BOOK EXTRACT | Khanyisa Malabi on where food meets family tradition

Here, on these pages, I want to evoke a nostalgic eating experience, the sublime comfort of home-cooked food made by my mother and grandmother that connects me with that chapter of my life, characterised by joyful innocence. It is said that we all have the ability to remember love and generosity through the food cooked for us when we were younger. We often remember the first encounter with a particularly delicious dish of which fond memories are made. While African families did not document much, our mothers and grandmothers before us have been creating recipes and entertaining for generations, and those gestures of love continue to be remembered over time.

I recall with such joy the satisfying aromas that streamed from the oven and filled our home. I have a very clear picture of my mother’s generous smiles, as if she is right in front of me; her laughter was contagious and she would often be reduced to tears of joy as she danced with my father. We, in the meantime, giggled away, our excitement filling the house. We were happy and grateful.

GOATS' CHOPS ON THE COALS

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves: 10

You will need: Freshly slaughtered double goats' chops from the rib cage and an open coal fire

Ingredients:

1kg goats' double chops or use lamb chops

15ml (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard

A handful chopped rosemary

10ml (2 tsp) salt

5ml (tsp) garlic salt

How to prepare:

Pack the roasting pan with the shanks. Add the chunks of onions, whole spring onions, chillies and garlic. Add the water and stock cube, and season with salt and honey. Cover tightly with a lid or foil. Roast on medium-to-high heat for 30 minutes, then reduce to low heat for the remaining 1½ hours until the meat falls off the bone. To make the salsa, mix all the ingredients together and serve with the goat shanks. Marinate the meat with the Dijon mustard for a minimum of 30 minutes. Season with rosemary, sea salt and garlic salt for 10-15 minutes. Grill both sides for 5 minutes on hot coals.

MOTHER'S SPECIAL GOATS' TRIPE

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 2½ to 3 hours

Serving: 10

You will need: Large cast-iron pot for cooking. The secret to tasty tripe is its own slow-cooked flavours and stock.

Ingredients:

1kg goats' tripe, or sheep/lamb tripe

750ml (3 cups) water

1 cube chicken stock

500ml (2 cups) fresh chicken stock (from slaughtered hens)

2 large onions, roughly chopped

Pinch of salt and white pepper

How to prepare:

Clean and reclean the trip — my mother always cleaned fresh tripe under running water. Bring a pot of salt water to the boil, adding the stock cube and fresh chicken stock. Add the chopped onions and cook for 2½ to 3 hours. The tripe will start to caramelise, forming a textured sauce and consistency. Season for salt and pepper. Serve with pap or bread.

SLOW-ROAST GOAT SHANKS WITH TOMATO SALSA

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 2 hours

Serving: 10

You will need: I like to use an old-fashioned cast-iron roasting pan with a lid to contain the moisture during roasting, or cover the roasting pan with foil.

Ingredients:

4 goats' shanks or lamb shanks

2 large onions, roughly chopped

10 spring onions, cut into chunks

5 red chillies, deseeded

5ml (1 tsp) chilli flakes

4 cloves garlic

500ml (2 cups) hot water

1 cube beef stock

5ml (1 tsp) creamed honey

Salsa:

3 large tomatoes, finely chopped

1 large red onion, finely chopped

1 green chilli, deseeded

1 red chilli, deseeded

60ml (4 tbsp) vinegar

30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

How to prepare:

Pack the roasting pan with the shanks. Add the chunks of onions, whole spring onions, chillies and garlic. Add the water and stock cube, and season with salt and honey. Cover tightly with a lid or foil. Roast on medium to high heat for 30 minutes, then reduce to low heat for the remaining 1½ hours until the meat falls off the bone. To make the salsa, mix all the ingredients together and serve with the goat shanks.

