TANDOORI CHICKEN

What you will need:

* 3 tbs lemon juice

*1 kg Chicken

*1/4 cup plain yogurt

*4 tbs tandoori Marsala

What to do:

*Marinate chicken in yogurt, marsala and lemon juice for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge

* Braai Chicken over medium fire, 3 minte son each side ensuring that you check it does not overcook.

* Serve with canned or fresh pineapples.

creamy Butternut soup

Butternut soup:

What you need:
2tbs Olive oil
2tbs butter
1 finely chopped onion
2 lewaks chopped
2 small butternuts peeled and cubed
1 small potatoe peeled and cubed
1 litre vegetable stock
1 tsp TUMERIC
1 tsp ginger
1tsp cinamon
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over a low heat. Add the onion, leeks, butternut and potatoes. Cover the pot and leave the vegetables to sweat for 10 minutes. Shake the pan regularly to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.

Increase the heat to medium. Add the salt, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon and stir for a minute or two. Add the stock and stir well. Leave to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20-25 minutes.

Set the pot aside to cool for a few minutes. Use a food processor or stick blender to puree the soup until smooth.

chocolate cake

chocolate cake:

What you need:
*3 large eggs
*175g self raising flour
*175g caster sugar
*175g softened butter
*11/2 tsp baking powder
40g cocoa powder
*4 tbsp boiling water

For the icing
*150ml (5fl oz) double cream
*150g (5oz) plain chocolate, broken into pieces
*4 tbsp apricot jam

What do you do:
* Preheat the oven to 180C, gas 4.
*Beat together the eggs, flour, caster sugar, butter and baking powder until smooth in a large mixing bowl.
*Put the cocoa in separate mixing bowl, and add the water a little at a time to make a stiff paste. Add to the cake mixture.
*Turn into the prepared tins, level the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 mins, or until shrinking away from the sides of the tin and springy to the touch.
*Leave to cool in the tin, then turn on to a wire rack to become completely cold before icing.
*To make the icing: measure the cream and chocolate into a bowl and carefully melt over a pan of hot water over a low heat, or gently in the microwave for 1 min (600w microwave). Stir until melted, then set aside to cool a little and to thicken up.
*To ice the cake: spread the apricot jam on the top of each cake. *Spread half of the ganache icing on the top of the jam on one of the cakes, then lay the other cake on top, sandwiching them together.
*Use the remaining ganache icing to ice the top of the cake in a swirl pattern. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Oxtail potjie

What you will need:

• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• Olive oil
• 1 kg oxtail pieces, as lean as possible
• 3 carrots
• 1 small butternut
• 1 tin cherry tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes
• 250 ml red wine
• 1 litre beef or vegetable stock
• 2 tbs flour
• 2 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp course ground black pepper
• 1 sprig parsley, chopped
• 1 tbs chives, chopped

What to do:

·         Put flour, salt, paprika, coriander and pepper into a plastic bag and toss together with oxtail pieces so the meat is evenly coated.

·         Heat a generous glug of olive oil (about 3 tbs) in a large flat-bottomed potjie. Add onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes until just turning brown.

·         Add the floured oxtail and brown all over. Retain seasoned flour left in the bag in case you need to thicken the stew later.

·         Once the meat is sealed, add red wine, mixed herbs and half the stock. Cover the pot and cook slowly on a very low heat for three hours.

·         Every so often, check to see that there’s enough fluid and add stock to prevent it drying out. The meat should be covered but not drowned.

·         After three hours, add the veggies and cook for another hour until they’re soft and beginning to disintegrate into the gravy.

·         Keep checking to ensure there’s enough moisture. When ready, sprinkle chopped chives and parsley over the stew and serve on a bed of rice or samp.

Quick Chicken Mayo sarmie...

Here's an idea for lunch if you have some left over chicken breast from last night's dinner!!!

what you need:

*Slices of Bread (white/brown/rye) buttered on both sides

*Cooked chicken breast

*Fresh chopped parsley

*Finely chopped onion

*Red sweet pepper bell

*Salt and black pepper to season

*Mayonnaise

What to do: 

*In a bowl shred the cooked chicken breast season with salt and pepper, add parsley, onion and sweet pepper bell mix and add a generous amount of mayonnaise, mix well.

*On the unbuttered side of the bread spread the chicken mixture and close with the other slice of bread.
*heat a pan on the stove and once hot lay your bread and toast the one side until it is golden brown and crispy, gently turn the bread with an egg lifter and do the same with the other side.
*Serve hot with a salad of fries.
*If serving it for lunch in a container, allow to cool before closing it into the container this will prevent the bread sweating and becoming soft and "mushy"

Shakshuka

 

what you will need:

·         3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

·         1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

·         1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

·         3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

·         1 teaspoon ground cumin

·         1 teaspoon sweet paprika

·         ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

·         1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with juices, coarsely chopped

·         ¾ teaspoon salt, more as needed

·         ¼ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed

·         6 large eggs

·         Fresh Parsley for serving

What to do:

1.      Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2.      Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in crumbled feta.

