Chakalaka
Serves: 4 as a side dish | Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
4 large carrots, washed and coarsely grated
2 tbsp tomato puree
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin of cannellini beans, drained
A small handful of thyme, leaves picked
A pinch of Kalahari Desert Salt, selected by Maldon
Cracked black pepper
Method:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and then add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften and go translucent. Next add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin and cayenne and fry for another minute.
Add the diced peppers and cook for a couple of minutes to allow them to soften. Next add the grated carrot, tomato paste and tinned tomatoes. Mix it well so everything is well coated and allow it to cook for 5 – 10 minutes.
Finally add the cannellini beans, fresh thyme and seasoning and allow it to bubble for a further 5 minutes. Check the seasoning and then serve.
Chicken Momo’s with Tomato Chilli Chutney
Serves: Makes 15 Momo’s | Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
200g plain flour
Pinch of Maldon salt
5 tsp sunflower oil
100ml water
180g chicken mince
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 stick of lemongrass, woody outer leaves removed and then finely chopped
Small handful of coriander, finely chopped
Small handful of mint, finely chopped
Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt, selected by Maldon
Tomato Chilli Sauce
3 large vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 whole dried red chilli
3 garlic cloves
500ml water
1 tsp soy
½ tsp caster sugar
Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt, selected by Maldon
Method:
Start by making the dough for the Momos. In a large bowl add the flour and a pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt. Add the oil and mix it in well. Next add the water and mix it well with your hands until combined and the dough feels smooth. Cover the bowl with clingfilm or a tea towel and set aside.
Next make your filling. In a bowl mix together the chicken mince, garlic, ginger, spring onions, green chilli, lemongrass, chopped coriander and mint and Himalayan Pink Salt. Mix well until evenly distributed.
Now start on the sauce. In a large pan add the tomatoes, dried chillies and garlic cloves and pour over the water. Place it onto the heat and bring the water to the boil. Simmer the tomatoes for 5 – 8 minutes until they soften and break down, and the dried chillies have also softened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before placing in a high-powered blender along with the soy, caster sugar and pinch of Himalayan salt and blitzing until smooth. Set aside to serve later.
Now you can shape your Momo’s. Divide the dough into 15 equal balls. Lightly dust the work surface and then use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a circle as thin as you can.
Lift the circle and place it into the palm of your hand. Spoon in about 1-2 tsp amount of the filling. Then use your fingers to lift the sides of the dough to enclose the filling and pinch in a pleating action all the way around until you have a spiral. Pinch the dough in the middle of this to make sure it is fully sealed – it will look like a little moneybag.
Continue with the rest of the balls and using the filling until you have all your shaped Momo’s.
Prepare your bamboo steamers with some greaseproof paper in the layers and place them onto a pan with an inch of simmering water. Steam the Momo’s on the layers for approximately 10 minutes.
Serve the Momo’s warm with some sliced spring onions scattered over and the tomato chilli chutney for dipping.
Gorkhali Lamb Curry
Serves: 4 people | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 large garlic cloves, grated
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
750g lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks
3 large vine tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp fenugreek
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp of Himalayan Pink Salt, selected by Maldon
1 litre lamb stock or water
Chopped coriander, to serve
Method:
Start by heating the vegetable oil in a large casserole dish. Add the red onion and fry until softened, then add the cloves, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, bay and cardamon pods and fry for another few minutes until smelling fragrant.
Next add the lamb pieces and cook in the spices and onion until it browns on all sides – the longer you brown it the more caramelisation you will get on the meat and the deeper the flavour.
Once the meat is nicely browned all over, add the diced tomatoes followed by the garam masala, fenugreek, turmeric, chilli flakes and Himalayan Pink Salt. Stir everything together so it is all well coated and allow it to sizzle and fry for 5 minutes, so the tomato breaks down.
Add the lamb stock or water and bring to the boil. Then reduce to a low simmer and allow it to bubble away for 1 hour. Keep an eye on it and if it needs some more liquid then top it up.
After an hour the sauce should be thickened and the lamb tender. Serve the curry topped with chopped coriander and alongside some steamed turmeric rice and warm roti flatbreads.
Mealie Bread
Serves: 8 people | Prep time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Cook time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
280g plain flour
30g cornmeal
120ml milk
7g sachet of active dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
160g tinned sweetcorn (drained weight)
2 tsp Kalahari Desert Salt, selected by Maldon
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp turmeric
50g melted, cooled butter
2 large eggs
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Method:
Place the plain flour and cornmeal in the bowl of a stand mixer and make a well in the middle. In a small bowl mix together 40ml of the milk, yeast and caster sugar and pour this into the well. Mix well.
In a blender or food processor add the sweetcorn and remaining milk and blend until smooth. Next add the Kalahari Desert Salt, paprika, turmeric, cooled butter and eggs and whisk in.
Tip the sweetcorn mix into the flour and mix with the dough hook attachment, kneading it for approximately 10 minutes.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 1 hr until it has doubled in size.
Line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper.
Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to the prepared cake tin and smooth it out. Now allow it to rise for a second prove of 15 minutes again lightly covered in clingfilm.
Preheat the oven to 180C fan. When the bread is ready to bake simply scatter over the sesame seeds and place into the hot oven for 30 – 35 minutes until risen, and lightly golden brown. You can check it is cooked through but inserting a toothpick or skewer and making sure it comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly, before removing from the tin and serving. It is best served still a little warm and can be toasted and topped with butter. A delicious side dish to the Chakalaka.
Pork Sosaties
Serves: Makes 6 skewers | Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes marinating | Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1kg pork fillet, cut into 3cm cubes
3 large onions, cut into wedges
3 green peppers, chopped into chunks
18 dried apricots
18 bay leaves
4 lemons, cut in half
3 tbsp olive oil
6 wooden skewers, soaked in water
Braai Marinade:
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp ground coriander
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Kalahari Desert Salt, selected by Maldon
Cracked black pepper
5 tbsp olive oil
Method:
Begin by making the Braai marinade. Mix the spices, grated garlic, mustard, Kalahari Desert Salt, and black pepper with the olive oil in a large bowl. Then add the pork pieces and mix so they are well coated. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinade (you can do this the day before if you would like to get ahead).
After the meat has marinaded, it is time to assemble the skewers. Place 3 tbsp olive oil in a bowl and add the onion wedges, green pepper, apricots, and bay leaves – toss them so they are all lightly coated (this will help avoid any burning on the Braai). Thread pieces of the meat on to wooden skewers and then alternate between the other ingredients and more pieces of meat until you have 6 full skewers.
Place the skewers on the hot BBQ or Braai and griddle then for 5 minutes on each side until cooked through and lightly charred in places. At the same time, place the lemon halves on too and allow them to charr. Serve the skewers immediately along with the charred lemon squeezed on top.