MY LOHMANN BROWN WITH SPRING ONIONS AND GREEN CHILLIES (“HARD” CHICKEN)

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 2½ hours

Serving: 6

You will need:

Freshly slaughtered “hard” chicken (Lohmann Brown), prepped, sliced and ready for cooking. Cooking time is generally 2 hours, with the remaining 30 minutes spent on the sauce and end dish. You will need a large pot, but that depends on the size of your chicken.

Ingredients:

1 “hard” chicken, cut into small portions

1 “hard” chicken, whole, uncut, with the feet

500ml (2 cups) buttermilk for soaking, not cooking

1 litre water

3 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, crushed

5 spring onions, chopped

2 green chillies, deseeded

5ml (1 tsp) sea salt

How to prepare:

Soak the chicken portions and whole chicken in the buttermilk overnight. The next day, remove the chicken from the buttermilk and pat dry with a cloth. In one big pot, simmer the chickens in 750ml (3 cups) of the water on medium heat for 2 hours, until the cooking water reduces and the chicken starts to caramelise and develops a rich sauce. Finish off the cooking by roasting it in the oven until brown, about 15-20 minutes. Add the bay leaves, garlic, spring onions, green chillies and salt. The chicken should now be soft and resting in a rich caramelised sauce. Add the remaining 250ml of water little by little to form a broth. Sprinkle with sun-dried tomatoes and serve.

THYEKE WITH GARLIC, RED ONION AND TOMATO

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serving 4

You will need: A small pot and frying pan

Ingredients:

Pinch of salt

Pinch of bicarbonate of soda

1kg thyeke or any organic greens like moroho wa makwembe (pumpkin leaves)

1 red onion

1 ripe tomato, skinned

30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

How to prepare:

Bring a quarter cup of salted water to the boil. Sprinkle in the bicarbonate of soda and then boil for a further 5-7 minutes. Squeeze the moisture from the greens and place in a bowl. In a separate pan, fry the onion and tomato in a drizzle of olive oil on a very low heat until soft. Mix in the greens and it's ready to serve. I like to drizzle another spoonful of olive oil over the cooked greens, but my grandmother and my mother's eyes would pop right out!

MAGWINYA WITH THAI CURRY SAUCE

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Cooking: 8-10 minutes

Serving: 4

You will need: Medium pot or deep fryer

Ingredients:

10ml (1 packet) instant yeast

125ml (½ cup) sugar

5ml (1 tsp) salt

500g (4 cups) flour

250ml (1 cup) cold water

500ml (2 cups) cooking oil

Thai curry sauce:

1/2 red onion

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2.5ml (½ tsp) grated fresh ginger

45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil

How to preapare:

To make the magwinya, combine all the dry ingredients and then add the water to form a stiff dough. Knead for 10 minutes and leave to prove for 1 hour in a covered bowl. Form miniature balls, preheat the oil and deep fry in oil on a medium to high heat. Start the sauce by frying the onion, garlic and ginger in the olive oil on a medium to high heat. Add the red chillies and curry leaves, then add the spices and fish sauce and deglaze with white wine. Add the coconut milk and allow to reduce to a rich, creamy consistency. Add the coriander and serve.

MOTHER'S APRICOT BUNS

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Baking: 35 minutes

Serving: 4

You will need: Baking tray

Ingredients:

10ml (1 packet) instant yeast

500g (4 cups) plain flour

5ml (1 tsp) salt

125ml (½ cup) sugar

500ml (2 cups) buttermilk

500ml (2 cups) dried apricots

Glaze:

15ml (1 tbsp) apricot jam or 1 egg yolk and 15ml (1 tbsp) cream for a less sweet taste

Icing sugar

How to prepare: To make the buns, combine all the ingredients, except the dried apricots, and mix well. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes till smooth. Finely chop the apricots and mix in, then leave to prove in a bowl covered with a cloth for 2 hours. To make the glaze, melt the jam (or use egg yolk and cream) and glaze the buns. Prove for another 1 hour in a covered bowl. Bake at 180ºC for 45 minutes. Dust with icing sugar.