely smooth. The source interrupts the first blend to stir the batter before returning it to the blender. Cover the container and let the yeast mixture stand only for the stated 20–30 minutes, until roughly doubled. Cook it promptly after this short rise.
Setting the cake before browning
Stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Melt the margarine or butter in the same 6-inch pan, then mix it through the batter. Use an oven-safe pan whose handle is rated for the maximum grill setting; the source’s foil-wrapped-handle workaround is not repeated here.
Cook half the batter at a time over heat just below medium with the pan covered. Check the top as it cooks. Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun says to move the pan under the grill only after the top has dried and looks firm, then brown it to a golden color. This separates the center-setting stage from the brief top-browning stage. The source gives no exact stovetop or grill duration, so watch the cues rather than adding a timer it does not provide.
Cooling and serving
Let the cake cool until quite cool to the touch before removing it and cutting it; the author warns that a warm centre will remain gooey. Serve promptly with tea. The food-safety source advises prompt consumption of rice-based foods and temperature control when they are not being eaten immediately; this recipe makes no shelf-life claim.
History
Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun identifies this version as a Mombasa delicacy, especially enjoyed with tea during Ramadan. The author makes two small rice-and-coconut cakes from a yeast-raised batter and cooks them in a covered pan before browning their tops under a grill. This supports a Mombasa association for this documented preparation, not a date of origin or a single Swahili-coast formula.
Ingredients
Yield 2 6-inch cakes · Scaling: source batch only
RiceUse thick, stubby or broken grains if available; soak overnight or at least 5–6 hours, then drain.
355 mL1½ cup as recorded
237 mL1 cup as recorded
355 mL1½ cup as recorded
158 mL0.67 cup as recorded
The source suggests ½ cup for a less sweet cake.4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Margarine or butterMelt in the pan and stir into the batter.
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
The source lists either margarine or butter.Ground cardamom
Amount not specified.
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Bacillus cereus in rice
Food-safety guidance notes that spores may be present in uncooked rice and that they can multiply in rice-based foods left in the temperature danger zone; cooking may not destroy toxin already formed.
Hazard sourceHot pan under oven grill
The source moves a frying pan under a maximum grill; an unverified handle may not be safe for that heat.
Hazard sourceKeep the overnight rice soak refrigerated at 4°C or below; after the source-specified 20–30-minute batter rise, cook promptly.
Control sourceServe once cool enough to slice. If the rice-based cake is not served promptly, refrigerate it at 4°C or below; cooking does not destroy toxin that may already have formed in rice-based food.
Control sourceUse a 6-inch pan and handle rated for the oven grill's maximum setting; do not put cookware with an unverified handle under the grill.
Control sourceThe source gives no timed stovetop or grill stage. Use its covered-pan cue—the top dries and looks firm—before browning; do not substitute color alone for the center-setting step.
The source says to cool until quite cool before slicing but gives no exact cooling duration or storage shelf life.
- Soak the rice overnight, or for at least 5–6 hours, in a covered container in the refrigerator. Drain it before blending.
- Put half of the drained rice into a blender. Add the yeast, cardamom and half of each coconut milk. Add the remaining rice and coconut milk over the top so the yeast and cardamom sit between the layers.
- Blend for about 5 minutes, stopping at intervals. Pour the mixture into a bowl, stir with a wooden spoon, return it to the blender and blend for about 5 minutes more until the rice is completely smooth.
- Transfer the batter to a clean, covered container. Let it rise for 20–30 minutes, until roughly doubled. Cook it promptly after this short rise; do not extend the rest while waiting for more activity.
- Stir in the sugar with a wooden spoon until dissolved. Melt the margarine or butter in a 6-inch oven-safe frying pan and stir it into the batter.
- Pour half the batter into the hot pan. Cover and cook on the hob over heat just below medium, checking periodically. The top should dry and look firm before you move the pan to the grill; this is the source’s center-setting cue.
- Preheat the oven grill to its maximum setting. Use only a pan whose handle is rated for that grill setting. Place the pan under the grill until the top is golden brown, watching closely. Remove the pan carefully.
- Let the cake cool until quite cool to the touch before loosening it from the pan and slicing; the source warns that cutting it while warm leaves a gooey centre. Serve with tea. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Conditions
Yield2 6-inch cakes
Fermentation0.33–0.5 h
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
Mombasa
Documented preparation · Locality evidenceFauzia’s Kitchen Fun describes this specific recipe as a Mombasa delicacy; it does not establish one origin for all mkate wa sinia.
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Sources
Fauzia’s Kitchen FunInspiration · Method · Identity · Geography · History
Mkate wa Sinia (Rice and Coconut Cake)The page identifies mkate wa sinia as a Mombasa delicacy served with tea, especially during Ramadan; it gives a yield of two 6-inch cakes.
The formula uses 1½ cups rice, 1 cup thick coconut milk, 1½ cups light coconut milk, ⅔ cup sugar (or ½ cup for less sweetness), 1 teaspoon instant yeast, 1 tablespoon margarine or butter and cardamom powder.
The method soaks rice overnight or at least 5–6 hours, blends it with yeast, cardamom and coconut milks in two passes until smooth, rests the batter covered for 20–30 minutes until roughly doubled, adds sugar and melted margarine, then cooks half at a time covered over just-below-medium heat until the top is dry and firm before grilling the top until golden.
The source does not specify rice-soak temperature, exact stovetop or grill duration, cardamom quantity or storage duration. It warns to cool the cake until quite cool before cutting to avoid a gooey result.
Singapore Food AgencySafety
B. cereus in Rice-based FoodFood-safety guidance identifies Bacillus cereus spores in uncooked rice and explains that toxins formed in rice-based foods left in the temperature danger zone may not be destroyed by cooking.
It recommends good hygiene, prompt consumption and keeping food refrigerated at 4°C or below or hot at 60°C or above when it is not consumed immediately. This supports refrigerating the rice soak and cooking the source's short-rested batter promptly.