Eid is a time to show gratitude to our family. It is a time where families are encouraged to come together. It is also a time where the preparation and execution of the Eid meals are placed onto the females of the house to see through.
For some, the burden weighs heavy. With work, family and school commitments, and with Eid likely falling on a working weekday in South Africa, it leaves little time to prepare on the day and many rely heavily on pre-preparation to see them through this time.
Although Eid is also a time for tradition, it is also a time to see in new traditions and show gratitude to the women in your life. Whilst a braai is not a traditional practise, it’s something that can be done together. The meat may be prepared over the weekend, and the males in the home can assist in grilling the meat on the day – what a wonderful break from tradition!
Everyone feels pleased with the recognition.
Here is my recipe for ‘A Mixed Grill’.
Lets begin with the shopping list:
Shan Spices Chicken Tikka
Shan Spices Tandoori Chicken
Shan Spices Shish Taouk
Shan Spices Bukhari Rice
Shan Spices Sheekh Kebab
Shan Spices Tikka Sheekh Kabab
These spices may be purchased at most Indian grocers. All my spices have been sourced from Akhalwayas on Grant in Norwood, Johannesburg.
Tip: It is recommended that you marinate all your meat a full day before you intend on using it. If you are marinating it over the weekend, then freeze it on the day of marinating.
For the Sheesh Kebabs, give it a gentle steam in some butter – just enough for the outside to stay together. Allow to cool and then freeze it on plastic wrap so its easy to remove before braaing. The chicken may be frozen on or off the skewer. Remember to soak your skewers in water first to prevent the sticks from burning.
There are 3 components to this meal. You may opt to serve them all together or on it’s own. I have tested out all 3 recipes more than once and my family and friends all claim that this is the BEST chops they’ve eaten. Let’s compare notes once you try them too!
For the Chops:
Tip: Purchase slightly thicker cuts from your butcher. Make sure it has a considerable amount of fat on because this melts and crispens and flavours the meat so well. Wash and pay dry and leave in a colander until all the liquid has come out.
For 1kg of lamb or mutton chops.
In a large pyrex add:
Half a box of Shan Chicken Tikka spice
Half a box of Shan Tandoori Chicken spice
2 large cubes of lemon juice or equivalent of half a cup of lemon juice
2 tbl vinegar
3 tbl Maggi Chili Sauce
1 level tbl red ginger and garlic masala
1 heaped tsp ground garlic
1 heaped tsp of ground ginger
Quarter tsp of ground cumin
Quarter tsp of ground coriander
Make a paste with oil and butter (just enough to make a paste and ensure the chops are coated well.
You may now refrigerate or freeze this.
For the Chicken
I prefer skewering 3 to 4 pieces of chicken per skewer. This is a hearty portion size but they seem to stay well together if they’re slightly larger and more compact on the skewer.
Marinate the chicken as per instructions on the Shish Taouk box. To this add:
1 heaped tbl ground green chili
1 level tsp of ground garlic
1 level tsp of ground ginger
Chopped fresh coriander
1 level tsp of red chili powder (optional)
Make a paste with oil and ghee mixed together – just enough to smear it onto the chicken. This may be frozen on the skewer or on its own. It may also be skewered with cubed pepper and onion for additional flavour.
For the Sheekh Kebabs:
Tip 1: Ensure that your mince is completely dry. If there is any trace of liquid it will fall apart easier on the braai.
Tip 2: I also found that dipping the entire kebab into melted butter or oil helps it glide off the grill and not stick to it.
Tip 3: Ensure that you only turn it when it is fully cooked and slightly charred on the one side. So this needs only one turn to ensure that it is cooked.
Tip 4: Once all the ingredients have been added, put everything into a processor and smooth it out. It will have a more authentic taste.
I always use a full kilogram of minced lamb because the balance of the skewers go into my freezer for another meal.
To the mince add:
Half a cubed medium sized onion, with the liquid squeezed out.
Half a cup of chopped coriander
1 egg
1 slice of bread soaked in a bit of milk
Half a box of Shan Tikka Seekh Kebab spice
Half a box of Shan Seekh Kabab spice
1 heaped tsp ground green chili
1 tbl red ginger and garlic masala
2 tbl White Onion soup powder
1 tsp ground garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp red chili powder
Mix well and process until smooth. Press onto a skewer and dip into melted butter or steam slightly before freezing.
I usually put all my meat on at the same time but control the heat on my gas braai. The chops require slightly longer as the edges of fat need to butn out a bit. The chicken gets done fairly quickly so don’t leave them on longer than you need to. I love to baste my meat as I braai, with the final basting being mixed with melted butter and chopped coriander and lemon juice.
You may serve this with pita bread, zaatar spiced bread, hummus, red chili sauce, Bukhari Rice, chopped salad, grilled large peppers, chips, cucumber slices, onions dusted with paprika and lemon wedges.
This Eid, here is some inspiration for your Eid lunch (or dinner table). If you’re nervous to attempt a layered cake, perhaps consider using this recipe to create a sheet cake. Here’s how:
Line a baking tray with baking paper
Pour the batter in
Bake it until it’s just soft to the touch
Pipe or spread whipped cream over
Finish off with a drizzle of chocolate ganache or grated chocolate
I want to show you that basic can be beautiful too. There aren’t any fancy layers, or intricate decoration. You don’t need to be armed with the ability to bake either – you need a few simple ingredients with minimal time in the kitchen.
This recipe has been made over 100 times between my mum and myself (I baked this for the first time over 10 years ago). Today I’m pleased to share it with you.
I used a smaller springform tin (those are the tins that have a clasp at the sides with a removable base). I got 2 layers out with 6 cupcakes (I baked them all at the same time).
If you are using a 23cm tin, you will get 2 cakes out using the full quantity of batter.
To make:
Beat 125g butter with 185g of castor sugar. Ensure this is white and fluffy.
To this add a total of 2 eggs – adding 1 at a time, and beating in-between additions.
Sift 1 and a half cups of flour with 10ml of baking powder and 30ml of cocoa.
Add a little at a time to the butter/sugar/egg mix.
Pour in while beating:
185ml milk
5ml vanilla extract
5ml caramel essence (optional)
Pour into greased tins and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 180 degrees.
Tips:
No need to overbeat this cake. Just ensure it’s mixed well together before spooning into the pans.
No need to smooth the tops out. It settles once it begins to bake.
If you want to ensure that your cake doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, line it with grease proof paper and use Spray n Cook.
When removing from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes in the pan, away from any draft. Then remove gently. Do not leave it longer than this as the bottom will get soggy.
Make sure ingredients are always at room temperature – that’s just a general rule when baking cakes.
I’ve been asked how did I achieve the flat top on my cake – I don’t know! I just manage to get it flat when I bake. I don’t cut any of the to off. I did some research for you girls and if you have a slight dome, simply place a tea towel or dish cloth over it and press down gently. It should help to flatten the dome slightly. Let me know if you try this and if it worked!
Let’s discuss Whipped cream and Ganache.
It took me years to figure out how to achieve perfectly whipped cream. I’ve turned it into butter many times! So much so, that when I knew that I was baking a cake, I’d buy 2 tubs of fresh cream just-in-case the one let me down! I’m more confident now in the kitchen Alhamdulillah and I stick to this method of whipping my cream.
Pour the chilled cream into a bowl. I use 250ml of cream and I always have left-overs (my kids pipe the remainder onto their hot-chocolate). Begin beating using an electric beater on a medium setting – not high.
You should see the cream start to thicken. Almost like a frothy capp consistency. Now add 1 heaped tbl of icing sugar and vanilla essence or paste if that’s what you’re using. Continue to beat on that medium setting until you see it coming together but almost forming firmer clumps. You should stop when it begins to look firm and when you hold it over, it stays.
To use, simply place your piping bag into a tall glass. Fold the tops over the glass and using a spoon, spoon the cream into the bag. Remove the sides so you have a clean top to twist to be able to get the air out so you can pipe neatly.
For some, the ganache seems to be the most intimidating. Truth is, I never measure this out. So I’ve actually delayed typing this part out.
I begin by melting one large slab of Cadburys Dairy Milk chocolate over a double boiler. I use a spoon to mix and help it along as it melts.
In the microwave or stove top, warm 1 cup of cream. I use this as a starting guide but you might need slightly less or more – you want a thick ganache not runny – remember, you won’t achieve the ‘drip’ down the sides if it’s really runny.
Now begin to add the warm cream into the warm melted chocolate in a steady stream whisking as you go along. If might start to feel as if it is hardening – persevere. It will all come together.
I usually place the bowl into the fridge to thicken up. You can even give it a good whisk once its cooled. Begin by pouring a little in the middle of your cake and wait for it to gently make its way around the sides. If you see that it’s not dripping over, add a bit more at a time, in the middle.
