As we have reported several times, Kenya's cuisine with an international vocation has, over the years, drawn from all the cultures that have made their mark on this country, in history and before or after its independence. This tasty, captivating and original blend of local 'raw material', Arab influences, Indian and Portuguese suggestions, and last but not least the Italian tradition that has given a boost especially to tourism, cannot forget the British colonisation, even if the food and wine aspect of the presence of the British (don't hold it against us) is certainly not the most striking one.
However, there are certain methods of preparation, mixtures of ingredients and tastes that have entered into the Kenyan way of relating to food. This is most clearly seen in soups and desserts, or in gravies for meat, but especially on the coast, also in the so-called 'dressing' of salads and fish, also because Kenyans are crazy about ketchup, mayonnaise and various sauces.
Apart from the introduction of vinaigrettes and variations on the mayonnaise theme (try the exotic passion mayonnaise), a very special dressing is that with yoghurt or, better still, 'maziwa lala', which is Kenyan liquid yoghurt.
To combine this 'dressing' with a fish starter, we suggest a salad of squid and avocado.

For the dressing:
Half a glass of liquid yoghurt (maziwa lala)
One squeezed lime
One tablespoon of mayonnaise
One teaspoon of mustard
One teaspoon of olive oil
A pinch of salt
Half a teaspoon of sweet paprika (Spanish paprika)
A quarter glass (10cl) of beer, or sparkling wine or sparkling water

For the salad
250g squid cut into rings
One medium or two small avocados
Two tomatoes
A bunch of green salad or rocket salad
Two stalks of celery

Boil the squid for 3 minutes and drain. Cut the avocado and tomatoes into small cubes, the celery into small pieces and the green salad.
Mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl and process them, add the sparkling element and give it a final twist (always best done by hand) to create the emulsion.
Arrange the salad as desired (the green can be the base on which to place the squid, avocado and tomatoes around, or you can mix everything in a bowl) and add the dressing.
Very tasty... and a bit 'old fashioned'... indeed, 'old fusion'!