An African take on a healthy, modern trend

CHOMOLIA (African kale) in peanut sauce, served with uphuthu.

African kale is like normal kale and is grown in various provinces in South Africa.

Ingredients For the tomato onion relish 2 medium tomatoes 1 medium onion

and

For the peanut sauce 20g ground peanuts 10mℓ peanut oiℓ 5mℓ honey (optionaℓ) Saℓt for seasoning

For uphuthu 2½ cups maize meaℓ (aℓternatives: poℓenta or couscous)

1 cup water, with pinch of saℓt

For the chomolia 250g chomoℓia (African kaℓe) 15mℓ cooking oiℓ 60mℓ tomato purée 2 cℓoves garℓic, crushed 1 medium onion, diced 1 smaℓℓ bunch spring onions,chopped

½ smaℓℓ green pepper, diced

Seasoning Saℓt and bℓack pepper Smaℓℓ knob of butter

Garnish Coriander fℓowers

Method For the tomato and onion relish: Peel, wash, then finely dice the tomatoes and onion.

For the peanut sauce: In a small pan, heat the ground peanuts for 1 minute, then remove from heat and pour into blender.

Add peanut oil, salt and honey (optional). Blend until thick but runny.

For uphuthu: On the stove bring 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan.

Lower the heat then pour 2 cups of maize meal into the centre of the pot. Close lid for 2–3 minutes.

Remove the lid and, using a fork, stir vigorously until the maize is coarse, like couscous.

If it’s a bit wet, add the remaining maize meal.

Close lid and cook on low heat for 15–20 minutes.

The crust may go golden at the bottom. That’s fine. For the chomolia: To slice chomolia, fold each leaf in half, then cut stems and keep them aside. Slice the stems into slivers and use them, too.

Working with batches of several leaves at a time, roll them up like cigars to consolidate them for easy chopping. Chop chomolia. Heat the oil in a mediumsized pot, then add onion and garlic. Stir, then add the green pepper and spring onion. When the pepper and onion are soft, add the chopped chomolia and tomato purée and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour in the peanut sauce and mix well.

Cook for another 5 minutes and remove from heat. To serve Take half or less of the butter, rub inside a ramekin (or tea cup), then spoon in the phuthu while pressing it down as you fill the ramekin to the brim.

Quickly turn the ramekin on to a plate and unmould the phuthu. Using a dessert spoon, shape and place the chomolia on to the uphuthu.

Place the tomato and onion relish around the plate and finally adorn the top with the coriander flowers or rosemary flowers. – Recipe from Nompumelelo Mqwebu’s Through The Eyes of an African Chef