Remember, the cream will give it a liquid consistency. If you melt chocolate over and pour that on, the chocolate will harden on your cake.
Once you have both elements, simply pipe or smooth out a layer of fresh cream on the base of your cake. Then slice some strawberries over. Top with the other layer of cake and pour the ganache over.
Here are reader recommendations of what their favourite combinations are with a basic chocolate cake:
Salted caramel center with whipped chantilly
Chocolate Mousse
Nutella and fresh cream
Bar One chocolate ganache
Chocolate mousse and a layer of Pavlova
Caramel treat and cream
Caramelized pecan nuts
Nutella and raspberries
Silky ganache and caramel
Caramel and cream
Banoffee, cream cheese salted caramel and bananas
Add coconut to the whipped cream
Credits:
Photography: Layla Shaik Photography
Cake dome with slate tray, available from: Premier Home (Fordsburg) and Angamias (The Plaza or Greenside, Johannesburg)
Not everyone has the capability to arrange elaborate vases of flowers, or have the budget to match.
Many live in apartments where storage of crockery can be problematic so having multiple dinner sets might not always be the most practical idea.
I want to (continue) showing you that ‘Basic can be beautiful).
I’ve used a plain white tablecloth with an embroidery white runner for some texture (You may opt to omit this if you don’t have one). I used my daily-use Noritake dinner set but any white set of crockery will do. I’m often asked what is a good ‘starter-set’ to purchase when getting married. I’d highly recommend a Noritake set just beause they have standard items which are easier to replace. Stores like Woolworths and @Home, etc have beautiful crockery but they are pretty seasonal. Once one is damaged it might be really difficult to source again.
A good tip is to always buy a full set extra (so if you’re buying for a place setting of 6, just consider purchasing 7). In that way, if one breaks, you already have the replacement.
I want to take you through the following:
Using an existing tray (and if you are going out to purchase, most décor stores have this exact style of tray in stock). Place all your florals onto that. When you’re ready to bring out your serverware, simply move the tray to the side, or onto a nearby coffee table so it leaves space on the table and guests don’t need to look past large arrangements to see each other.
Pictured here are large dessert jars. They come in a box of 6 which can be repurposed into vases. This is especially helpful if you want to cut the costs of your florals and opt for shorter stemmed flowers which cost considerably less. You would need at most 1 really large bunch or 2 large bunches of mixed flowers to achieve this effect. Group them so they look more modern (as opposed to mixing them up). After Eid, they can be placed around the home at areas of interest and even moved into your bathroom.
Serviette folding was kept simple and practical. I bunched the 4 fingers of my hand and wound the folded serviette around it. Neatening and tightening as I went along. Place the cutlery into it and simply try to neaten off the top part that stands firm.
Once done, your white tablecloth can be reused countless times more – the same applies to your white crockery, dual-purpose vases and tray.
My choice of flowers weren’t inexpensive. I had guests coming over so I wanted to stick to the style that I usually create. By changing the crockery, the table is transformed. I arranged the flowers myself with minimum effort and the whole look came together with manimum impact.
By sticking to a very neutral colour palette, I kept the look classic. It’s easier to create larger seating this way because there isn’t an added expense of buying more crockery.
Another tip that I find most effective is using plain white plates and inter-changing the side plates. This creates a bit more interest and you can use the sideplates for serving cake and tea at another time.
If there are any specific tablescape related questions, kindly direct them onto my Instagram post. I will happily answer and share them there.
Will Torrent’s ‘Patisserie at home’ has been my definitive guide to learning how to create simple French Patisserie for years now. His step-by-step guide makes it simple for a novice and most ingredients are readily available (or easy to make). I have also gotten to a stage where I’m slightly more confident when it comes to baking (out of my comfort zone). The result, less than 2 hours of baking and assembling both desserts (excluding the cooling time).
I wanted to make something that I felt comfortable with. Having made all of the elements on a Gateau Saint-Honore before, I felt confident in making and assembling this within a short time (I tried to recreate and share what would be easy for you the reader, and without having to source any unattainable ingredients).
I needed to break this into stages to better understand it:
The Creme Diplomat needed to be made first to allow to cool.
The Choux needed to be baked and allowed sufficient time to cool to ensure crispy, firm choux.
The caramel would be done last before assembly.
For the Creme Diplomat, I followed Chef Torrent’s recipe. Because I shared the Creme Patisserie between 2 desserts, the quantity was sufficient. I planned towards using my own Choux recipe because I felt comfortable with it and I’ve made it many times before. In the end, I piped all the remaining Creme Diplomat into my left-over choux with no wastage.
To start, you would require a Crème Patisserie as a ‘base’.
Split a vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into a pan with 2 cups of milk (500ml). Allow to come to a boil over low heat.
In a seperate bowl, whisk 4 egg yolks, half a cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of maizena, 3 tbl of custard powder until it is creamy.
Start pouring the milk a little at a time into the bowl with the egg mixture and whisk well. Pour the balance of what’s left in the egg mixture bowl back into the pan and whisk over a low heat until it starts to bubble.
After a few minutes the mixture would have gotten thick and silky. If at all it appears lumpy, whisk and pass through a sieve.
Add 2 tbl butter to give the crème a gloss and to enrich the flavour.
Empty into a glass bowl and place a layer of cling wrap over, getting into the edges. This prevents the layer forming over the top part of the Creme.
Once the Creme Pat is done, you need to move onto making the Diplomat (it sounds complicated but I can assure you, this is really simple if done systematically.
Now that your Crème Pat is cooled, make the Diplomat.
Add 1 tub of Woolworths whipping cream and 1 tub of Woolworths Double thick cream into a bowl.
Whisk it until thick, large peaks form.
Fold the whipped creams into half the Crème Pat quantity gently.
At this stage it can be used to fill your choux or even on vanilla sponge. It’s light and airy but also holds well for piping.
Now to make the Choux.
I really love the recipe that I have for making Choux (because it’s tried and tested). Feel free to use your own if you’ve been making it for some time.
If you’re making a smaller Gateau, you can actually have some choux over to pipe and dip into chocolate for the kids. How did I get my choux so perfect? I piped it into a Cake pop pan! I used the bottom part to dip into my caramel so it hid the uneven bottom – genius! Right, onto the choux.
In a pot, add 250ml water with 100g butter and 5ml of vanilla extract.
Bring this to the boil.
On a sheet of paper, sift 1 cup of flour with 1 level tsp of baking powder. Make sure the paper is folded horizontally (meaning the long side).
Chute it into the melted liquid and use a large whisk to bring it all together. It should start moving away from the sides of the pot.
Remove it from the heat and in the same pot, add one egg at a time and whisk using an electric beater. (I break all 4 eggs into a seperate bowl so it’s easier to drop one in a time). Once all 4 eggs have been mixed in, the result should be smooth, glossy ad thick enough to pipe.
Fill a piping bag with a round nozzle (no pattern).
Dampen your tary by sprinkling water over it (this helps the Choux rise).
Reserve enough dough that needs to go around the base of your Gateau – I’d say half a cup worth.
Pipe the rounds into or onto your tray. They should be small and neat.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees and when you see them begin to rise, drop the temperature down to 160 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until it is browned but crispy. I usually leave the door ajar and switch the stove off to continue crispening.
Once these are done, remove them and allow it to cool while you prepare the base.
I used a smaller base so I could get 2 Gateau’s out of one quantity. If you are feeding a crown, go with a larger size to use up all the crème and the choux buns.
Cut a circle out of a sheet of store-bought puff pastry. Lay this onto some baking paper.
Pipe (using the round nozzle) around the edge of the pastry. Brush over beaten egg and bake on 160 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Allow everything to cool until you are ready to assemble.
Prepare the caramel by melting 1 and a quarter cup of sugar to 3 tbl water. Don’t stir, allow it to come to a slow bubble and thicken and darken. Once thick, dip the Choux buns into the caramel and set aside to harden.
Once hardened and cooled, poke a small hole at the bottom of the choux bun and fill with the crème diplomat from earlier. Don’t overfill. You are now ready to assemble your Gateau.
Begin by lifting the base onto your serving platter or tray (I used an Artesa stand from Premier Home).
Using a large patterned nozzle, pipe roses all along the edge (on top of the Choux ring). Swop nozzles and pipe little rounds in the middle.
Top the roses with the caramel choux buns.
Finally, add some chopped fruit for decoration. This doesn’t need to be served immediately (especially if you dried out your choux properly). It was magnificent served as is – it’s light and creamy but not overly sweet. Don’t feel intimated – do it in stages and assemble gently.
If you want to bake the choux into eclairs, slice them open, lay them onto a baking tray, switch your oven to 70 degrees and allow them to dry out for 15 minutes then fill with the Diplomat. Drizzle melted milk chocolate over and serve.
