Kenya’s Newest Food Sensation: Smocha Obsession.

12 April 2023|Nairobi Fast Food & Snacks

In case you’re wondering what smocha even means, it is simply a portmanteau word; meaning mashing up words to create new words. In this case, chapati and smokie are blended but backward. The derivation is from the first 3 letters in each ingredient.

Me? Hooked on Smochas? Obsessed even, you say? No waay! [Nervous laughter]. Anyway here is my attempt at satisfying my smocha cravings at 11pm, in the sanctuary of my apartment.

Street smochas cost starts from 60 shillings depending on the twist. Their popularity is on the base of factors like being affordable, filling, balanced diet and importantly; delicious and bussing.

So rich in flavors that are bursting and packed with textures; from the softness of the chapati roll to the crunch of the tomato-onion salad (kachumbari), the oozing of sauces, and the smokiness of the sausage. This is one of those food hypes that I can warrant and get behind of, and swear by.

Smochas are more like a food sensation, than a food craze as they have been around for a while, and there’s absolutely no reason for them to lose popularity. (I mean, you’re here).

They are street food but in this post, we are going to try a homemade version without any compromises.

Let’s get into the smocha recipe!

Table of Contents

Ingredients

Smokies (As a smocha veteran, I recommend Farmer’s Choice brand)
Soft Chapatis: Don’t use the flaky chapatis with layers as they’ll disintegrate whilst wrapping
Kachumbari (salsa; tomato-onion salad )
Your favorite sauces: choma sauce or BBQ(recommended), hot sauce, chili sauce, garlic sauce, ketchup, or tomato sauce

Procedure

Make chapatis from scratch if you are depressed or if you are so good at making them or if you just want quality control. Buy some from kibandasky if you’re lazy, broke, busy or a combination of those. Whatever your choice just ensure you keep your chapatis warm for easy rolling. A cloth kitchen towel does the trick.
Prepare your smokies. For the love of god, if your smokies are frozen defrost them before cooking. I prepare mine by adding them to boiling water and letting them set till firm, plump, and springy. Then I proceed to grill them in a pan by brushing melted butter over them. Vegetable oil works as well. Cook while occasionally rolling them around for even cooking( I roll mine continuously on medium heat). Once they’re slightly browned I take them off the heat and dry the excess oil.
Make Kachumbari salad: Don’t use overly ripe tomatoes, we want the crunch! I prefer using white onions to red onions because white are mild. Who wants that onion breathe? Dice both up thinly and add to a bowl. Add-ons; slices of chilies if you love the heat. Add lemon juice from half of a lemon, salt the mixture up, and add black pepper mix thoroughly and finish it off with a dash of olive oil for extra flavor-All these add-ons are optional. Use whatever you got.
Slit your smokies longitudinally about half deep, don’t slice them completely into halves you hungry monster, just enough to form a hinge-like structure. Fill them up with the kachumbari….at this point, you’ll have made a smokie pasua
Lay your chapati down on a flat surface, and add your smokie pasua in the center. Here you can go extra crazy with the kachumbari addition, go as much as to cover your smokie. Add your sauces, tomato sauce, and chili sauce if you wanna be basic. If you wanna be fancy substitute tomato sauce for ketchup and chili sauce for hot sauce. Choma sauce (Barbecue Sauce) is the best sauce for this, but any sauce is acceptable. The only limitation is your imagination.
Now folding time, you’ll hate yourself here if your chapatis are small. It’s good to go with larger chapatis for better real estate and ease of wrapping. Wrap like a burrito and it results to clean wraps with no leaks and messes from dripping sauces. It is so simple, just fold opposite sides inwards, and once set roll the remaining sides. You roll one end while the other remains stationary. Done! You did it.

Nutritional Information

Smochas are a balanced diet and there is no harm in eating those daily, there is protein from the smokie, carbs from the chapati and vitamins from Kachumbari. So this is a guilt free delicacy! Buuuuut…

There is usually a but, smokies used in smochas are processed meat so not reccomended to be comnsumed in excess; processed meats are carcinogenic just like everything moderation is the way.

Amount per serving Calories 211

% Daily Value* Total Fat 15.1g 19% Saturated Fat 3.2g 16% Cholesterol 1mg 0% Sodium 24mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 19.2g 7% Dietary Fiber 8.1g 29% Total Sugars 6.7g Protein 3.3g

Vitamin D 0mcg 0% Calcium 41mg 3% Iron 1mg 5% Potassium 671mg 14%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Disclaimer

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and may vary based on ingredients, cooking methodology, and quantities used. This should only be used for informational purposes and not for dietary advice.

Why are Street Smochas Popular?

Obviously they are bussing( taste nice), everyone would want something that tastes good over and over, and smochas being exactly that they are now a comfort food, not even a snack at this point.
They are nutritionally a balanced diet, yes smochas are not mainstream just because they are “healthy” trust me no one who eats them cares about that, but they actually are…if you think about it!
Smochas are compact: Yes, everything is wrapped up and you get it all in a single bite. This is so convenient for dhort lunch breaks, where you dont need to deal with utensils and cutlery, just biting it while standing on the street, if not walking along.

Who invented smochas?

my guess would be some randomn guy in a hostel room who combined whatever they had in the fridge to make a meal