Italian Week at Sarova Stanley

 

Take a journey through the Culinary Cuisine with the themed weeks at Sarova Stanley. Have you ever had breakfast in Rome, had your dinner on the plane en route to Lagos where you expect to have your lunch cum high tea.  Due to the growing global travel trend, the attentive Chefs at Sarova Stanley decided it was time to meet the Business Travelers need by spicing up the menus to include a wide variety of International dishes ranging from American delights to Kenyan favorites and now the Italian week. Currently holding the bragging rights for having some of the richest, tastiest dishes on the planet. The Italian week has been well thought out bringing you the best of Italian cuisine.

For reservations contact thestanley@sarovahotels.com or call +254202757000

Brand Stewardship

Running a hotel and managing it is an uplifting task. The engagement levels that are therein where you are tasked with being the custodian of the brand is indeed at the pinnacle of Sarova's success story. It all embodies on the theory of brand stewardship.

Stewardship may be defined as “The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” And this is the position we usually find ourselves in as we manage marketing for a hotel, resort – or anything else. We are stewards of that brand, tasked with upholding and communicating the values it stands for. What does that include?

Attention

Attention to what the brand stands for. Attention to what your guests expect of you. Attention to how those two things can come together practically.

Supervision

Supervision of your reputation. Listening to what people say – online and offline. Safeguarding it from threats.

Maintenance

Taking action based on what you find. Refusing to ignore problems just because that’s easier in the short term.

Management

Providing strategic direction on how to move forward while staying true to your identity. Making sure everyone on your team understands why you do what you do: your core values.

Upkeep

Doing what is needed to maintain world-class standards. Introducing innovation to stay ahead of the game.

 For more information about Sarova Hotels please visit http://www.sarovahotels.com/



Spicy Chicken Masala Curry Recipe

There are endless variations to the chicken curry and today’s chicken curry is prepared with the same basic ingredients as any normal chicken curry, the only other major ingredient is cashew nut paste. The spice level of the curry is high due to the use of black pepper and chili powder. But the blending of cashew nut paste with the spices offsets the spicy flavor of the curry and gives this dish its unmistakable, not-too-rich, subtly sweet, warm and spicy flavor.

Preparation & Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes

Serves 4-5 persons

Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients:

Marinate:

½ kg chicken, washed and cut into medium sized pieces

3 tbsp curds

1 tsp red chili powder (adjust to suit your spice level)

¼ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Make a paste:

6-7 cashew nuts

4-5 tbsps milk

Dry roast and make a fine powder:

1” cinnamon

10-12 curry leaves

3 cloves

Rest of the ingredients:

3-4 tbsps oil

2 big onions finely chopped

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp coriander powder

3/4 tsp black pepper powder (adjust to suit your spice level)

¼ tsp cumin powder

Coriander leaves for garnish

1.      Marinate chicken pieces in chili powder, turmeric powder, curds and salt for 20 minutes.

2.      While the chicken pieces are marinating, make a paste of cashew nuts and milk. Keep aside.

3.      Dry roast cinnamons, cloves and curry leaves for 1 minute and make a powder of them. Keep aside.

4.      Heat 1 1/2 tbsps of oil in a cooking vessel. Add the onions and sauté till pink. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté further for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat.

5.      Add coriander powder cumin powder, pepper powder and combine well and fry for another minute.

6.      Add the tomatoes and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Combine well and cook till oil separates. Turn off heat. Cool and grind the cooked masala. Keep aside this masala paste.

7.      Heat 1 1/2 tbsps oil in a cooking vessel and add the marinated chicken and cook on high flame for 4-5 minutes, reduce heat and cook covered for another 4-5 minutes.

8.      Add the ground masala paste, cashew nut paste and ground powder of cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves and combine well. (Add a cup of water for more gravy consistency).

9.      Cook till chicken pieces are soft and you get the desired curry consistency. Adjust salt.

10. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Rules of Engagement

What is it that drives you?  What is your reason for existence? A friend of mine today asked me what makes me wake up every morning and come to work.  A very noble question I must say, and I immediately remembered a quote by Confucius “Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life”. Quickly came the spark, my “aha” moment to write about being engaged. Not literally to another human being but walking through life living everyday bursting with enthusiasm and passion.

Sarova Hotels has a way of making the associates engaged. Now, this is not a marketing bluff but literally everyone seems to be pulling in the same direction. The vision, mission and values are so clearly laid out that every associate has embraced it and it forms the Sarova DNA.  

In personal lives, being engaged means to live. Basically get up every morning with a will to exist and exist successfully. Every day is embraced and brings with it fresh opportunities. So, in a nutshell, let’s have a look at my personal rule book. The 7 rules of engagement are:-

Rule 1: Start Living. Take a day at a time and enjoy

Rule 2: Find a job you love or get to love the one that you have.

Rule 3: Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Rule 4: Because energy capacity diminishes with both overuse and under-use, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal. This you can get from a thorough search of knowledge, read a lot and research as well as listen to others who have succeeded more than you. You get more energy when you do your work well and get recognized for it. That sense of achievement also works on renewing your energy. You can only get this if you develop yourself.

Rule 5: To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way elite athletes do. Keep challenging yourself. Don’t fall into complacency.

Rule 6: Keep re-inventing yourself. Learn new skills or develop the ones that you have, be strategic.

Rule 7: Start again from rule no1.

It becomes evident the key to living a life more fully engaged one leading to more health and happiness—is not in the quantity of things but rather in the quality of crucial moments. In some cases, you may need to stretch yourself to expand your capacities. In others, you may need to build in renewal and recovery rituals.

Attaining full engagement in life and business involves having positive habits or rituals which will help you connect with your deep sense of purpose and leads to greater levels of fulfillment. Such rituals help us to conserve energy rather than deplete it. These rituals may include writing in a journal, meditation, a regular workout routine, praying, reading something inspirational or looking daily at your vision statement of what you’re trying to achieve in your business. They help connect you to your purpose, and complement the changes you make to help improve physical energy. Together, they can help you to manage your energy and achieve high performance.

For more information about Sarova Hotels please visit our website http://www.sarovahotels.com/ or call + 254202767000. Refreshing African Hospitality.

All time favourite recipie for baking a carrot cake



Carrot cake slice


Before baking this celebrated cake, you need to read the healthy benefits of carrots. Tips that are courtesy of Sarova Hotels Tulia Spa.

Carrot contains calcium, potassium, vitamin A, B and C. Calcium helps prevent the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contracting of the muscular wall of the vessels.  Potassium promotes regular heartbeat. Vitamin B improves metabolism. Vitamin C protects cells against free radicals and strengthens blood vessel walls. Vitamin A in carrot is important in vision. Carrots possess strong antiseptic qualities; can be used as a laxative. Ordinary carrot oil is particularly suitable for dry and chapped skin and helps make the skin noticeably softer, smoother, and firmer.

Enjoy your carrot today .......lets get baking!

 

 

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans
•  1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

For more information about Sarova Pastries please call +254202767000 or email centralreservations@sarovahotels.com