“May you taste the sweetness of your worship and feast upon the Barakah of your sacrifices”
For me, Eid is an opportunity to celebrate the Muslim community that shaped who I’ve grown to become. For many, the meaning changes as you grow older, leave your maternal home and begin traditions of your own. This serves as a time to come back to family and celebrate the foundational memories as a child, or revert adult.
I grew up in a Hindu home and married into a South African Muslim family. It is with this dynamic that the way we celebrated Eid varied vastly to many other families. I had to learn everything that I know today by watching those around me and from what I read online. In a way, I’m grateful for being able to create our own family traditions and perhaps approaching it from a different perspective to what I ordinarily might have grown up with.
Amongst the South African Muslim community, practices vary per region and family. Many choose to stick to tradition and have a spread of savouries, sandwiches and ‘badam milk’. Masala roast chicken, Leg of Lamb served with salad or creamy vegetable is also a very common occurrence. Popular Instagrammer ‘Treetz by Reez’ says her children look forward to the ‘treat table’ the most which has an array of various sweet treats (mitai, biscuits, homemade sweets and cakes). It’s common for women to purchase many of these items by support local home-industries
Nazly Moosa has fond memories as a child growing up in Cape Town. For Eid, they would make dainty sandwiches cut into triangles made with beef that was boiled the night before with cloves and peppercorns. On their table was pies, samoosas, a ‘big round jam and coconut tart’, ‘Eid Milk‘ and tea with condensed milk. Forward 34 years in her own home, she says all that has changed.
“We have kebaab and roti, still pies and samosas, Eid milk and masala tea and the beautiful ‘sweetmeat’ platter that I receive every year from my friend”
Eid is a time to show gratitude to our family. It is a time where families are encouraged to come together. Where children who have fasted wait to be recognised for their month-long sacrifice with gifts, sweets and sometimes monetary gifts. I grew up with memories of not only new clothes for Diwali, but a new set of sleepwear too. I just carried on this tradition with my own children too. For some reason, ‘Eid pyjamas’ just seem to feel more special than the ones we usually buy.
Aside from traditions around food, Fatimas family has an Eid gifting tradition.
“Each person picks another family member to buy a gift for and it’s always a personal gift. After breakfast in the morning, each member of the family brings forward their gift and we all unwrap or unbox our gifts and no one actually knows who the gift is from. It’s always a surprise and it’s really fun!”
Ramadaan is a time to celebrate good health and better eating. It is a time to show gratitude to the All-Mighty for being able to have the strength and resilience to practise fasting. On Eid, instead of feasting, some have progressed towards having healthier options by serving a lighter breakfast which allows them space to enjoy a heartier lunch.
My sister-in-law Fatima has always invited us over to her home for breakfast on Eid morning. This year, she opted for a 10am brunch which allowed us all some time to have a more leisurely morning. Because I have very young children who attend the Eid prayer with their father, I planned a very light breakfast for when they returned home.
Nasreen sets up a light breakfast of homemade biscuits, date and walnut cake, fruit cake, chocolate cake and sweetmeats with tea before her family leaves for the Eid salah. Once they return, they enjoy a full breakfast of Masala baby chickens with puri and Portuguese rolls. She also prepares large, round chicken pies for her family.
Tablescape Inspiration
I find it incredibly satisfying to repurpose tableware and items like tea towels into a tablescape.
Not only do the items become reusable, they also add interest to a table.
I wanted to exclude any florals on my Eid breakfast table for a more contemporary take on traditional décor. I used 2 sets of tea towels and placed them across from each other (excluding them from the center). this functioned as placemats. A full length tablecloth was pleated and gently placed across the table more a more casual repertoire.
To complete the table, a warm cup of Eid mild dusted with saffron was placed at each setting.
The month of Ramadaan helps us get closer to our Creator. It is a time for reflection, sharing and solidarity. It all culminates to what Eid is – a bittersweet feeling between Ramadaan ending, and spending the day in communal harmony. It is a reminder for family to gather around a table and a reminder to carry forward with the good habits that we formed during Ramadaan.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time being busy (read: productive) this past month. During this time, planning what to serve my family proved to be the most difficult part. There were a few nights of take-outs, and a few more nights of really quick meals. I used the shift in my usual schedule to look into the challenges faced as working moms, or working parents. Being able to plans meals assisted in organisation – having a fully stocked cupboard and freezer, with a daily meal plan meant that I spent less time trying to figure out what to cook, and having all the ingredients at hand eliminated multiple trips to the grocers.
But once all that was in order, the actual time spent preparing for the meals started to prove challenging. I needed to find a way to resolve this by looking into ways of pre-planning and at times, cheating the recipes.
I slowly discovered that many at-home meals could go one of two ways – a convenience, easy-to-prepare alternative, or marinating, labelling and storing the uncooked meal in a freezer.
I want to highlight that many families purchase takeaways out of convenience. If the meals are readily available, with minimal end-prep (by frying, or baking), the home-made option would always rank top-of-mind.
I want to take everyday meals and show you how to elevate them – with minimal fuss. My days have gotten considerably more busier, and with this, my time in the kitchen is limited (I still make 4 full meals a day for the week).
Chicken Schnitzels
Homemade:
1kg of chicken fillet, sliced horizontally
1 heaped tbl of ground garlic
1 heaped tbl of Robertsons Chicken Spice
1 tsp of ground green chillies
A quarter cup of lemon juice
1 tsp of salt
At this stage, the chicken may be portioned and the remainder frozen. You can even take it a step further by egging and crumbing the chicken and then freezing them in a single layer in a freezer-safe container.
Remember to include the date and name of item on the label before putting it into your freezer.
To crumb:
Prepare the crumb mixture:
A quarter box of Woolworths Southern Fry coating
A quarter box of Kelloggs breadcrumbs or half a tub of Woolworths breadcrumbs
Dip the chicken fillet in egg and toss in the crumb mixture.
When you are ready to serve, fry in shallow oil and drain well.
Top with a slice of cheese and put under the grill to heat or serve alongside a cheese sauce (see below how I cheated this)
Convenience:
Chicken Schnitzels are available at most butchers across the country. I usually like to purchase the ones from Forsmay Butcher in Fordsburg, Johannesburg. These double-up as chicken burgers (I shred them after frying and layer into toasted sandwiches with mayonnaise, chopped lettuce, thinly sliced tomato and Chicken Licken sauce). In fact, when you’re out shopping, don’t purchase just one tray because there are so many other uses for it.
Mushroom Sauce:
Homemade:
In a non-stick pan, add a stick of butter (I usually measure this slicing down through a block of butter about the thickness of my finger)
Add 1 tsp of ground garlic
Half a tsp of ground chillies
1 punnet of white mushrooms, sliced
1 punnet of brown mushrooms, sliced
Cook this on low until the mushrooms start releasing their liquid. To this add:
Half a tsp salt
Half a tsp black pepper
1 tbl Mushroom soup powder
Allow to thicken and just before serving, thin down with pouring cream.
Convenience:
In a pan add 2 tbl solid butter, half a tsp ground garlic and a quarter tsp ground green chillies. Mix well and stir in 1 carton of Lancewood Sauce Delight, Mushroom Sauce. Serve warm.
Cheese Sauce:
I cheat the Cheese sauce all the way! There are 2 ways to do this.
In a pot, add a stick of butter and stir in half a packet of cheese sauce powder. Slowly add milk or cream to form a thick consistency. I prefer to season once the cream has been added – black pepper, ground garlic powder and salt is optional.
In a pot, add 1 stick of butter, ground garlic black pepper and a bag of Woolworths fresh Cheese Sauce. Thicken and serve.
Baby Potatoes:
If you’re looking at a quick weeknight meal option, simply open up a bag of Woolworths Garlic butter baby potatoes into an ovenproof pan and bake until golden and crisp. Using the back of a fork, press down, drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle Maldon Sea Salt flakes over.
Coleslaw:
This is the one accompaniment that I will not skimp on. I prefer making it a day before for the salad ingredients to really soak up the liquid and get well coated. If you’re pressed for time, make this first before putting any of the other sides together.
Open a packet of Woolworths Coleslaw into a bowl. To this add:
3 tbl sugar
1 tbl salt
Half a cup of milk
Half a cup of Woolworths Salad Cream
Quarter tsp black pepper
1 tbl mixed herb
1 tbl vinegar
1 small finely cubed onion
Allow it to rest and serve cold.
I really want to get people cooking. Whether it’s planning a menu for the week in advance and making a decision to cook at least one small meal a day, or planning an entire dinner party using some of the practical advice that I share.
