“Eating is spiritual. And eating food with loved ones is truly communion with God. Do your best to eat the food you love with people you love :) it makes it taste better.” ~ Munachi Abii

Chin-chin Strawberry Cheesecake

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Serves: 8
Prep time: 35-40 mins

6. Chin chin is amazing, it tastes like deep fried shortbread chips, that’s the best way we can describe it. We thought it would be really cool to incorporate it into one of our favorite desserts of all time. 

Ingredients: 
250g Chin-chin
1 Tbs Sugar
Pinch of Salt
125g Butter, softened

Filling:
200g Fresh Strawberries
1/4 C Castor Sugar
3/4 C Sugar
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
2 Tubs Cream Cheese
1/2 C Sour Cream
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence 
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 C Sugar

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
In a food processor, crush the chin-chin until crumbs. Add the salt, sugar and butter and blitz to mix. Press into the bottom of a baking tray. 
Bake for 15 mins, take it out and reduce heat to 160 degrees celcius.
In a saucepan, add strawberries, sugar and a pinch of salt together and bring to a simmer for 10 mins.
Purée the mixture with a stick blender, add lemon juice and set aside.
Best cream cheese and sour cream with an electric beater, add the 3/4 C sugar and the vanilla, beat until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well.
Pour the cream cheese mixture into the cooled crust. Top with strawberry purée, use a skewer to create a swirl. Bake until set for 25 mins.

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Egusi Soup

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serves: 4-6
Prep time: 40-50 mins

Egusi Soup – The original Nigerian Egusi recipe is delicious but making this soup is not really an easy process (for us) so we decided to simplify it… A lot ! We will ease into the original recipe slowly. This version is good, think of it as; Egusi soup for beginners. 

Ingredients: 
1 Tbs Palm Oil 
3 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Chili Flakes 
350ml Sauce ????
2 Tbs Dried Ground Melon Seeds (Agushi) 
4-6 Habenero Peppers, crushed
Juice of 1 Lime
200ml Vegetable Stock, if required
250g Baby Spinach 
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Method: 
Heat a large heavy- based saucepan. Add coconut oil, sauté with onion over medium heat until softened. Add curry powder and chili flakes and stir well. 
Stir in the sauce and simmer over heat for 15-20 mins. 
Gently stir in the Agushi, break down any lumps using a wooden spoon – the space will be creamy and resemble scrambled eggs. 
Add the Habenero peppers and the lime juice . Leave to simmer over a medium heat for another 10 mins. 
Add a bit of stock if sauce becomes too think, add a little at a time.
Stir in spinach and seasoning, simmer gently till spinach is wilted.
Enjoy. 

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Spicy Grilled Chicken Feet

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“In Mamelodi we called grilled chicken feet ‘Chicken Kwasa’, we don’t know why, lol but it sounds cool. Chicken kwasa is normally sold to school kids as a break time snack by local vendors. This is such a big hit with the locals.” 

 

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 40 mins 

 

Ingredients: 

500g Chicken Feet, cleaned 

2 tsp Smoked Paprika

2 tsp Curry Powder

1 tsp Salt 

1 tsp Black pepper 

3 tsp Thai Mixed Spice

2 tsp All Spice 

1 tsp Cumin 

1 tsp Coriander 

1 tsp Chili Powder

1/4 C Sunflower Oil

1/4 C BBQ Sauce 

 

Method: 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. 

Line baking tray with foil. 

Par-boil the chicken feet for about 18-20 mins. Drain and pat dry. Mix all the spices, oil and BBQ sauce together and coat the chicken feet.

Grill in the oven for 20-25 mins until cooked.

Serve warm with a starter.

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Chicken Wings with a Blue Cheese Dip

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Serves: 6

Prep Time: 55-60 mins 

 

“There’s this cute restaurant called ‘The Local’ in Newton Massachusetts. We went on a snowy Sunday afternoon for a quick lunch and we ordered the most affordable dish on the menu which was the wings. It was a great choice, hands down the best wings we’ve ever had in our lives.”

 

Ingredients: 

1.5 kg Wings 

1/4 C Flour 

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt 

1 tsp Pepper 

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/4 C Hot sauce 

1/4 C Sweet Chili Sauce 

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper 

 

Blue Cheese Dip: 

1 Tub Sour Cream

1 Log Blue Cheese, crumbled

1/3 C Fresh Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste 

1 tsp Lemon Zest 

2 Tbs Chopped Dill

 

Method: 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Line a baking sheet with baking paper. 

Place wings in a bowl, add flour, baking powder and the rest of the spices, toss and coat the wings evenly. Dust off the wings and place in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake for 40 mins until lightly golden and crispy. Then set aside. 

In another bowl, mix together the hot sauce, sweet chili sauce, butter and brown sugar together. Pour over the wings and coat evenly. 

