The Contemporary African Kitchen: Home Cooking Recipes from the Leading Chefs in Africa is a grand book, not least because it does a divine dive into our own continent and what we eat. Clever editor Alexander Smalls has divided up the book into East, West, North, South and Central Africa, and gathered up a host of cool, interesting and modern recipes from countries in each area.
It’s fascinating to see the culinary threads that run through each region and how traditional meals have been given delicious, accessible updates by the likes of our own Mogau Seshoene (better known as The Lazy Mokoti) and Sinoyolo Sifo (aka The Cooking Husband). This is a great bit of food anthropology, but it would also make a fab gift as the styling and design are ace.
Try out the two summer-perfect recipes in these extracts and see for yourself.
Egypt: Mostafa Seif’s pickled tomato salad
Preparation time: 15 minutes plus 1 hour chilling
Serves 4
- 10 tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 red onion, julienned
- ½ red chilli pepper, sliced into rings
- ¼oz (10g) cilantro leaves (coriander)
- ¼oz (10g) mint leaves
- ¼oz (10g) thyme leaves
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
If you could have tasted tomatoes in Egypt when I was growing up, you would have boasted about how delicious they were. Back then, you couldn’t have convinced me that better tomatoes existed. That was 20 years ago, when my mother would make pickled tomato salad for me. Now, I enjoy the dish as much as I did all those years ago. It is a Mediterranean delight that is refreshing when the weather is warm. We eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – so there is never a wrong time to enjoy it.
Uganda: Zein Abdallah’s beef pilau
Preparation time: 20 minutes; cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves 4-6
For Uncle Richard’s chilli sambal
- 1 large Spanish onion, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic bulb
- ½ bunch cilantro (coriander)
- ½ bunch parsley
- 4oz (120g) piece fresh root ginger
- 9oz (250 g) yellow habanero peppers, deseeded
- 1⁄3 cup (3½ fl oz/100 ml) olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the beef pilau
- 1⁄3 cup (3½ fl oz/100ml) vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 6 cardamom pods
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 3 onions, julienned
- 1lb 14oz (850g) beef fillet, cubed
- 1½ tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
- 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 chicken bouillon (stock) cubes
- 2¼ cups (1lb/450 g) basmati rice, washed and rinsed
- salt, to taste
To serve
- Red chili pepper, chopped, to taste
- Plain yogurt
- Cilantro (coriander), to garnish
Pilau was always one of my favourite homemade meals; the aroma alone leaves me feeling hungry. Growing up, we usually had pilau on Fridays after prayer. As soon as prayers were over, we would go home and feast with family and friends, and this dish was always on the menu. My mom would serve it in many different ways, adding banana or gravy and chapati on the side. It’s a great meal for sharing with others, so get ready for everyone to ask you for the recipe.
Uncle Richard has known me throughout my life. He has a warm heart, a generous soul, and fantastic hospitality skills. His main loves are chillies and cooking, and he was excited to share this recipe with you all.
To make Uncle Richard’s chilli sambal, blend all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor, then put in a pot on medium heat, bring just to a boil, and let simmer for 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the beef pilau, place a medium-large stockpot on medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Put in all the whole spices (black peppercorns, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, cumin seeds) and fry for less than 1 minute until fragrant. Add the onions, then sauté for 6-8 minutes until almost golden brown. Add the beef and stir for about 5 minutes to seal.
Continuing to stir, add the ginger-garlic paste, followed by the potatoes. Add the chicken bouillon (stock) cubes and continue to stir for 5 minutes until the flavours combine. Pour in 3 cups (25 fl oz/ 750ml) of water and let it come to a boil.
Add salt to taste (remember that chicken bouillon cubes are already salty). Then add the basmati rice and stir gently to avoid breaking the rice and potatoes. Cook for 8-10 minutes until almost dry, then cover and steam on low heat for about 15 minutes.
Serve with the chilli sambal, chopped chilli (if using) and yogurt, and garnish with cilantro (coriander).
‘The Contemporary African Kitchen: Home Cooking Recipes from the Leading Chefs of Africa’ by Alexander Smalls is published by Phaidon and is now available at a retail price of R985.
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