Kenyan Spaghetti with Chillies

Originally this was Italian. This version isn’t remotely Italian. It’s African – and it’s good. I had it at Orna's Kitchen in the ABC Plaza in Nairobi. It woke me up in every sense.

½ pack spaghetti

3 hot green chillies

3 cloves garlic

Small bunch parsley

¼ cup god olive oil

Nairobi is a very noisy, dirty town. This dish is robust enough to stand up to it. Sadly Orna's is long gone though she thrives as a cooking teacher now, I believe.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of very salty water until al dente. The chillies are the thin, long ones and sliced finely. The garlic and parsley need to be very finely chopped. Warm the olive oil and add the chillies and garlic. Cook slowly, as all you’re doing is thoroughly warming the chillies and garlic in the oil.

I had a cup of Kenya peaberry coffee while this was being made. It doesn’t necessarily go with it but I had no idea how good the spaghetti would be. If you live in Nairobi, buy everything else in Zucchini, next door. Everything’s fresh and you’ll get used to the way the staff follow you around with little plastic bags, bagging everything up as you go.

When the spaghetti is cooked, add the oil and toss well with the chillies, garlic and parsley. The relatively large pieces of chilli make this very hot, and very African. In Italy thw chili will just be flecks. This is what makes this version stand out.

This is just for you, when you’re in the mood to remember. Your guy almost certainly won’t get this. It’s too raw, too harsh. But it’s how it was. Have this for lunch on your own, it’s good to remember. Spaghetti is not just for Bolognese. It’s surprisingly good, served as simply as this.

My other discovery that year was Haydn’s cello concerti. I recommend them to you equally.