Bake in the oven for another 10 mins. 

For the blue cheese dressing, blend all the ingredients together until well blended. 

Serve the wings warm with the dip.

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SWEET & SMOKY ROOIBOS BBQ DRY RUB MIX

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INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbls Smokey salt 
11/2 Tbls smoked paprika 
2 tsp chilli flakes 
4 Tbls loose Rooibos leaves 
2 tsp dried rosemary 
1 tsp cumin seeds 
1 1/2 tsp ground pepper 
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp dried thyme 
1/2 tsp chilli powder 
1/4!tsp ground all spice

METHOD:
Place all the ingredients into a pastel and mortar and grind the ingredients till smooth and well combined. 
Store in an airtight container till ready to use. 

You can use this mix as a dry rub on red meat, chicken, seafood , veggies, tofu, corn on the cob. Or just sprinkle on already grilled veggies.

BAKED CITRUS & GINGER ROOIBOS PUDDING

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INGREDIENTS:

120 g butter 

60 g brown sugar 

50 g castor sugar

2 eggs 

15 ml grated ginger 

2 Tbls orange zest 

120 g self-raising flour 

 

SAUCE:

50 g brown sugar

180 ml cream 

4 Citrus & Ginger Rooibos teabags 

 

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Line six 150 ml moulds. 

Cream butter and sugars till light and fluffy. 

Add eggs one at a time. Mix till well combined. Add ginger and oranger zest.

Fold in the flour. 

Spoon mixture into moulds. Fill them 3/4 way to the top. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from moulds. 

 

SAUCE:

Combine all the sauce ingredients into a sauce pan. Slowly bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes till the flavors are infused. 

Spoon over upturned cakes.

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IMG_5453-03-06-19-12-26

ROOIBOS CHICKEN CASSEROLE

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INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbls seasoned flour

1 Tbls loose Rooibos tea leaves

8 chicken pieces

5 Tbls sunflower oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

180 ml sherry

320 ml strongly brewed Rooibos tea

Fresh parsley, thyme and bay leaf tied to string 2 Tbls minced garlic

50 g butter

200 g mushrooms

1/4 cup cream

 

METHOD: 

Tip the seasoned flour, chicken pieces and loose tea leaves in a food bag. Shake well to evenly coat.

Heat oil in a large pan, add the chicken pieces, a few at a time, fry on all sides till well browned.

Add sherry and allow to reduce a little bit. Add the tea, herb bundle and seasoning. Bring to the boil. Pour chicken into casserole dish. Simmer for 45 minutes (covered) until chicken is tender and sauce has thickened.

In a pan, melt butter, add mushroom, heat till soft. Add in the garlic and stir. Season lightly.

Top chicken with mushroom mixture and Crème fraîche and serve.

 

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IMG_5384-27-05-19-04-57

APPLE AND ROOIBOS TARTE TATIN

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INGREDIENTS:
100 g rooibos sugar
60 g butter
15 g cinnamon
4-5 apples, cored and sliced

ROOIBOS SUGAR: 
Mix 1 cup dark brown sugar, 3 (loose) rooibos teabags, 3 Tbls grapefruit zest, blend till well combined.

METHOD:
Heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Melt sugar in an ovenproof frying pan. When completely melted to a golden caramel, take pan off heat and stir in butter. Mix thoroughly.
Return pan to stove, on low heat. Sprinkle cinnamon over apples. Mix till combined. Arrange apples into desired shape into the pan, cook for 5 minutes.
Roll out pastry, drape over the apples and neatly tuck the edges in.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is cooked and golden brown.
Let it cool for 5 minutes before turning over onto a board or plate.
Eat immediately.
Serve with custard or ice cream.

ROOIBOS PANCAKE CAKE

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PANCAKES:
3 eggs
8 Rooibos Teabags
4 cups milk
4 Tbls oil
1 Tbls vanilla essence
3 cups cake flour
Pink food coloring for 1/2 the batter

ICING:
3 tubs cream cheese
6 Tbls strawberry yogurt 1/2 cup icing sugar

TOPPING:
Strawberries for garnish Dusting of icing sugar
In a saucepan, warm up the milk and the teabags until infused. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and then cook completely.

METHOD:
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla essence.
Sift the flour and baking powder into the wet mixture.
Blend together until smooth using a hand mixer.
Divide batter into two bowls. Color the one bowl of batter with a few drops of pink coloring. Mix till combined.
Use a non-stick pan to make pancakes. Heat a bit of oil or use cooking spray for the pan. Fry the pancakes.
For the icing, blend all the ingredients together till smooth.
Spread icing over each pancake and then stack the pancakes one ontop of the other. Alternating colors. Pink and White.
Ice the top of the pancake cake and garnish with fresh strawberries and a dusting of icing sugar.
Slice and serve.