STARTERS

FISHERMAN’S SOUP

Traditionally throughout Africa, fishermen returning from a fishing expedition sell their catch to locals who, more often than not, request that the fishermen remove the heads. The fishermen are therefore often left with many heads and use their initiative to make a soup.

  1. Boil the fish heads in the water until soft (± 40 minutes). Strain and reserve the stock, but discard the heads.
  2. Sauté the onion, garlic and celery for 5 minutes, until soft. Pour in the stock and leave to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until they are cooked (± 10 minutes). Stir in the cream and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. SERVES 4–6

CRAYFISH SOUP

If you want to impress dinner guests, this crayfish (or rock lobster) soup is ideal as a first course when serving meat or curry dishes.

  1. Boil the crayfish in the water for 5 minutes, then remove and leave to cool (but do not discard the water). Peel off the shells, then slice the tails into 4 pieces each.
  2. Fry the onion, carrot and garlic in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and the water from the cooked crayfish. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the cream and sliced crayfish. Season to taste. SERVES 4–6

CHUNKY CHICKEN AND LENTIL SOUP

Chicken dishes are immensely popular in Africa. If cooked properly, chicken stays tender and is therefore easily incorporated into a vegetable soup. Lentils add bulk to this soup while the leeks, celery and mushrooms add their individual flavours, resulting in an interesting and tasty combination.

  1. In a large pot, melt the butter and then sauté the carrots, onions, leeks, celery and mushrooms for 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and chicken stock and bring to the boil for 5 minutes. Add the cumin and lentils, cook for 20 minutes, then stir in the chicken. Season to taste and serve hot. SERVES 4–6

SWEET POTATO AND COCONUT SOUP

The sweet potato is one of Africa’s typical starches, while coconut palms are to be found in many parts of Africa. Very often coconuts form part of meals for special occasions. This combination makes a delicious soup.

  1. Sauté the onion, leek, garlic and ginger in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, chicken stock and coconut cream or coconut milk, and simmer for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and serve immediately. SERVES 4–6

SWEETCORN AND COCONUT SOUP

Yet another soup enhanced by the inclusion of coconut, the sweetcorn kernels in this creamy mixture plus the flavour of the chilli create a taste sensation!

  1. Sauté the onion and chilli in the butter until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. SERVES 4–6

BEEF, PLANTAIN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Plantains generally need to be cooked or processed in some manner, as opposed to bananas which are eaten raw. They can be used when green or under-ripe and are starchy, or when they are overripe and are sweeter. Because they are firmer and lower in sugar content than dessert bananas, they are ideal for this soup. However, if plantains aren’t available, 2 green bananas could be used as a substitute.

  1. Heat the beef with the vegetable oil in a saucepan over high heat and stir-fry until light brown. Add the onions and stir until they are soft, then add the garlic, cumin, coriander and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
  2. Pour in the beef stock, followed by the carrots, green beans and plantain or bananas, and leave to simmer for 5 minutes before adding the okra and peas. Cook for another 5 minutes, then season with the salt and pepper. SERVES 4–6

TOMATO AND MEATBALL SOUP

These are meatballs with a difference and combined with the tomato-flavoured soup they offer an unusual African soup. Because tomatoes are grown throughout Africa, they are highly favoured as an ingredient in cooking.

  1. In a bowl, combine the mince, garlic, parsley and half of the cumin. Shape into small balls, then set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions until soft. Stir in the remaining cumin, carrots and tomato paste and pour in the stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Add the meatballs and potato, then simmer for 10 minutes. Finally, add the tomatoes and spring onions and simmer for a further 5 minutes. SERVES 4–6

PERI-PERI CHICKEN LIVERS

Portuguese seafarers were the first people from Europe to set foot in Southern Africa. As they sailed to and from the Far East around the Cape of Good Hope, they would drop anchor in bays along what now forms the Mozambican and South African coastline in order to search for fresh food. It is thought that they introduced a chilli of Brazilian origin to their cooking and in turn passed this on to the local people of Mozambique. The plant thrived in Africa and is one of the most fiery as well as popular of spices in African cuisine.

  1. In a frying pan, sauté the onions in the oil until soft. Add the cayenne pepper and livers and fry over a high heat until cooked. Stir in the brandy, salt and pepper, and stir-fry to combine the flavours. Serve immediately. SERVES 4–6

YAM PATTIES

Yams are grown in many countries across Africa and feature in a wide variety of African recipes – both sweet and savoury. In Nigeria the yam is known as adamwanga, which means ’Adamo’s food’. Folklore has it that Chief Adamo consumed such huge amounts of food, especially yams, that he was banished from his village! If you cannot find yams, potatoes or sweet potatoes will serve as a substitute. If you use sweet potatoes, because they are softer than yams, add another 2 tablespoons of cake flour.

