Raw Matemba

The lady that always does my braids, Sarah, she would encourage me to try out the food from her hometownZimbabwe.  I asked her to bring me some Matembas and she did…..

Matemba are very small dried fish from Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.  They are a good and a reasonably priced source of protein.  Zimbabweans serve them with Sadza (pap) and veggies.   One needs to soak the fish in warm water before cooking to remove some of the salt.  Some suggest soaking it twice.  If soaked in boiling water the fish becomes mushy. 

After soaking, Matemba are usually cooked with an onion and tomato.  Some people add peanut butter and call this dish Matemba ane Dovi.  Another way of preparing them is by coating them with flour and then fry them.  The coated and fried Matemba are served as snack.

In South Africa, they are available at the township markets e.g. SwaziInn, Tembisa.  I’ve also seen them at African food shops (I’ve seen them in one shop at Golden Acre), taxi ranks e.g. Belville station.

Matemba and Beans On a Portuguese Roll Served with Rocket Leaves

Serves: 3- 4

250ml (1cup) Kapenta / Matemba

15ml (1Tbsp) olive oil

1 onion, chopped

½ half a green pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

5ml (1tsp) medium curry powder

2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

125ml (½ cup) beans in tomato sauce

2 – 3 Tbsp tomato paste

30ml (2Tbsp) chutney

100ml boiling water

Method:

1. Soak Matemba in warm water (not boiling) twice.
2. Heat oil and cook onion until golden brown.
3. Add green pepper, garlic, curry powder and continue cooking for another two minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, chutney and water.   Lower the heat and simmer for 5 or 10 minutes or until Matembas are soft. 

Lentil Bobotie

Does any of the following sound appealling to you? Cozying up with a warm blanket over your shoulders, having your hands washed with a sense of ritual, having your face painted, listening to African sounds playing in the background appeal to you?

Moyo is tempting you to a variety of traditional dishes from all over the continent to spice up your winter.  In addition to that, they pride themselves on using ethical and sustainable products, sourced from their Rock Star farmers.  All the spices used in their dishes are preservative free.  Let me whet your appetites and take you through some of the dishes they are serving this winter:

Lamb Tagine: Slow-cooked with organic apricot jam, cumin, turmeric and paprika. See recipe below.

Samaki Kavu: It’s a fish dish originating from Tanzania with curried, toasted crushed peanuts, coconut milk and turmeric.  Sounds Yummy!

Bobotie: There’s a bobotie for meat lovers as well as vegetarians.  Moyo’s Lentil Bobotie (vegetarian) is low in calories and but nutrient dense.

Chicken Yassa: A Senegalese style, free range chicken dish popular for warming away the winter chill with its intrinsic spicy flavours.

Cape Town: Blouberg, V&A Waterfront, Stellenbosch, Kirstenbosch
Joburg: Zoo Lake, Melrose Arch, Fountains
Durban: Ushaka Pier

Lamb Tagine

Lamb Tagine Recipe with Jam
Serves 6-8

10ml oil
1kg stewing lamb
300g tomatoes, peeled
1 onion, sliced
Few sprigs of fresh coriander
1 can chickpeas
60g organic peach jam
4g harrisa
Few sprigs fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 or 2 garlic cloves, crushed
60g Moyo Tagine Spice Mix (available at Moyo outlets)

Method:

1. Fry half the amount of onions in pan with oil until brown.
2. Add chopped garlic and fry.
3. Add tagine spice.
4. Add lamb and brown.
5. Add the remainder of the onions and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add blended tomatoes.
7. Add coriander, parsley, jam, ginger, harrisa and chickpeas to the lamb after 1 ½ hours of cooking.
8. Remove lamb after 2 ½ hours of cooking.

On my first meeting with Lisa prior to the filming of the show, she spoke about her second mom and played a YouTube video of Sarah Hesselman preparing Gelifte Fish…

She didn’t know she was being filmed as Lisa was using the camera on her Macbook laptop.  The video has over 10 000 hits!  It’s hilarious! Go Sarah! 

