From chapati rolls to canjeero pizza: How families are reinventing snack time

The final school bell rings, shoes are kicked off at the door, and hungry voices echo from the kitchen.

"Mum! What have you prepared for us?”

Gone are the days of plain white bread and sugary sodas and 4 o’clock tea. In many homes, parents and children are teaming up to give snack time a colourful, creative makeover.

Across Nairobi estates, Garissa and Mogadishu neighbourhoods, families are breathing new life into traditional foods.

What used to be leftovers are now being turned into fun, nutritious bites that children love to eat, and even help prepare.

1. Chapati roll-ups (rolex)

Ingredients: Leftover chapati, minced meat or beans, grated carrots, cabbage, ketchup or tamarind sauce.

You can also fry an egg and serve it between a chapati.

Preparation:

- Warm chapati slightly

- Spread a thin layer of sauce (optional)

- Add cooked minced meat or mashed beans

- Add grated carrots and cabbage

- Roll tightly and slice into bite-sized rounds or serve whole

2. Canjeero pizza (somali-style pizza)

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Ingredients: Leftover canjeero, tomato paste, grated cheese, tomatoes, green pepper.

Preparation:

- Spread tomato paste on one side of the canjeero

- Sprinkle grated cheese and add vegetable toppings

- Toast on a dry pan until the cheese melts

- Slice like pizza and serve warm

3. Fruit chaat cups

Ingredients: Mango, banana, pineapple, watermelon, lime juice, a pinch of salt and chili powder or paprika.

Preparation:

- Chop all the fruits into small cubes

- Mix in a bowl or layer in clear cups

- Add a splash of lime juice and a sprinkle of chilli or paprika, or mabuyu (baobab seed) powder

- Chill or serve immediately

4. Sweet potato mandazi

Ingredients: All-purpose flour, mashed sweet potato or pumpkin, sugar, milk, cardamom, and baking powder.

Preparation:

- Mix flour with mashed sweet potato, sugar, cardamom, milk, and baking powder

- Knead into soft dough

- Roll out and cut into triangles

- Deep fry until golden brown

5. Mahamri and egg sandwiches

Ingredients: Mahamri (sweet fried dough), boiled eggs, avocado or tomato slices, a pinch of salt.

Preparation:

- Slice the mahamri in half

- Add boiled egg slices and a slice of avocado or tomato

- Sprinkle with a little salt or pepper

- Serve as a handheld snack

6. Kachumbari snack cups

Ingredients: Tomatoes, red onion, avocado, cucumber, fried minced meat, lime or lemon juice.

Preparation:

- Dice all the vegetables

- Mix with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon

- Mix in the minced meat and scoop into small cups for easy serving

These are snacks your little ones will enjoy.