Chef Chat with Kamini Pather

26 August 2015 - 02:46 By Rea Khoabane

Pather is the winner of MasterChef SA Season Two and the host of the food and travel show, Girl Eats World. Her favourite quotes''Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog."- Matilda by Roald Dahl, or: ''A grapefruit was a lemon that saw a chance and took it." - Oscar WildeWhat's in your fridge?Left-over braai meat - I marinated some lamb chops with a squeeze of lemon juice, fresh crushed garlic and olive oil before searing them on the hot coals. They make an excellent wrap filling the day after.Fresh veggies - I get an organic veg box delivery.A jar of my grandmother's chilli pickle. It adds a taste of home to a vegetable au gratin.Most annoying eaters?If you don't eat cheese/meat/ sugar/dairy, just means more for me. But the most annoying eaters are those who don't make mention of their preferences before they arrive. Cooking is all about preparation. If you don't get a heads up, you start on the wrong foot.What would you cook for your idol?My idols are all chefs or food-o-philes so it would be less about the food and more about the experience surrounding the food. My fantasy dinner party would showcase South African produce and seasonality, with only the best local wine.Dumbest thing you've done in a kitchen?I was 15 years old and I went to visit my relatives in the USA. I intended to help out by packing the dishwasher and putting liquid soap into the machine. They came home to a soapy marshland.Favourite restaurantsChef's Warehouse and Canteen, Burrata, La Mouette, all in Cape Town. In Johannesburg, an unknown Chinese hole-in-the-wall in Cyrildene and in Pretoria, Salt Charcuterie. In Durban I frequent Parc and Cafe 1999.Food-related travel advice.Taste everything with abandon - germs can smell fear.Worst diet?An all-protein diet of tuna and boiled egg whites. After four days I was angry and upset.What dish would you never try to master?I would try anything. Why restrict yourself before you've even tried?What food item would never be seen in your house?Aromat...

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