Feeding our families seems to be a ‘parenting gift’ that we give to our children daily. On average, it’s not uncommon to prepare almost 3 meals daily for an average family of 4. It becomes easy to resent doing what almost begins to feel like a chore.
It’s not uncommon to feel despondent and give up the idea of cooking a meal or planning a days worth of meals entirely almost halfway through the actual preparation phase.
For me personally, striving towards planning dinner after having completed cooking 3 other meals for the day, attending to work and household duties and taking care of my personal needs is the most difficult challenge that I face daily. Without an actual meal plan, or a fully stocked grocery cupboard, fridge and freezer (this in itself is exhausting to upkeep), I find myself wasting money, time and resource in trying to plan meals on the day.
I know that it appears that I’ve become precious about perfectionism. Admittedly so. Being driven by proper schedules and plans helps me to focus on using my time productively.
Having understood my own frustrations in the kitchen, I wanted to hear what your kitchen challenges were. I posed the question online, and the response was overwhelming. Many citied similar concerns. With my knowledge, and to the best of my ability, lets break this down in the form of a simple Question and Answer.
Posted as a question on my Instagram Story
Most common Questions summariased:
Deciding what to cook everyday
Finding ideas or inspiration to break the monotony of cooking
Finding time as a working mum
Being overwhelmed by the actual process of cooking
Having a family of fussy eaters
Prep versus organisation – storing fresh fruit and vegetable
Fear of trying new things
How to balance flavours
Simple recipes limiting ingredients
Trying to cook healthy yet flavourful food
Timing of individual servings at lunch or dinner – getting multiple elements ready at the same time
Deciding what to cook everyday: Before I even attempt answering many of these questions, I needed to take myself back 10 years and then to the stage that I am at now, and unpack the different stages of what my own challenges were and how I managed to overcome it. I am still learning everyday, and always looking for opportunities and ways to streamline the time that I have in my day.
I use visual and practical methods to determine the food that I feed my family. Looking towards Instagram or photo-sharing tools like Pinterest is great in giving you inspiration on what to cook. By saving or pinning these for later, you already have a whole gallery of ideas to sift through. If you want to be practical and methodical about it, categorise them on your ‘notes’ app on your phone into sub categories like Meat or Veg, Meal type or type of cuisine.
I like to have a standard ‘library’ of relatable and practical meals that get cooked often in my home – like Chicken and Mutton Curry, Lamb biryani or Grills. These are the meals that require little mind-work and can be prepped quickly and efficiently.
By having a mental idea of what your typical meals for a week should be, you can further break down the list into sub categories, for example:
Monday: All vegetable and roti
Tuesday: Chicken and rice
Wednesday: Fish and bread
Thursday: Lamb and roti or rice
Friday: Chicken and rice
Saturday: Sandwiches or pizza
Sunday: Casual food
This gets further broken down into sub categories:
I can assure you that by spending an afternoon using the above technique in planning, you will always have a reference guide when planning your own meals. The list is not tangible – you can shift the days up depending on what is in your grocery cupboard or freezer. Once you are more confident and moving towards being slightly more organised, spend some time planning different weekly meal options that get rotated. Vary them for interest depending on what you find online, or taste.
Finding ideas or inspiration to break the monotony of cooking: We are fortunate to always be surrounded by an ever-increasing community of women who love to cook and love to share. I find it difficult to say that we are not presented with the bounty of choice – in fact, there are so many options that are readily available to us, it’s about filtering it down and eliminating what we love to eat and what we love to feed our families.
It’s often the case of finding the type of food that we enjoy eating and then filtering it down to the different ways of preparing it. If you are open to exploring new styles of cooking, investing in a few new recipes books, or looking online for some inspiration is often all we need. Remember to note down simple things like flavours or meals that you enjoyed when eating out. Often they are not difficult to replicate in your own home.
Often the monotony comes from a lack of time in being able to prepare something different. If you have saved a recipe or been inspired by a meal that someone prepared online, make a list of the ingredients and method and refer back to it when you’re in a better space to prepare it. Often, just paging through a magazine or looking through a recipe book is enough to spark an idea of your own. Remember, being able to taste food, or cook from instinct is not a craft – it is engrained in us all. Allow yourself to appreciate food and the preparation thereof and you will see the difference that this understanding can bring into your life.
Finding time as a working mum: Although I don’t ‘work’ a strict 9am to 5pm job, I feel like I am able to relate to this on so many levels. Of late, it’s been difficult to juggle between home, kids, family and myself. I often say to myself, “I don’t know how working mums cope”. I think that many are so quick to assume that these woman don’t provide for their families, or don’t make enough time to cook ‘proper’ meals. The challenge in itself is finding the balance between feeding your family and attending to everything else that doesn’t fall within that parameter.
Its easy to assume that meal prep or planning can be done over the weekend. However when you’ve worked an entire week, you’re likely not invested in spending time in the kitchen then planning for the week. Having worked during being married and before having kids, the challenge was always to make it home in time to cook a meal before Mohamed arrived home. Even though I was cooking for just 2 people, I would cook full portions of a meal and freeze the balance if suitable. This helped with meal prep and to avoid any wastage. I suppose its different when its a larger family, in which case there are rarely left-overs. For some, considering waking up slightly earlier and half-preparing meals during the time that you’re preparing school or work lunch seems like an easier option. This leaves minimal prep time when home.
If you feel more comfortable planning meals over the weekend, remember to label and date whatever goes into the freezer. Portioning food eliminates wastage and also helps to ensure that you’re attempting at making more nutritious food for your family. Look into saving a list of marinades that you are able to follow with ease and simply alternating them on a weekly basis. Making whole jars of marinades then portioning and freezing that is also a great time-saver idea.
Being overwhelmed by the actual process of cooking: I find it difficult to relate to this because I consider this as a ‘fight or flight’ approach. I know that feeding yourself or your family is a necessity, so it is something which just has to get done. Often there’s no real time to think these things through – you simply look through what you have available and cook something to the best of your ability.
To further break this down, lets consider the different stages of cooking:
Planning what to cook
Reading through the recipes
Making a list of what you need to get versus what is readily available at home
Timing yourself adequately
Prepping the ingredients before you actually start cooking
Following the recipe and re-reading to make sure that no steps have been missed out.
Tasting as you go along – this is important in becoming a successful cook
Making notes where possible of where or how you improved on a recipe or if you felt inspired to try something different the next time
Often being overwhelmed is a ‘mental’ thing. If you let yourself go and allow yourself to connect with food or the process of cooking, you will slowly learn to appreciate and understand how satisfying it is to get better at something. It’s also important to understand that as a young cook, or even one hoping to learn a new way of cooking, with practise and time and enthusiasm, you learn new methods that suit your own cooking style.
Having a family of fussy eaters: I could never relate to this over the years of interacting with readers with the same concerns. I was quite strict about what and when I fed my children ensuring that they were exposed to as many different flavours and foods that I was able to offer them. Not only did this help in them finding and creating their own palate, but also in being open to explore all types of food form very early on. this does not apply to husbands unfortunately!
Often, its just easier to cook to your familys preference. If they have a particular sentiment to certain flavours or foods, there’s no harm in cooking what they like. If an isolated member of the family refuses to eat something, simply encourage it or look at ways to make a similar meal suited to your own cooking style.
I find that fussy eaters often grow out of it if exposed continuously to other foods. Eat as you might prefer and perhaps it might be considered by the other members of the family. As tedious as it might become, learning how to portion and cook might be the only viable solution in this instance.
Prep versus Organisation: storing fresh fruit and vegetable: Before having 4 children I would purchase smaller quantities of fruit and veg and that would see me through a few weekday meals and have it stretch over the weekend. Now, with the frequency of my cooking, I needed to look into larger quantities which sometimes actually translate into spending less when buying in bulk. It’s important to consider where you’re buying your fresh produce from – this ultimately impacts on how long its able to last in your fridge. I am quite particular and stick to 2 places for most of my shopping and rarely deviate unless I have to and a Woolworths or Oaklands fruit is closed or out of my reach. I am now slightly more educated on simple things like the variety of tomato or potato to purchase, so I look at buying a particular brand or type because I know how long it will last me, and the quality that I am buying.
I rarely pre-prepare or organise my vegetable into portions other than tomatoes, lemon juice and dhal. I find that some of the basic prep time can be eliminated by just being smart about what you’re able to freeze and store. My mum often advises me to boil the whole tomato and to remove the skin and then freeze it (although this isn’t what she does). I buy a large box of jam tomatoes, liquidise it, portion and freeze. I portion into freezer-suitable plastic containers from Stashy in Fordsburg and usually label it with the date. Even if I haven’t had time to defrost it, I simply place it into my pot and allow it to defrost/melt into my food. Another convenience tip is to boil your dhal and portion this. Lemon juice can be squeezed and frozen into ice-cube trays. Once frozen, pop them out and sort in a freezer-suitable container.
