butter chicken
I remember vividly when and how I fell in love with Butter Chicken. The month was May, the year 2011 the place a small, ramshackle restaurant in New Delhi, India. I had been in Delhi studying since early March of that year and had months to go before heading back home to Cape Town to finish off my degree. Most of the food I had been exposed to in the city until then had not been to my liking, mainly because I did not at the time have much of a palette for hot and spicy food. One day when my friend and I went out as we often did to get out of the campus, I decided to try out Butter Chicken, which I was assured was the dish with the least heat on the menu. I was immediately hooked. For me it was the creamy texture and how the spices were tempered with yoghurt and tomatoes that made this meal a winner. Fast-forward to 2021, I’ve been enjoying this meal for a decade. The recipe below is my take on this delicious meal and I hope you can use it to switch up your chicken meals once in a while.
Scones, Scones, Scones
This is my recipe for yumminess produced in under an hour. These scones are perfect for a weekend or weekday morning. All you need to do is set your alarm an hour early to make sure that you stay in your family’s good books for an entire week! My scones are light, fluffy and golden. The sugar content ensures that they are sweet enough to enjoy on their own and not too sweet that you can’t add jam and cream. I really like adding ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon for that added bit flavour. You can also add a teaspoon of nutmeg for that additional flavour pop. Go on, give this recipe a try and let me know how popular you become in your home.
Your Mama’s Steamed Bread
What can I say about Steamed Bread? Shall I write an ode? Or should I compose a song in honour of this African treat?
So many of us grew up eating this bread in our homes. Our mothers would make it for Imicimbi (traditional ceremonies) or just on the weekend to enjoy with slow-cooked tripe or hardbody chicken. I love this bread because its light, fluffy and so versatile. As a result, it’s probably the bread I make most in my kitchen. In my home we enjoy it with any and everything, from eating it warm with just butter to having it with a stew of choice. Of course, it helps that it’s really easy to put together and that you can use leftover dough for Amagwinya (vetkoeks). There are three tricks to having fluffy Steamed Bread: kneading the bread just enough, giving it the dough enough time to rise and ensuring that you cook it for long enough. This does take some practice so go ahead…get on with it!
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