Heritage Month: SA chefs share their favourite traditional meals
September is Heritage Month and September 24 is Heritage Day, and to help you celebrate, we have asked South African chefs to share their favourite traditional meals.
As South Africans, Heritage Month allows us to celebrate all those proud and unique traditions and to share the beauty of our rainbow nation.
Our cuisine is a unique fusion of many different external cultural influences, and dining out is one of the most popular things to do, especially if you are a visitor.
Here are some great culinary ideas to make your Heritage Day feast a special one.
Amori Burger’s harissa and rose lamb rump
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 x whole (+-350g each) lamb rumps
20g harissa paste
2ml rose syrup
2g salt
2 x small vacuum bags
Baharat
125ml chicken stock - reduced by half
80ml cream
2g Baharat spice mix
4g curry leaves
1g turmeric
Bukhara butter
50g clarified butter
2g coriander seeds- toasted
1 x red chilli - chopped
5g curry leaves
2g yellow mustard seeds
1 clove garlic - chopped
1g cumin seeds - toasted
Harissa paste
1 x red pepper - roasted, skinned and seeded
½ tsp tomato paste
1g garlic - creamed
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ lemon- juiced and zested
Method
Score the fat on the lamb.
Rub in harissa paste, rose syrup and salt. Place it into a vacuum bag.
Sous vide at 60°C for 45 minutes.
Finish lamb rump on a medium heat braai and cook to preference.
Baharat
Reduce chicken stock by half.
In a separate pot bring cream, baharat spices, curry leaf and turmeric to a boil.
Add the cream mixture to the stock mixture and bring to a boil again. Strain and check seasoning.
Bukhara butter
Place all ingredients into the clarified butter
Heat ingredients together
Leave to infuse
Harissa paste
Roast red pepper over an open flame until charred.
Peel the skin off and discard. Remove the seeds and stalk as well.
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
To serve: Place baharat sauce into the base of your serving dish. Slice lamb thinly. Fan out on top of the sauce, and finish with bukhara butter and Maldon salt.
Kyron Bierman’s lemon meringue pie
Ingredients
For the lemon curd
3 eggs
180g sugar
A pinch of salt
500ml lemon juice
160g butter
For the base
240g all-purpose flour
175g brown sugar
5g cinnamon
60 white sugar
2½ml baking powder
165g butter
For the meringue
5ml vinegar
7 eggs whites
450g castor sugar
Method
Double-boil all ingredients for the curd except the butter. Cook until thick texture is acquired, when you put a spoon into the curd, it should coat the back of the spoon without running off. When the thickness is right, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
For the base – combine all the ingredients, press onto a tray and bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. When out of the oven either cut into desired shape or blitz to create edible sand.
For the meringue – place the vinegar and egg whites into a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until medium peaks form. Slowly start incorporating the sugar into the mixture a little at a time.
When all sugar is added, continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
To assemble, pour the edible sand into a dish with sides, spoon the lemon curd on top and spread evenly and then top with the meringue. Torch the meringue or place under the grill until light brown spots appear.
Nandile Mtshaha pig’s trotters
Ingredients
1kg pig’s trotters
2 tbsp oil
3 onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp paprika
1 fresh green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp curry powder
3 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
250g tomato paste
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Red wine
Method
Rinse the trotters thoroughly under clean, running water. Heat oil in a large saucepan and fry onions, garlic and spices. Add the trotters and fry for 10 minutes.
Add the water, chicken stock, tomato purée and season. Deglaze the frying pan with wine before adding the water.
Cover and cook for 1 to 2 hours over medium heat on the stove or in the oven preheated to 200°C, until tender and falling off the bone, topping up the water when necessary.
Johannes Richter’s ordinary carrot, miso macadamia, and mint
Serves: 4
Ingredients
The carrot
Buttered carrot juice
1kg carrot
150g butter
10g salt
10g apple cider vinegar
Carrot pickle
2 carrots peeled and thinly sliced on mandolin
A pinch of salt
To taste, sugar and apple cider vinegar
Miso macadamia
150g roasted macadamia
50g sugar
30g miso
Mint oil
200g fresh mint
200g neutral oil (e.g. sunflower or rape seed)
Fresh mint
Method
Buttered carrot juice
Peel and juice carrots.
Bring the carrot juice to a boil and blend with the other ingredients into a hot juice.
Only reheat again before serving.
Carrot pickle
Slice carrots thinly, and season to taste – sweet, sour and salty.
Miso macadamia
Heat a pan to medium heat.
Add the sugar and a tablespoon of water to the pan and caramelise until golden.
Add the miso and macadamia nuts and mix swiftly, set as a brittle on a sheet of baking paper.
Once hardened, chop the brittle into coarse pieces.
Mint oil
Blanch the fresh mint and squeeze out all excess water.
Blend blanched mint with the oil and pass through a fine sieve.
To serve: Layer the carrot onto the bottom of the plate.
Sprinkle with the miso macadamia nut brittle.
Garnish with fresh mint.
Decant the carrot juice into a small jug and serve on the side.