Siba: tasty delights from the Mother City
SIBA Mtongana’s sparkling personality beautifully complements her Food Network cooking show, which is full of with family, fun and, of course, feasting.
A few months ago, we saw her on Siba’s Table Fast Feasts, where she gave viewers a few quick cheat recipes that helped make them look like they have been slaving away in the kitchen.
In Siba’s Table 2, Mtongana also breaks free from the shackles of the kitchen and explores the food markets and hotspots. She says: “Yes, it is similar to the format of season one where I’m cooking in the kitchen. But this time, I showcase the busy streets of Cape Town – highlighting where the food hub is. Long Street used to be the place to dine at. But Bree Street has taken over now with wonderful restaurants and a fantastic buzz.”
On the pre-production strategy, she adds: “I usually come up with themes. We take these from segments of my life; looking at what I was up to in the past six months. What was happening, who I hosted and we try and recreate that.
“I have a baby boy now. He is a year old. When we were filming Siba’s Table Fast Feasts, he was 3 or 4 months and I had my in-laws coming around to see him. Because we all live so far apart, whenever we are together, there is feasting and celebration involved.”
So that aspect is incorporated into the show. She adds: “There is another one: a bring and braai, or share, where each person is tasked with making something South African. And I love giving it a spin, especially with the shisa nyamas. And we would have a special theme with maybe Asian or Italian side dishes.” For those who have been following her series, they know that everything she does is “with a twist”.
She laughs: “People overseas don’t know what food we eat. They may know what a milktart or boerewors is. But they aren’t aware of the cultural influences from the huge Indian and Cape Malay communities.”
This season she has an interesting spread laid out: from stuffed roast pork with apple gravy, tropical Pavlova, seared tuna and crushed wheat salad, seawater steamed prawns and panseared hake with smoked cinnamon buerre noisette to pap cakes and fried icecream.
Mtongana admits: “I love big meat that is easy to cook and dramatic on the table. This time I showed viewers how to make a fool-proof crackling pork recipe.”
Interestingly, one of her dessert ideas came from her first born, who has been displaying a keen interest in mum’s culinary adventures.
She reveals: “In December, we had friends over. We always buy buckets of ice-cream. And my son mixed it up with popcorn and went: ‘Taste Mummy, taste’. And it was really wonderful. That’s how I came up with the idea of caramel popcorn ice-cream cake.”
By the way, her book is near completion and will hit the shelves by Christmas.
Siba’s Table 2, Food Network (DStv channel 175) on Friday, October 16 at 8pm.