If you’re able to, attempt storing as much as you’re able to in one section of your freezer using this method. It’s a quick glance to see whats slowing finishing and what you’re left with before planning your meals.
I find it easier to have everything prepped in terms of being cut, grated or sliced and then beginning cooking. It avoids incorrect cooking times, burning food or getting the ingredients incorrect.
Fear of trying new things: What are you afraid of? If you dislike it, just don’t make it again or look at a way of improving it as a personal challenge to yourself. I always assumed that my children wouldn’t like vegetables with names we’re barely able to pronounce. Instead, I offered it to them and they often prefer it over meat. I only ate sushi well into my high school years. I grew up in a mainly vegetarian home, where raw fish was never a consideration. It was never a case of fearing it, but rather not knowing any better.
If you might think that you’re scared to try something new, opt for trying it at a restaurant first or with friends who are willing to share the experience. Often we just need a nudge to being open to exploring new food.
How to balance flavours: I think this can be further defined, as balancing ingredients. By being slightly cautious as opposed to being ‘reckless’ when cooking, begin gradually. Use smaller measurements of ingredients and taste as you go along cooking. Salt is one of the things that can cause a dish to go horribly wrong. Always start with a smaller quantity (use a spoon measurement if you’re a novice) and adjust as you go along. The varied heat in chillies is also difficult to control when learning how to cook. If you’re not traditionally a person who eats spicy food, you need to be cautious when following a cookbook by an Indian author. Begin with half the quantity specified and work your tolerance up from there.
When I speak of cooking, I refer to it in the context of cooking indian food. Balancing flavours or ingredients seems easier. We cook with spices – this brings Indian food together. It might seem complicated but essentially once you begin cooking and following Indian recipes you begin to understand how they marry together.
Simple recipes using limited number of ingredients: I recently purchased the Tashas Café Classics cookbook. Many of the recipes are easy to understand with not more than 12 to 15 ingredients per recipe. Food with minimal cooking time is encouraged to retain the freshness of the produce. I think trying to achieve this in an Indian kitchen is difficult. Our methods are often long and the slow cooking often deters people from attempting, it involves a multitude of flavour profiles and often breaks down the protein. Finding your own cooking style, saving recipes or buying recipe books that focus on minimal cooking time with fewer ingredients might be the most suitable option if you’re leaning towards this cooking style.
A suitable alternative is to mix small quantities of all your spices into one portion making it easier to spoon one out measurement rather than multiple spoonfuls.
Consider having basics like tomatoes grated and frozen for convenience using peeled ready-to-purchased baby potato instead of having to peel your own or even coriander cubes instead of using freshly chopped coriander.
Trying to cook healthy yet flavourful food: In order for a meal to be considered healthy, one must also consider the types or quality of the indredients that are used. If you are trying to work towards a more organic, unrefined lifestyle, food automatically becomes more flavourful based on how fresh or pure the ingredients are. If you are trying to work towards eatng healthier, consider options on replacing saturated and trans fats with ‘healthy’ fats.
Often inredients that we think add favour to a dish, actually don’t. Its often suitable to omit ghee, and replace with coconut oil, or even certain vegetables for starch. If you’re looking for inspiration, click on my Recipes Tab > Spice of Life > Edition 5. There is a whole section on healthy cooking that might aid in some inspiration.
Timing of elements at lunch or dinner: I think this is difficult to achieve if you’re cooking a large meal with multiple accompaniments in a small kitchen. However working with what we have available here are a few tips to consider:
Invest in a Wonderbag. I place my whole pot of Biryani or Akni into it and it helps keep my pot hot for hours. I often dish out into my platters straight from there before putting onto the table.
Half fry items like chips or chicken that can be placed back into hot oil in the last 5 minutes before serving.
Keep certain things like rice or braised rice on low on the stove so its very hot and still steaming to complete the cooking process.
Keep garnish ready and chopped just to sprinkle over at the last minute.
Keep platters ready and arranged on your countertop to access quickly with ease.
I find warmers most useful during Ramadaan. Either use the electric ones which dont emit the ‘gas’ smell, or the tealight candles (which sometimes might scorch the bottom of the tray). I have a Russel Hobbs warmer which works by filling the base with water. This doesn’t always look presentable but ideal for smaller families and for serving a hot breakfast.
Mushrooms on Toast unexpectedly transports me back to my late teenage years. I idled time at the closest shopping mall and lunch would always be Mushrooms on Toast at Mugg & Bean. The memories were always comforting. It often compels me to make this longstanding favourite over the weekend. One will never outgrow a good Mushroom on Toast.
Using the recipe that I posted under my Weekday Meals for Chicken Schnitzels, I actually made an extra portion as I knew it would double-up as Saturday mornings breakfast.
I’ll repost the recipe here for easy reference.
Mushrooms on toast
After having tried Rye Bread and regular Ciabatta, I found the Woolworths Garlic Butter filled Ciabatta sold in the 360g pack to be soft and easier to eat for little kids. It’s pre-sliced and spread with butter, turning this essentially into a quick weekend breakfast.
Simply layer the toasted Ciabatta with spinach leaves (or omit if that’s your preference), top with the mushroom sauce and finish with a grind of black pepper.
Remember, plan smart. Add an extra punnet of mushrooms to your grocery list and prepare the sauce in advance (not too soon, a day or 2 in the fridge is suitable)
Nothing beats a comforting meal on a cold day. Well, maybe an improved version of it.
Much of what we eat is linked to how it makes us feel emotionally. We place value on how we feel when we press a spoon into a casserole layered with spaghetti, béchamel sauce, spiced mince and buttery mashed potato. The effect that watching how this is carefully placed into a bowl, watching the steam escape from between the layers has a synergistic effect on our brain.
The weather seems to have warmed up slightly in Johannesburg however that is never an indication that the Winter months are over. Before it’s time to dine el-fresco, here’s one last opportunity to cook something comforting this week.
Buttery Parmesan Mash and Spiced Mince Casserole
Ingredients for the Mince
1 onion, cubed
1 stick of butter
Whole spices: 2 cloves, 2 cardamom pods, small cinnamon stick, half a tsp cumin
Half a kilogram of lamb mince
1 heaped tbl ground red ginger and garlic masala (Sujees brand)
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
1 heaped tsp ground garlic
Half a tsp of ground green chilli
1 tsp red chilli powder
Half a tsp tumeric
Quarter cup of lemon juice
2 grated tomatoes
1 tbl tomato sauce
2 tbl chopped coriander
Salt to taste (1 tsp to your liking)
Ingredients for the Parmesan Mash
3 large potatoes
3 tbl butter
3 tbl ground parmesan
1 tbl Woolworths Creamy Salad dressing
Quarter cup of fresh cream
Salt to boil the potato
A pinch of black pepper
Ingredients for the Béchamel Sauce
Half a cup of flour
Half a cup of butter
Half a cup of cream
Milk to form sauce
Bay leaf
Salt to taste
Additional: Boil spaghetti, macaroni or any other pasta of your preference.
Begin by preparing the mince:
Add the whole spices to butter and allow to cook gently for 1 minute. Stir in the onions and cook until translucent. Add the mince and using the back of the spoon, separate the mince. Cook on low until most of the liquid has drained off. Add the balance of the ingredients and cook on low until thick. Remove from the heat. Stir in the tomato sauce and chopped coriander.
Leave on the heat to cook while you continue to prepare the balance of the components.
Prepare the mash:
Boil the potato in salted water. Remove and drain any liquid if left. Using a masher, mash down until smooth. Stir in the balance of the ingredients and leave aside. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.
Prepare the Béchamel Sauce:
Add the butter to a pot and slowly add the flour whisking all the time. You should create almost a ball of dough from this. Reduce the heat and slowly whisk in the cream, followed by the milk. Season and ensure the sauce is thick but of a pouring consistency.
To layer:
Pasta
Mince
Bechamel Sauce
Mash
Top with butter and bake for 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven until the mash starts to brown. Remove and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
My children think they’re getting a midweek ‘treat’ if I pick up a box of Margherita on our way back home from school.
It’s a bigger cheat for me than it is for them.
It’s the quickest take-away for days when I really just didn’t have the time to make them a ‘proper’ lunch after school and they really think I am the best mom ever.
Whether it’s store-bought (who makes the best take-away pizza?) or home-made, there aren’t many people who dont love pizza, but there are many people who are afraid to attempt making it.
I mean, you could get away with the topping by using store-bought Pasta sauce slapped on to the base. But how exactly do you make the base?
Here are some tips:
Use your hands. Get in there as opposed to using a stand-mixer. Its easier to control the liquid ensuring you aren’t left with a sticky dough.