Sarah is Khoi San but she is a master of South African Jewish food.  She started working for Lisa’s family when she was 19 years old and she never left.   She is practically a member of the family.   She is opinionated and not shy to speak her mind.  Another thing that makes her cooking interesting is that she doesnt’ take herself to seriously, she knows her recipes from the top of her head and One of the things she was saying during the time we cooked together is “the children today dont know how to cook, they don’t cook like the old days”  LOL! 

Lisa kindly asked her to show me how to prepare one of her Jewish recipes, Latkes.  What are Latkes?  You might wonder.  They are a Jewish version of potato fritters prepared using onions and chicken fat.  Initially, Sarah hated the idea of having cameras following her while cooking (that’s why the youtube video was shot using a laptop camera in the first place…she didn’t know she was being filmed).  Her excuse as she puts it “I’m ugly” LOL!  Now you are the judge, does that look like an ugly face? 

The recipe is fairly easy to prepare and it is not time consuming at all.  I also got to meet Lisa’s mom, Irma, she shared some interesting recipes with me.  I’ll be posting them on the blog at a later stage.  According to Irma, Latkes are usually served at Jewish weddings as a appetisers.  Read more about Sarah and watch her preparing Gelifte fish here.

Sarah Latkes

Makes 12

1 onion, finely

2 potatoes, coarsely grated

1 egg

80 – 100ml flour

1½ heaped tsps Smaltz (chicken fat)

White pepper

Pinch of salt

1 sprig parsley, optional

Method:

1. Peel and grate onion and potatoes.
2. Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl, including chicken fat.
3. Strain out the liquid. 
4. Heat oil in a saucepan.  Put spoonfuls of the Latke mixture into the pan.
5. Heat until golden brown on both sides.  Transfer onto a kitchen towel to drain the oil. 

Sarah and Irma’s Tips:

•  Mix cinnamon and sugar. 
• They can also be served with meat, fish and soup. 

Look who cried on national TV

Few months ago I got an email from I Am Woman show producer, Antoinette; a part of me was excited.  On the other hand, I was thinking “Oh my goodness!”……

According to her they got to know about me from the Mail and Guardian Book of Women 2012.  I knew I had a story to tell but I wasn’t really sure if I was ready to share it.  My story was something that I have kept to myself for a few years.  I’m embarrassed to say this but I ignored that email and hoped she would forget about it…..

Antoinette was so persistent; she sent a message to my facebook page.  I spoke to a couple of friends, my sister, my mom and asked for their advice…

My mom said…”Don’t you think you have a story? Why don’t you do it?”

I had several other things to consider.  First of all, I was in the process of moving into my own place, my stuff was at a storage unit and at that particular time I was sharing a tiny living space with a friend.  If I was gonna have a show featuring me and my life I wanted it to happen at my place. 

To cut the story short, it took me a few days to figure out whether I wanted to do it or not (the thought of being on TV and talk about the darkest period in my life made me very nervous), eventually I replied back and agreed to be part of the show.   I told them about my living situation and asked to be given a month to move into my new place and unpack my stuff.  That’s exactly what happened….

Looking back, I’m glad I got to share the story…I feel relieved and light….I was very reluctant to do it at first but I thought what if someone else is going through a similar situation.  I also thought of all those rural kids back in the homelands….they need to know that anything is possible.   One’s background does not determine their future.  I come from a very humble background….mud house, pit toilet (or not toilet at all), water from the dam, living on umphokoqo for breakfast, lunch and supper etc….All those things do not determine one’s fate. 

Sometimes in life we get setbacks but with God on our side and with the support of our friends and family one can get through any circumstance. 

That situation also taught me to appreciate the little things in life (e.g. just being alive, breathing…) to forgive myself, the people that wronged me, to move forward, have more faith in God, rely more on the people that love me and stop wanting to be superwoman all the time. 

I mentioned a bible verse my mom used to make us cite every morning (from a Xhosa bible).  I always remember this verse especially when facing challenges life throws at us.  Romans 5: 1- 5

5:1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory. 5:3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance; 5:4 and endurance, character; and character, hope. 5:5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Plexus Films team.  You guys are amazing!  It has been a wonderful pleasure working with you and having you at my place.  A lot of my friends(even the one’s I’ve never met on facebook) have asked me to tell you they are BIG fans of your show.  I also got to meet the YouTube cooking sensation, Sarah.  I’ll be sharing her Latkes recipe tomorrow. 