3.      Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with hot sauce.

 

 

My cookbook..

My passion in life involves people and good food
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Knowledge is power, no one can ever steal that from you. When I impart knowledge I loose nothing but the next person learns
I love #good food
Agree with me or not good food makes one feel good. I no not promote comfort eating, but healthy balance eating with a dash of indulgence
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Without people the above is in vain to me.
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it is the driving passion in all I do.

Hello. My name is Mmathabo and all I want to do is impart the wealth of knowledge that I picked up on my way in the hospitality industry. Let's cook, eat and be merry. 

Chicken Stir Fry

I like this recipe as it is an all in one, you have your starch, vegetables with beautiful colour and meat. Enjoy this tasty recipe with noodle, rice or pap if you like. Enjoy...

This image shows the recipe served with rice noodles

You will need:

3 tbs Vegetable oil

2 Skinless, boneless Chicken breasts, sliced into bite size strips

1/2 red,yellow and green peppers

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 cup button mushrooms, slices

1 tbs fresh ginger, peeled and shredded

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tbs soy sauce or worcestershire sauce

2 tbs Tomato sauce

1 tsp constarch aka maizena

paprika for colour

What to do:

1. In a large wok or skillet, heat the vegetable oil over high heat

2. Add the chicken pieced that have been dusted with paprika stir fry for about 3 minutes. Removed from skillet and set aside.

3. Add peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and ginger to the skillet and stir fry for 3 minutes.

4. in a mixing bowl combine chicken stock, soy sauce, tomato sauce and cornstarch

5. Add chicken back in the skillet, add liquid mixture and cook for a further 3 minutes

6. Serve with rice, or noodles immediately.

Seafood Chowder

This nice and filling Chowder will have you coming for more than seconds. 

You will need:

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 onion (chopped)

100g streaky bacon, Chopped

1tbs PLAin Flour 

600ml fish stock

2 potatoes chopped

300ml Milk

300g cooked shellfish

Fresh Parsley

pinch cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to season

crusty bread/ croutons to serve 

What to do:

1. Heat 1 tbs of oil on a deep saucepan at medium heat

2. Add onion and bacon cook for about 8 minutes.

3. Add flour and stir then cook for a further 2 minutes.

4. Pour fish stock and the cubed potatoes then simmer for 12 minutes until potatoes are cooked. 

5. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper then add the milk.

6. Add the cook shelfish cook further for 2 minutes.

7. Serve hot will crusty bread or crouton with freshly chopped parsley 

***variety: add fish mix with crab sticks, haddock, salmon etc.***

Pancakes

You will need:

100g plain flour

2 eggs

300ml milk

1 tbs cooking oil

A pinch of salt

What to do:

1.    Sieve flour salt into a large mixing bowl

2.    In the middle of the dry ingredients crack open the eggs

3.    Pour about 50mls of the milk and the oil

4.    Start whisking from the centre, gradually drawing the flour inte the eggs milk and oil.

5.    Beat until the texture is smooth and thick, add a little milk if too thick

6.    Add the rest of the milk to loosen the batter

7.    You may leave your batter for a few minutes before cooking

8.    Heat a pan over moderate heat then wipe with an oiled kitchen

9.    Spoon the batter in the pan tilting it so it spreads evenly over the pan

10.  Leave it to cook undisturbed in the pan for 30 seconds, once it starts to bubble you may flip it to cook the other side

11. Serve while hot with any topping of your choice: whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, golden or maple syrup, fruit pieces...etc.

Potato and bacon Bake

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 4 bacon rashers, chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 8 potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
• 300ml thickened cream
• 1250ml Milk
• 1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder or granules 
•  1/2 cup grated cheese

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly grease an 8-cup capacity baking dish.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan on high. Sauté bacon, onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes until onion is tender and bacon is golden.
3. Layer potatoes and onion mixture alternately in prepared baking dish.
4. In a large jug, whisk together cream, milk and stock powder. Pour over potatoes. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour, until potato is tender.
5. Remove foil. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake a further 15 minutes, uncovered, until cheese has melted and is golden.

Vegetable Lasgne

What you will need: 

• 3 red and peppers
• 2 aubergines aka Brinjal
• 1 onion
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 butternut
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 8 tbsp olive oil, plus a little for greasing
• ½ quantity tomato sauce (see below)
• 300g fresh pack lasagne sheets
• ½ quantity white sauce (see below)
• 125g ball mozzarella
• salt and pepper for seasoning

·         White sauce

Melt 85g butter in a saucepan, stir in 85g plain flour, then cook for 2 mins. Slowly whisk in 750ml milk, then bring to the boil, stirring. Turn down heat, then cook until the sauce starts to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Sauce can now be cooled and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months.