Find a warm spot for the dough to rise, and if you don’t, simply put the oven on until its really warm. Switch it off. Leave the door open and place the bowl on a support in front of the oven to rise. If you’re cooking, leave the bowl right next to the plate that’s on. The heat will transfer and assist in the dough rising.
Don’t be afraid of yeast. There aren’t any special ways to treat it. Add it into your flour and add the wet ingredients into it.
The ultimate test is how many holey air bubbles you see when you look at the top of your dough. This means it will be super soft and spongy when baked.
Unlike scone dough, its important to work the yeast into the mixture so get in there massaging your dough until its soft.
Ingredients for the base:
1 cup of water
1 cup of milk
A finger width slice of butter (from the 500g block)
3.5 cups of flour
1 packet of dry yeast granules
3 tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
In a small saucepan, add the water, milk and butter. Heat just enough to melt the butter and until the liquid warms up.
Add the dry ingredients together.
Gently pour in the warm liquid. Do not use all of the liquid, just enough for the dough to come together. It should not be sticky, but rather soft to the touch when poked.
Place into a large dish.
Allow to rise somewhere warm for 1 and a half hours. Punch it down and roll out to the desired thickness. Conservatively, I roll to 2cm but we prefer a thicker, puffier base and not flat or crispy.
At this stage, you ay shape them or use the entire dough to make 2 30cm bases.
If you are not using store-bought sauce (and there are no rules that everyting has to be homemade), here is a quick (basic) sauce topping recipe:
Ingredients for the homemade Pizza Sauce:
2 tbl olive oil
1 small onion, finely cubed
1 tbl ground garlic
Half a tsp black pepper
Half a tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
3 to 4 grated tomato
1 small tin tomato paste or a tsp squeezed paste
Half a tsp of sugar
A squirt of tomato sauce
Cook the onion until translucent (do not brown) in olive oil.
Add the spices and herbs and mix well.
Finally add all the tomato, including the paste and sauce.
Allow to cool.
To assemble:
Smear the sauce onto the unbaked base.
Bake at 180 degrees until the base is golden and the dough is puffy.
At this stage the base is ready to be frozen. Many people prefer adding all of the ingredients, including cheese and herbs, which is great for convenience lunches.
To elevate:
Vegetarian Pizza – I don’t overthink this – I smear ingredients directly on top of the base. Here are my options:
A bit of ground green chili
Mix of Mozarella and Gouda Cheese
Chopped red, green and yellow pepper
Grind of fresh black pepper
Dried oregano
Slice baby mushrooms
Sliced olives
Sliced Rosa tomato
Finish with a sprinkle of salt and bake until the cheese melts and the vegetables begin to blister.
Prawn Pizza:
I use just a handful of Queen Prawns for this, approximately 250g should suffice.
Marinate (even 10 minutes is sufficient) in:
2 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp ground garlic
1 tsp chili powder
Half a tsp salt
1 tbl peri-peri oil
Half a tsp black pepper
Half a tsp lemon pepper
Quarter tsp ground green chili
Cook in 2 tbl butter on low. Do not allow the prawns to blacken, or let the oil get dark. immediately top your pizza (that already has Mozarella sliced over) with the prawns, but reserve the remainder of the liquid.
When the pizza is done, remove from the oven. Drizzle the remainder of the sauce from the pan over, making sure to scrape any additional seasoning that might be caught at the bottom of the pan.
Drizzle over a green chutney and top with lemon wedges and a grind of black pepper, salt and olive oil.
As a novice cook, having guests over and deciding on a menu is the most challenging task. Being able to successfully ‘pair’ all of the main courses to accompaniments takes some guesswork. The reality is that you really don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen, you need to learn how to work smartly. I am focused to getting people cooking for the remainder of this year. Whether it is reviving old cooking methods and recipes, or being open to new ones (and learning some cheats along the way). Here are some recipes to get you inspired to get into your kitchen this weekend.
Crumbed Chicken, tossed in Hot Sauce.
Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut into pieces preferably with skin on
1 heaped tbl ground garlic
1 heaped tbl ground ginger
1 tsp Woolworths Birds Eye Chilli, ground
1 tsp red chili powder
1 level tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Aromat
2 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red ginger and garlic masala
2 tbl ghee
Mix all the ingredients together, rub over the chicken pieces and cook on medium heat until the chicken is coated in the sauce and almost dry. Allow to cool and dip into the egg/breadcrumb mixture.
For the egg and breadcrumb dip:
In a bowl add 2 eggs and 1 tbl of Chicken Licken Hot Sauce. Whisk well. Dip the chicken into the egg then breadcrumbs and leave to dry before frying in shallow oil.
Tip: In order to get this served warm, fry the chicken but place onto an oven tray and keep warm in the oven. It might help the skin crispen up a bit.
Once the chicken is fried, squirt some hot sauce into a deep dish. Toss the chicken around in the sauce until well coated. I normally do this with half the portion just in case its too strong for the kids.
Potato Rounds:
This is simple and flavourful and easy to put together if you’ve exhausted the usual ‘fries’ option.
Ingredients:
5 to 7 medium sized potatoes
Maldon sea salt
Thyme, removed from the stem
Grind of black pepper
A quarter tsp of mixed herb
2 tbl butter
Fry the potato rounds in shallow oil until soft and slightly crispy. Drain well and toss in melted butter, fresh thyme, black pepper and mixed herb. Sprinkle maldon salt over just before serving.
Chicken Pasta with Sour Cream
This is my go-to Creamy Chicken Pasta. If I haven’t told you already, there is no better way to cook this – it really is the best!
Ingredients:
500g of cubed chicken
3 tbl butter
Half an onion cubed
1 tsp ground garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground green chili
Half a tsp black pepper
Half a tsp of lemon pepper
1 tsp Aromat
4 tbl cubed green pepper
2 tbl cubed yellow pepper
2 tbl White Onion Soup powder
1 tub of sour cream (250ml)
Half a cup to a cup of milk
2 tbl sliced spring onion
Pasta of your choice
In a pan, add the butter and onion and cook until translucent.
Add the chicken, and cook gently until white and it begins to soften. Add the spices and cubed pepper. Allow to cook until well combined. Stir in the soup powder and add the sour cream and milk. Add more milk if you prefer a saucier pasta.
At this stage, taste for salt and the intensity of the chili. Remember, the pasta is the bulk of the dish so more chilli might be required for a fuller flavour.
Boil the pasta in salted water mixed with a glug of olive oil. If the sauce thickens out too much, add a ladle of the pasta water to thin out. Serve immediately.
Tip: Only mix the sauce and pasta before serving else it sticks together.
The reaction that you expect from your guests when they walk into a home where this Masala Chicken is cooking, is: ‘It smells like Eid!’
For as long as I’ve known my mother-in-law, this is one of her best recipes.
Instead of the usual process of adding the chicken to a pot and then adding spices, the spices are cooked to a thick marinade which gets massaged into the chicken. It’s important to cook this on low heat, and at the end, to slightly dry it out so you’re left with a rich and fragrant coating.
Note: This is not a chicken with a wet gravy. It should be cooked just until it’s a thick sauce.
INGREDIENTS
1 chicken, cut into quarters 1 tbsp ghee 2 tbsps oil ¼ onion, finely chopped ½ tsp whole cumin 2 tbsps white vinegar 1 tsp rough salt ½ tbsp chilli powder 1 ½ tbsp red wet ginger and garlic masala 1 tbsp ground garlic A small knob of ginger or ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tbsp methi masala 2 tbsps tomato puree 1 tbsp tomato sauce 2 tbsps lemon juice 3–4 whole cloves A few black peppercorns A small cinnamon stick 2–3 whole cardamom pods 4–5 saffron fronds ¼ tsp white pepper 1 stick butter
Heat ghee in a pot and add the whole spices (cumin, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and cardamom) and chopped onion. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the ghee and whole spices mix. Add the red masala and let it cook for a few seconds. Add the salt, cumin and coriander powder and the balance of the ingredients. Finally, add a teaspoon of saffron water for colour and a quarter teaspoon of white pepper. The mixture should be thick and saucy. Allow it to cool slightly and smear it over your chicken pieces (they should be slit slightly so the marinade can flavour and tenderise the meat). Add a finger width of butter into a pot. Add the chicken and a quarter cup of water. Add 3 whole green chillies for extra heat (optional). At this stage, the chicken should be a fiery tone of maroon. Switch the stove to high heat to allow the butter to melt over the chicken. This should gently coat the pan and start the process of cooking the chicken. Reduce to medium heat and cool slowly. Bring back to a high heat for the sauce to thicken and to burn slightly.
TIP: this chicken may be marinated and left in the freezer or in the fridge if you’re preparing it ahead of time. It is best served with chips or steamed vegetables prepared with a cream and sweetened butter sauce.