One of my friends apparently took pictures of the TV screen while I was crying (I didn’t know I looked cute when crying, LOL!) and sent me the pics with an encouraging message which included this verse:  2 Corinthians 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. 

A special Thank You to everyone that watched the show yesterday and for the wonderful emails and messages.  If you missed yesterday’s episode watch the repeat tonight at 23:30 on SABC 3.  OR watch it HERE.

Thuli with Director Miki Redelinghuys and show host Lisa Chait

I’m sure some of you have seen the episode promo by now…….

A while ago I was asked to be one of the women featured on the second season of the show…

My mom was just out of the hospital at the time and therefore couldn’t take part in the filming of the episode.  One of my sisters, Thembakazi, came all the way form theEastern Cape. ….

We filmed scenes in Joburg, at my humble abode, my workplace etc.   Without giving away too much, the episode will be airing tomorrow morning at 9:30 on SABC 3…. Who is gonna watch with me? 

For a more detailed episode preview  visit the I Am Woman website…..http://www.iamwomanseries.com/our-stories/season-2-all-episodes/episode-6-thuli-gogela/

Thuli's Kitchen: Camera woman/Director Miki Redelinghuys, host Lisa Chait, Thuli & Friends

For my second Sasko recipe this month I’ve decided on this tea time treat, Banana & Raisin Mpunyane.

Mpunyane is a sorghum bread prominent in the Pedi culture.   Some would raise eyebrows at the thought of a sorghum bread as sorghum is an ingredient known for it’s distinct flavour.  In some cultures it is known as an ingredient that is just used in making beer. 

It comes in different grain sizes and for this recipe one has to use soghurm meal which is also used when preparing ting yamabele. Sorghum is one of those ingredients that tend to be overlooked due to their appearance and taste. However, it is nutritious. Sorghum is rich in iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium and phosphorous. It is also a good source of dietary fibre which promotes healthy digestion and combats diseases of the digestive tract.

Initially, I prepared the recipe with just bananas but I liked the idea of adding some raisins.  I have used Sasko Self Raising Flour and also added baking powder to assist the raising agent already in the flour.  One can also use cake flour and instant dry yeast as a leavening agent.  Serve at tea time with lashings of butter. 

Banana & Raisin Mpunyane (Sorghum Bread)

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

500g Sasko Self Raising Flour

375ml (1½ cup) mabele meal

100ml sugar

5ml (1tsp) salt

5ml (1tsp) Moirs Baking Powder

125g butter

1 Nulaid Egg

450ml full cream milk

80ml Safari Raisins

Glaze:

Orange marmalade

Water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180۫C. 
2. Soak raisins in warm water and microwave for 1 minute.  Set aside.
3. Sift together all the dry ingredients.
4. Rub in butter. 
5. In a bowl or measuring jug, using a fork whisk milk and egg. 
6. Add to the dry ingredients and knead until a dough is formed.
7. Add the pureed bananas to the dough and mix until blended.
8. Drain the raisins from the water and toss is a little flour.  Add to the dough and mix. 
9. Transfer the dough into two prepared pans and bake for 1 hour.
10. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool down in a wire rack. 
11. Remove from the pan and continue cooling on the rack. 
12. Make a thin syrup with orange marmalade and water.  Brush over the loaves, top and sides.
13. Serve with tea.

Thuli’s Tips:

• Mabele meal can be soaked in warm water first before using in the recipe but it gives the bread an interesting / different texture.
• Raisins should be tossed in a little bit of flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan during baking.
• Water can also be used to replace milk in the recipe. 
• Baking margarine can be used to replace butter.  There might be a difference in flavour.

For the next two to three months I’ll be working in conjunction with Sasko Flour.  Each month I’ll be posting two recipes using one of their products form their range. 