  1. Boil the yams for 15 minutes, or until soft. Mash, then add the rest of the ingredients, except the flour for dusting and the oil. Use 2 tablespoons of the mixture and roll between the palms of your hands to form a patty, then continue in the same manner with the rest of the mixture. Dust the patties with flour. Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan and fry the patties on both sides until they are golden brown.
  2. Serve immediately with a green salad. SERVES 4–6

TIGER PRAWNS WITH PERI-PERI DIP

Because the hot peri-peri flavour is in the dip, delicate palates will also be able to enjoy these unusually flavoured fried prawns.

  1. Combine the marinade ingredients and pour over the prawns. Marinate for 30 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and coconut. Place the beaten eggs in a second bowl and the flour in a third. Dip the prawns in the flour, then in the eggs, and then in the coconut and breadcrumb mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Mix together the dipping sauce ingredients and spoon into a serving bowl. Heat the vegetable oil and deep-fry the prawns for 2 minutes. Serve with the dipping sauce. SERVES 4–6

SUMMER CHICKEN SALAD

Maize, also known as corn-on-the-cob or mealies, is one of Africa’s food staples. This is a simple-to-make and most attractive salad.

  1. To make the salad dressing, mix all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk lightly. Leave to stand for 10 minutes; this will allow the flavour to develop.
  2. In the meanwhile, separate the lettuce leaves. Wash them, dry thoroughly and arrange on a platter.
  3. Cut each chicken breast into 4 slices and put them in a large bowl with the mealie kernels, onions, tomatoes and apple wedges. Toss gently with half of the salad dressing. Place the chicken mixture on top of the lettuce leaves, then arrange the avocado slices over and around the salad.
  4. Sprinkle with the cheese and drizzle with the remaining salad dressing. SERVES 4–6

AVOCADO AND PRAWN SALAD

There are many different types of avocado grown in Africa. For this recipe a fairly small variety would be ideal as it is somewhat of a filling dish.

  1. Season the avocados with the salt and pepper. Place a lettuce leaf on each of 6 plates, followed by an avocado half. Combine the dressing ingredients and then add the prawns. Fill the avocado halves with the prawns and dressing. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately. SERVES 6

CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Today’s peanut butter is a processed version of the manner in which the indigenous people of Africa utilise groundnuts. The women pound their dried nuts in a huge mortar and then sieve the result to obtain a fine powder that is used as flavouring in their cooking. Peanut butter makes life a lot easier!
  1. Preheat the grill. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. In a saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the peanut butter, chicken stock and cayenne pepper, stirring until the peanut butter has melted. Pour the sauce over the chicken skewers, then place them under the grill, basting regularly with the sauce until cooked. Alternatively, you could cook them in a cast-iron griddle pan or over hot coals on an open fire. SERVES 4–6

ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

This is currently a very trendy salad and can be made with any seasonal, locally grown vegetables of your choice.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  2. Place all the vegetables in a flat, ovenproof dish. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 10–15 minutes, ensuring that the vegetables are cooked but still slightly crunchy.
  3. In the meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl.
  4. Serve the vegetables on a bed of lettuce, sprinkle over the pine nuts and drizzle with the salad dressing. SERVES 4–6

SWEETCORN FRITTERS

Corn-on-the-cob, or mealies as they are generally known in Southern Africa, are very popular vegetables. Both yellow and white corn varieties are available, but the yellow ones are considered to be sweeter and their kernels are canned as sweetcorn. Sweetcorn fritters are often served at a ’braai’ or barbecue. They can also be served as a side dish to a main meal.

  1. In a bowl, mix the sweetcorn kernels with the onion, eggs, cornflake crumbs, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper.
  2. Melt the butter and oil in a frying pan and drop in a level tablespoon of the sweetcorn mixture. Fry on both sides until brown. Do the same with the rest of the mixture.
  3. If not serving immediately, keep warm until ready to use. SERVES 4–6

SPICED CHICKEN AND PRAWN KEBABS

King prawns are fairly large and shouldn’t be less than 10 cm in length so that they aren’t obscured by the chicken pieces.
  1. Place the chicken and prawns in a bowl and marinate with the rest of the ingredients for 30 minutes. Thread the chicken pieces and prawns onto 6 skewers, 3–4 prawns per skewer. Grill in a hot cast-iron griddle pan for 5 minutes on each side, basting regularly with the marinade. Serve on a bed of salad leaves with Harissa Hot Chilli Paste. SERVES 4–6

FALAFEL

Falafel originated in Egypt. It is a type of fried ball or patty that is also popular in Middle Eastern countries, where it is served as a fast food. Made from spiced chickpeas and/or fava beans, falafel can be served as a mezze as well.

  1. Soak the chickpeas in a bowl of water overnight, drain, then place the chickpeas in a blender. Add the lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, cayenne pepper, flour and salt. Blend the mixture until it is almost smooth, but still has a chunky texture.
  2. Spoon the mixture into a bowl, add the coriander and form into small balls the size of baby onions.
  3. Heat the oil and butter in a pan. Fry the falafel until they are uniformly brown.
  4. Serve on a bed of lettuce. SERVES 4–6