SAUCE
1 stick butter 1 tbsp brown sugar ½ tsp black pepper 1 tsp ground green chilli ½ tsp ground garlic 1 tsp mixed herbs ½ cup sour cream 2 tbsps mayonnaise ½ cup fresh cream Salt to taste
In a pan add the butter and allow it to melt on a gentle heat. Add the brown sugar, black pepper, ground green chilli, ground garlic and mixed herbs. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, just to infuse the butter. Whisk in the sour cream, mayonnaise and fresh cream. Season with salt to taste.
VEGETABLES
½ cup baby corn ½ cup baby carrots, scrubbed clean ½ cup baby marrow, cut at an angle into thick chunks ½ cup baby potatoes, halved ½ cup baby onions ½ cup butternut, cubed ½ cup sweet potatoes, cubed
Steam each vegetable separately in salted water for a few minutes, just until it is soft when a knife is inserted. Layer this into an oven-proof casserole dish. Pour over the sauce and bake for 20 minutes.
Now that you’ve tried your hand at making roti (ideally, you should make it at least 3 times before advancing to Mielie Meal roti), let me guide you through the steps of making this roti. This yields a super soft roti once toasted which has a soft and floury smell and texture. It is thinner than the traditional roti and best suited to eating with gravy curries like fish curry, yam or madumbi curry, banana curry or even on its own (as I prefer, with a cup of tea).
INGREDIENTS
2 ½ cups water
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp fine salt
2 cups creamy maize meal
¼ cup water
1 cup flour
METHOD
In a thick base pot, add the 2 ½ cups of water, oil and salt.
When the water starts boiling rapidly, add 2 cups of creamy maize meal. Stir well.
Now add the ¼ cup of water, cover and leave to cook for 5 minutes.
Reduce heat. The steam will cook the maize meal.
Empty into a dish. Add a full cup of cake flour.
At this stage, you can use your food processor or hand-held beater with a dough hook to make the dough.
If you prefer using your hands to bring the dough together, break the dough into pieces and bring it together again into one ball and knead thoroughly until you get a smooth, velvety dough.
Break into 15 equal-sized balls.
Manipulate each ball into a disc and roll it flat until it is slightly bigger than a side plate.
Toast on a griddle on medium heat, turning once. You can add butter or ghee to toast.
TIP: Ratio is 2 to 1-2 cups mielie meal to 1 cup cake flour. If you use 4 cups of mielie meal, then use 2 cups of cake flour.
The trick to a memorable, flavourful and tender lamb is allowing it to marinate for a day or 2 and slow-cooking it to perfection.
It is always easier to get your butcher to cut and clean the lamb for you, removing as much of the fat as he can. Ask him to make slashes in the meat for the marinade to seep into.
Ideally a 2kg leg of lamb would feed 8 to 10 people. Always plan to make more than you expect to use immediately –
leftovers can be used in wonderful sandwiches for lunch the next day.
If you are able, source oven-roasting bags. I’ve found that this retains the moisture during cooking, preventing the meat from drying out. Remove from the bag in the last 30 minutes to let the outside of the lamb crisp up and finally glaze.
INGREDIENTS
2kg leg of lamb
Water
1–2 tbsps vinegar
6–8 whole garlic cloves
MARINADE
2 tbsps ghee
3 tbsps white vinegar
3 tbsps red ginger and garlic masala
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fine red chillies
1 tbsp ground cumin powder
1 tbsp ground coriander powder
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp lemon pepper
½ cup butter
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup fried onions, crushed
2 green chillies
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar
Cover lamb in water with vinegar for 1 to 2 hours. Remove and wash well. Drain in a colander, ensuring that most of the liquid has drained off. Make slits in the leg of lamb with a small sharp knife. Fill the slits with whole garlic cloves.
Prepare the marinade by mixing the marinade ingredients together in a pan. Add ghee, white vinegar, red ginger and garlic masala, ground ginger, fine red chillies, ground cumin powder, ground coriander powder, salt, lemon pepper, butter, lemon juice, fried onions, green chillies, black pepper and sugar. Allow this to simmer just long enough to combine all the ingredients.
Allow the mixture to become a thick paste. Smear it over the lamb, massaging well into the slits and any cavities. Place lamb with the marinating liquid into the oven-roasting bag and leave in the fridge overnight.
Remove from fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Place into a large oven-proof tray and preheat the oven to 180°C.
Place the leg of lamb into the oven and drop the temperature to 140°C. Slow cook for 2.5 hours. Remove from the oven gently, remove the bag (be careful of the steam).
Spoon the juices over the leg of lamb and place baby onions, baby carrots and baby potatoes around the lamb (you can parboil these to ensure they are cooked to perfection with the lamb).
Mix together the tomato sauce, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and Maggi chilli sauce. Spoon the sauce over the lamb.
Return the lamb to the oven and leave in for another 30 to 45 minutes, basting continuously. If you opt to leave the vegetables out, just add baby onions for the flavour.
I like to serve this with honey glazed carrots (prepared with salt, pepper, onion and butter) or crushed potatoes (boil the potatoes in salted water, remove and drain, crush with a fork. Sprinkle salt, black pepper, thyme and butter over the potatoes. Bake until the edges are crisp. Top with rosemary or thyme sprigs).
A rich cashew nut sauce with smoky notes gives this butter chicken recipe an authentic flavour profile reminiscent of your favourite North Indian/Pakistani restaurant.
It takes a little effort to introduce the smoking coal to the pot to achieve this effect. However, the end result of a satisfying dish with layers of complex deliciousness is well worth the effort!
INGREDIENTS
½ cup unsalted (raw) cashew nuts
2 tbsps ghee
1 small cinnamon stick
2–4 cloves
2–4 cardamom pods
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground green chilli
½ cup reduced fat cream
1 cup fat-free or low-fat milk
½ cup water
Salt
FOR THE CHICKEN
1 chicken cut into smaller, bite-size pieces (I prefer using the meatier pieces and adding in 2 chicken fillets to make up a full kilogram. I omit the wings and drumsticks altogether).
3 tbsps lemon juice
1 tsp fine black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground cumin powder
½ tsp ground coriander powder
3 tbsps butter
3 pieces of charcoal
Fresh coriander, to garnish
Toast cashew nuts in a pan to release a nutty aroma, then grind to a fine powder.
In a pot, add the ghee and heat on medium heat.
Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, cumin seeds and onion.
Sauté till golden and translucent.
Add the ground cashews and incorporate them into the ghee and onion mixture.
To this, add the ground green chilli (to taste) and mix well.
Add the cream, fat-free or low-fat milk, and water.
Add salt to taste and allow to thicken.
Using a stick blender, purée and blend the sauce.
FOR THE CHICKEN
Cut 1 chicken into smaller, bite-size pieces. I prefer using the meatier pieces and adding in 2 chicken fillets to make up a full kilogram. I omit the wings and drumsticks altogether.
Add the lemon juice, fine black pepper, turmeric, ground cumin powder and ground coriander powder.
In an oven-safe pan, add the butter. Seal the outside of the chicken.
Remove from the stove-top and char under the grill in the oven.
Pour the liquid from the grill pan into the sauce and mix well.
You should achieve a yellow-coloured sauce at this stage.
Once the chicken has browned, empty the chicken into the sauce and stir well.
Light 3 pieces of charcoal and empty into a foil-lined small dish.
Place in the middle of the pot containing the sauce and chicken. Add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil to the charcoal and close the lid immediately.
Switch the stove off and leave the coal in for 10 minutes.
Discard the coal and garnish with fresh coriander and crushed cashew nuts, if desired.
I feel like prawns really don’t require much effort to dress up. I prefer this grilled version so no flavour is lost in a pan. If you’re cooking for a large family, grilling also involves less clean-up and prep time. A final drizzle of lemon butter sauce elevates this dish.
INGREDIENTS
1kg queen prawns, with or without the heads
(This will depend on your preference. I feel like the heads add flavour so I usually keep them on.)
1 ½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric
1 tbsp crushed green chillies
3 level tbsps ground garlic
3 tbsps mayonnaise
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup butter, cubed
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Sprinkle prawns with chilli powder, turmeric, green chilli, ground garlic, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper and lemon juice.
Mix thoroughly, ensuring that all the prawns are well-coated.
You might be more comfortable making a paste first and dipping each prawn into it.
Cube butter and place over a single layer of prawns in an oven-proof tray.
Place prawns in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then, turn up the heat and grill for a further 10 minutes.
Serve with savoury rice, lemon butter sauce, garlic bread and chips.
LEMON BUTTER SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
125g butter
1 heaped tsp ground garlic
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp mixed herbs
½ tsp salt
2 tbsps lemon juice
125ml fresh cream
METHOD
Melt the butter in a small pot.