I don’t know about you but whenever I go shopping for flour or bake mixes I always find myself drawn to their products, especially the flour.  Not only because of the reasonability of the prices but I’ve never had any quality problems using it.  My breads and cakes never flop! 

This month I’ve decided to start off with Ntlaphoyi/ uJeqe recipe.  Whenever one mentions Intlaphoyi  or Ujeqe the first thing that comes to mind is an idea of a “steamed bread” with maize meal. That’s right.  We grew up with our parents steaming the bread in enamel bowls or in plastic bags.  I remember sometimes when a colourful plastic bad was used, the steamed bread would end up with some of colours from the plastic bag.  Hehe! 

This time around I’ve decided to just switch things around a bit.  Have you ever tried baking Ujeqe/ Intlaphoyi?  I mean, one of the reasons our grand parents steamed the bread was because they didn’t have ovens right?

Another interesting spin on the recipe is the addition of morogo.  If you have access to real morogo by all means replace the spinach with it.  Sun-dried tomatoes used in the recipe give the bread its colour and flavour. 

I have this bad (it’s actually good) tendency of getting my colleagues to taste my recipes then they go crazy.  I find it very exciting introducing them to the dishes from the different South African indigenous cultures.  They tasted the Baked Morogo Ntlaphoyi / Ujeqe Bread and it was finished just like that!  This bread is best served with grated cheese. Hope you also get to try it out! 

For more about Sasko products and recipes visit their website: www.saskoflour.co.za

Visit Facebook Page: Sasko Flour  

 Baked Morogo Ntlaphoyi/Jeqe (Morogo Mealie Bread)

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

15ml olive oil / canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

80ml sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped

a handful of spinach, shredded

3 sprigs fresh coriander, chopped

15ml (1Tbsp) chilli chutney

Salt and pepper to taste

250ml (1cup) White Star Super Maize

125ml (½cup) boiling water

500ml (2cups) Sasko Cake Flour

10ml (2tsp) instant dry yeast

10ml (2tsp) sugar

5ml (1tsp) salt

200ml lukewarm water

Method:

1. In a saucepan, heat oil and saute the onion until soft.
2. Add tomatoes, spinach and cook until cooked.  Stirring continuously. 
3. Add coriander, chutney and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
4. For Bread:  Preheat the oven to 180۫C.
5. Mix the maize meal and boiling water, stir to ensure that is mixed.
6. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
7. Sift flour, add yeast, sugar, salt and water. 
8. Mix until a dough is formed.  The bowl and your hands should be clean when the dough is formed. 
9. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place to rise until double in bulk. 

10. Knead the dough again and put in a lightly greased pan.  Cover and keep in a warm place to rise. 

11. Bake for 40 -45 minutes.

12. Take out of the oven and let cool on a wire rack.  Brush with olive oil.

13. Serve with cheddar cheese. 

Thuli’s Tip:

• The bread can also be steamed for ± 1 hour. 

Amadumbe, brown hairy potatoes also known as Taro potato originating from South East Asia and India…..

I got to cook them for the first time (I grew up in the Eastern Cape and we don’t have Amadumbe there).  My friends from Mpumalanga and KZN are forever raving about Amadumbe and all the noise they have been making got me curious enough to look for them but I was always told they were not in season.

I happened to see a street vendor selling them in Joburg last month and she explained how to they are prepared.   A colleague of mine from Mpumalanga cooks them in their skin and peels them off and eats them like that without adding salt.   I’ve tried eating them like that but hey…different strokes for different folks!  Besides, it doesn’t hurt to play around with a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Therefore, I made a mash with basil pesto and a bit of cream.  They are very stiff one has to add milk to losen them up.   The end results……I’m tired of praising my own recipes….you thy them and be the judge! How about that? 

In Cape Town, they are available at Pick ‘n Pay store and Woolies stores.  Other retail stores still need to catch up…

Have you ever cooked Amadumbe before?  How do you like them?