• Homemade tomato sauce
  Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan. Add 2 onions, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, sliced and 1 carrot, roughly chopped. Cook for 5-7 mins over a medium heat until softened. Turn up the heat a little and stir in 2 finely chopped tomatoes. Cook for 1 min, pour in 200ml white wine/vegetable stock, then cook for 5 mins until this has reduced by two-thirds. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 mins. Leave to cool, whizz in a food processor.

Method

1. Heat oven to  180 degreesC
2.  Deseed the peppers, halve, then cut into large chunks. Trim ends off aubergines, then cut into slices about ½cm thick. Roughly chop onion into chunks. Rinse and chop spinach. Peel and chop butternut into blocks drizzle a little bit of oil and cinnamon powder.
3. In a baking tray roast butternut in the oven for 20 minutes
4.  Lightly grease another large baking tray, then place peppers, onion and aubergines on top. Toss with the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, then roast for 25 minutes until lightly browned.
5. In a bowl pour boiling water to blanch the spinach for 2 minutes then drain water out.
6. Reduce oven to 160 degreesC
7.  Lightly oil (or spray and cook) an ovenproof serving dish (30 x 20cm). Arrange a layer of the vegetables on the bottom, then pour over a third of the tomato sauce. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets, then drizzle over a quarter of the white sauce. Repeat until you have 3 layers of pasta.
8. To finish, spoon remaining white sauce over the pasta, making sure the whole surface is covered. Scatter mozzarella over the top. Bake for 45 mins until bubbling and golden.

Family favourites #2 Mommy's ox liver

Many people do not like liver because it is normally over cooked and rubbery. A tasyy juicy ox liver is what we all like. Mommy makes it in a lovely way and it will have you coming back for more, it is simple and to the point...

You will need:
Fresh/defrosted OX liver
4 tabs Mixed powder soups
1/2 cube beef stock
2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
White pepper
Onion cut in julienne
3 tbs Cooking oil

What to do:
1. In a bowl dust the liver with the powder soup, add 2 tbs of Worcestershire sauce and soak liver for a few minutes, add white pepper.
2. Heat cooking oil in a pan, add onion with the beef cube, cook until onion is clear in colour
3. Add liver and fry for 2 minutes on  each side add the worcestershire sauce left in the bowl and cook for a further 3 minutes on medium heat.
4. Remove pan from heat, you liver is ready when it is still juicy and not dried up.

Family favourite #1 - Nokza's creamy samp

We all love samp, now that it is colder outside, warm hearty food is all we need. My sister Nokuthula makes the best samp. I hope you will love it....

Cooking a good samp requires time, so do not cook it when you in a hurry.

You will need:
1kg samp
250g butter/margarine
salt to taste
200g Creamora powder
2tbs dried parsley
Water to soak and cook samp.

What to do:

1. Rinse samp in water, then pour boiling water enough to cover the samp in a deep pot add salt.
2. Cook samp for 3-4 hours over medium heat, constantly stirring and adding a little water to  it soaked.
3. When samp is cooked (it will be soft but not mashed) add butter and creamora, finish off with parsley.....

Enjoy is as it is or with some grilled chicken/stew/curry

Chicken and mushroom Pie

You will need:

1 tbsp Cooking oil

8 pieces of skinless boneless chicken 

8 rashers of streaky bacon (optional)

1 onion, roughly chopped

250g pack of white button mushrooms (or any mushrooms of your choice)

thyme, salt and pepper to season

2 tbs plain flour

400 ml chicken stock

200 ml milk

500g fresh puff pastry or frozen puff pastry that has been defrosted

1 egg beaten 

What to do:

1. In a large non stick frying pan heat the oil.

2. Season the chicken with thyme salt and pepper fry it for 5-8 minutes until golden brown.

3. Lift chicken onto a plate and fry bacon for 5 minutes until crisp, add onion and mushrooms, fry for another 3 minutes.

4. Add flour into the pan stir for about a minute, slowly pour in stock and whisk it, followed by the milk.

5. Add chicken back into the pan and let it simmer for about 10 minutes over low heat.

6. Place aside and let the filling to cool down

7. Pre heat oven at 200 degrees celsius.

8. On a floured surface roll out the pastry to about a thickness of 2cm.

9. Choose a desired baking dish, base it with the pastry to cover the whole dish, add the filling, measure the pastry over the top and cut along the edges.

10. Brush the beaten egg lightly over the pastry to glaze.

11. reduce oven heat to 180 degrees celsius and bake for 30 minutes until pastry is golden brown. 

Enjoy with a crispy green salad....