Add the garlic and spices and stir until combined.
Stir in the lemon juice. Lastly, add the fresh cream while stirring. Allow the sauce to thicken and remove from the heat.
SAVOURY RICE
INGREDIENTS
1 carrot, cubed
1 tomato, cubed
½ red pepper, cubed
½ green pepper, cubed
1 onion, cubed
½ tsp ground garlic
½ tsp ground red chilli
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
2 tbsps Spice for Rice seasoning
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps butter
1 ½ cup uncooked rice
METHOD
Boil the rice in salted water until almost fully-cooked. Drain and set aside.
In a pan, sauté the onion in butter. Add the carrot, peppers, and tomato and cook until slightly softened. Add the seasoning.
Stir into the rice and return the rice to the stove to steam on the lowest setting.
There is no large family gathering which can go without a large bucket of this delicious mother-in-law’s punch, cooling in the freezer a few hours before. If left in the freezer for too long, it becomes almost slushy—which my children say is never a bad thing. It’s difficult to stop at one glass. I love having to slurp out the stray bits of grated apple as I sip through this summer staple.
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cup Oros concentrate
1 cup Wild Island Granadilla & Mango concentrate
½ cup Halls Guava concentrate
½ cup naartjie juice
8 cups water
Pulp of 2 granadillas
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp rose syrup, for colour
1 apple, grated
Mint leaves
Mix all the ingredients in a large jug and serve chilled.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time being busy (read: productive) this past month. During this time, planning what to serve my family proved to be the most difficult part. There were a few nights of take-outs, and a few more nights of really quick meals. I used the shift in my usual schedule to look into the challenges faced as working moms, or working parents. Being able to plans meals assisted in organisation – having a fully stocked cupboard and freezer, with a daily meal plan meant that I spent less time trying to figure out what to cook, and having all the ingredients at hand eliminated multiple trips to the grocers.
But once all that was in order, the actual time spent preparing for the meals started to prove challenging. I needed to find a way to resolve this by looking into ways of pre-planning and at times, cheating the recipes.
I slowly discovered that many at-home meals could go one of two ways – a convenience, easy-to-prepare alternative, or marinating, labelling and storing the uncooked meal in a freezer.
I want to highlight that many families purchase takeaways out of convenience. If the meals are readily available, with minimal end-prep (by frying, or baking), the home-made option would always rank top-of-mind.
I want to take everyday meals and show you how to elevate them – with minimal fuss. My days have gotten considerably more busier, and with this, my time in the kitchen is limited (I still make 4 full meals a day for the week).
Chicken Schnitzels
Homemade:
1kg of chicken fillet, sliced horizontally
1 heaped tbl of ground garlic
1 heaped tbl of Robertsons Chicken Spice
1 tsp of ground green chillies
A quarter cup of lemon juice
1 tsp of salt
At this stage, the chicken may be portioned and the remainder frozen. You can even take it a step further by egging and crumbing the chicken and then freezing them in a single layer in a freezer-safe container.
Remember to include the date and name of item on the label before putting it into your freezer.
To crumb:
Prepare the crumb mixture:
A quarter box of Woolworths Southern Fry coating
A quarter box of Kelloggs breadcrumbs or half a tub of Woolworths breadcrumbs
Dip the chicken fillet in egg and toss in the crumb mixture.
When you are ready to serve, fry in shallow oil and drain well.
Top with a slice of cheese and put under the grill to heat or serve alongside a cheese sauce (see below how I cheated this)
Convenience:
Chicken Schnitzels are available at most butchers across the country. I usually like to purchase the ones from Forsmay Butcher in Fordsburg, Johannesburg. These double-up as chicken burgers (I shred them after frying and layer into toasted sandwiches with mayonnaise, chopped lettuce, thinly sliced tomato and Chicken Licken sauce). In fact, when you’re out shopping, don’t purchase just one tray because there are so many other uses for it.
Mushroom Sauce
Homemade:
In a non-stick pan, add a stick of butter (I usually measure this slicing down through a block of butter about the thickness of my finger)
Add 1 tsp of ground garlic
Half a tsp of ground chillies
1 punnet of white mushrooms, sliced
1 punnet of brown mushrooms, sliced
Cook this on low until the mushrooms start releasing their liquid. To this add:
Half a tsp salt
Half a tsp black pepper
1 tbl Mushroom soup powder
Allow to thicken and just before serving, thin down with pouring cream.
Convenience:
In a pan add 2 tbl solid butter, half a tsp ground garlic and a quarter tsp ground green chillies. Mix well and stir in 1 carton of Lancewood Sauce Delight, Mushroom Sauce. Serve warm.
Cheese Sauce
I cheat the Cheese sauce all the way! There are 2 ways to do this.
In a pot, add a stick of butter and stir in half a packet of cheese sauce powder. Slowly add milk or cream to form a thick consistency. I prefer to season once the cream has been added – black pepper, ground garlic powder and salt is optional.
In a pot, add 1 stick of butter, ground garlic black pepper and a bag of Woolworths fresh Cheese Sauce. Thicken and serve.
Baby Potatoes
If you’re looking at a quick weeknight meal option, simply open up a bag of Woolworths Garlic butter baby potatoes into an ovenproof pan and bake until golden and crisp. Using the back of a fork, press down, drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle Maldon Sea Salt flakes over.
Coleslaw
This is the one accompaniment that I will not skimp on. I prefer making it a day before for the salad ingredients to really soak up the liquid and get well coated. If you’re pressed for time, make this first before putting any of the other sides together.
Open a packet of Woolworths Coleslaw into a bowl. To this add:
3 tbl sugar
1 tbl salt
Half a cup of milk
Half a cup of Woolworths Salad Cream
Quarter tsp black pepper
1 tbl mixed herb
1 tbl vinegar
1 small finely cubed onion
Allow it to rest and serve cold. I really want to get people cooking. Whether it’s planning a menu for the week in advance and making a decision to cook at least one small meal a day, or planning an entire dinner party using some of the practical advice that I share.
Mushrooms on Toast unexpectedly transports me back to my late teenage years. I idled time at the closest shopping mall and lunch would always be Mushrooms on Toast at Mugg & Bean. The memories were always comforting. It often compels me to make this longstanding favourite over the weekend. One will never outgrow a good Mushroom on Toast.
Using the recipe that I posted under my Weekday Meals for Chicken Schnitzels, I actually made an extra portion as I knew it would double-up as Saturday mornings breakfast.
After having tried Rye Bread and regular Ciabatta, I found the Woolworths Garlic Butter filled Ciabatta sold in the 360g pack to be soft and easier to eat for little kids. It’s pre-sliced and spread with butter, turning this essentially into a quick weekend breakfast.
Simply layer the toasted Ciabatta with spinach leaves (or omit if that’s your preference), top with the mushroom sauce and finish with a grind of black pepper.
Remember, plan smart. Add an extra punnet of mushrooms to your grocery list and prepare the sauce in advance (not too soon, a day or 2 in the fridge is suitable)
It sometimes feels as if we ‘eat our emotions’. Does food make you long for a person or place? I feel ‘comfort food’ is as much about a person or memory experienced as it can be to warm one from the cooler weather.
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For me, a simple meal like Beans Curry, Pumpkin and Puri takes me back to my early adult life. I wrote about all my associative memories around Beans Curry in my book; The Beginning. For me, it always ‘takes me home’.
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The recipe for Beans Curry can be found in my book. I replaced the Sugar Beans with boiled butter beans (you can easily use one from the tin). A good tip is to soak and boil your beans and portion them. It can be frozen until ready for use. If you’re using beans from a tin, add it after the potato to avoid it mushing up in the pot.
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INGREDIENTS
Pumpkin
This Pumpkin is best with Beans Curry and Puri or with Kurri Kitchri. I used a quarter of a fresh pumpkin, cut into cubes. I’d say approximately 3 to 4 cups.
A quarter cup of oil
1 tsp whole cumin
Half a tsp black mustard seeds
Half a tsp methi seeds
2 dried chillies
1 sliced onion
Instructions
Allow this to cook just before the onion starts to brown.
Add a sprig of curry leaf and 1 tsp ground garlic. Allow the garlic to brown gently and add the pumpkin. Add 1 tsp salt and stir well.
At this stage, the heat should be on low to medium. After 15 minutes of cooking, add 1 tsp ground red ginger and garlic masala and 1 green chilli.
Allow to cook for a further 20 minutes. The pumpkin should have softened completely by now and the oil should be coming to the top. I like for the pumpkin to start to brown slightly at the base of the pot. Add half a tsp of sugar and mix well. Leave the pot on the heat and switch it off.
The pumpkin should be soft and almost melted.
The best way to eat left-over beans curry? In buttered white bread with tea