Creamy Amadumbe & Basil Pesto Mash

Serves: 3

±500g Amadumbe

± 1 litre, boiling water

200ml full cream milk

5ml (1tsp) cream

5ml (1tsp) basil pesto

2.5ml (½tsp) salt

 Method:

1. Rinse Amadumbe in cold water.
2. Cook Amadumbe in boiling water until soft (you have to be patient this might take 45 minutes to an hour).
3. When they are soft, let them cool down or immerse in cold water.
4. Peel off using a knife.  Mash madumbis until smooth.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until blended. 
6. Serve with Chicken Chakalaka.

I have to give props when they are due, the first time I prepared this recipe was one of those days you get back from work and don’t feel like cooking but you are hungry and you’ve got to eat….

For me chicken is one of the easiest items to prepare.  I had (still have) a cupboard full of Rhodes canned items which I got as one of the prizes from Dinner Divas.  So, I thought, chicken + opening a can = Brilliant Idea! I placed the chicken on a baking dish without adding any seasoning to it, I poured a can of Rhodes Mexican Style Tomato, Onions & Green Pepper relish over the chicken and cooked it in the oven.  The end results were seriously amazing.  

However, the foodie in me also likes preparing recipes from scratch hence the recipe below, but hey if you feel like a quick meal do not feel like chopping feel free to just open a can. 

Now to the interesting part, I prepared this recipe in front of a group of people and a camera for the first time.  The aim was to give them an idea of how I really come up with my recipes.  Personally, I believe that the best recipes are the ones that are prepared by just having an idea of what you would like to prepare, going into the kitchen, following your gut and letting your senses guide you by tasting your food and adjusting the flavours, colours and textures accordingly.  That’s how I came up with this recipe and they got to witness the raw deal.  Initially, there was no green in the recipe and the sight of a red and yellow chakalaka wasn’t doing the trick.  Luckily, I had mange touts in the fridge and threw in a cup. I like what the role played by mange touts on the appearance.  Talk about a sexy looking chakalaka!    

While the chicken was cooking in the oven I prepared an Amadumbe Mash (with an interesting twist) and served it with the chicken.  I’ll be sharing the Amadumbe Mash recipe tomorrow.  We washed the meal down with a good bottle of Chardonnay.  Hope you get to try it.  Happy Workers’ Day!

Chakalaka Chicken

Serves: 8

±1kg chicken (preferably thighs), skin removed

15ml (1Tbsp) olive /canola oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 yellow/red pepper, cut into strips

2 carrots, cut julienne

250ml (1cup) mange toute

7.5ml (½ Tbsp) rosemary, chopped

30ml (2Tbsp) chutney (any chutney will do, I’ve tried hot, tomato and chilli chutneys)

15ml (1Tbsp) medium curry powder

15ml (1Tbsp) red wine vinegar

2.5ml (½tsp) salt

2.5ml (½tsp) freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190۫C.
2. In a saucepan, heat oil and sauté onion until soft.
3. Add garlic, red/yellow pepper, carrots, mange touts and rosemary.  Continue cooking for a further minute stirring the whole time. Do not over cook the veggies, they still need to go into the oven.
4. Add curry powder, red wine vinegar.   Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place chicken on a lightly greased baking dish. 
6. Throw the chakalaka over the chicken.  Ensure that the chicken is covered. 
7. Put in the oven and let it cook for 50 minutes to an hour. 
8. Serve with Amadumbe Mash.

Thuli’s Tips:

• I believe some of my Joburg readers prefer a spicier chakalaka.  This one is for you:  Add one or two chopped chillies to the chakalaka. 
• Canned chakalaka can also be used.
• To my ladies:  Add this recipe to your Freakum Dish list!  Your men will love it!

Hey guys!  They say there’s a first time for everything, right?  I did two video shoots for I Love Cooking with Werda Salads and the Dinner Diva production company, Two Blondes and a Red Head….

I had never done a cooking video before so the experience was very interesting and informative.  The production team was absolutely amazing and I loved working with the Werda Marketing Team! 

I prepared a Beetroot & Raising Chutney and Potato Bake using Werda Salads.  The recipes are amazing!  Check out the videos and get the yummilicious recipes on the links below.

Beetroot & Raisin Chutney

Potato Bake

Please let me know what you think of the videos?