Dorah Sitole
Dorah Sitole, South Africa’s first black food writer and a celebrated food personality, shares her journey in her new cookbook, 40 Years of Iconic Food. More than a recipe compilation, it’s a unique and inspiring story reflected through the food she loves to cook and share – and at 67 she’s not giving up any time soon MY ROOTS, MY HERITAGE
I was born on 24 September 1953 in Soweto. And perhaps this date foretold that I would go on to build a career committed to celebrating and sharing African cuisine. But the first few years of my life gave no indication of what was to come. In fact, food was limited and for function, rather than pleasure. I grew up eating spinach cooked on its own with a little butter or margarine and seasoning, or spinach mashed together with potatoes. This potato and spinach curry is a twist on this old favourite.
POTATO AND SPINACH CURRY SERVES 6
65ml (¼ cup) peanut oil
10ml (2 tsp) cumin seeds
10ml (2 tsp) mustard seeds
10ml (2 tsp) seeded and crushed red chillies 12 fresh curry leaves
5ml (1 tsp) ground turmeric
10ml (2 tsp) masala
500g baby potatoes, halved
Salt to taste
125ml (½ cup) water
1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped
3ml (½ tsp) chilli powder
3ml (½ tsp) ground cumin
Heat half the peanut oil in a frying pan. Fry the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and chillies until the seeds begin to splutter, 2-3 minutes. Add the curry leaves, turmeric and masala, and fry for another 30 seconds. Stir the potatoes into the mixture to coat; cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Sprinkle the water over the potatoes and cover the pan with a lid. Cook until the potatoes are cooked but still firm, about 10 minutes. Heat the remaining peanut oil in a separate frying pan. Cook the spinach in the hot oil until wilted and sprinkle with salt. Continue cooking until all the excess moisture evaporates, 2-3 minutes. Stir into the potato mixture. Season with chilli powder and cumin and stir. Cook until the spices are well combined, 5-10 minutes. Serve hot.
THE SOUNDS, TASTES, SMELLS AND FLAVOURS OF SOWETO
My late Aunt Joana worked for the local Eskort pork factory; she would bring home all sorts of processed meats and our favourite was the smoked pork ribs, which were to die for, grilled in the oven and served with pap and atchar! Every day we would walk to my gran’s shop to collect milk, two loaves of bread and a 2-litre mason jar of atchar. I’m still amused at how we managed to finish that amount of atchar in a day; granted, there were quite a few of us and boy cousins too, but still!
STICKY PORK RIBS SERVES 4
2kg pork ribs, cut into large pieces
Marinade:
125ml (½ cup) tomato sauce
10ml (2 tsp) chilli flakes
10ml (2 tsp) crushed garlic
10ml (2 tsp) Worcestershire sauce
15ml (1 tbsp) golden brown sugar
30ml (2 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
30ml (2 tbsp) wholegrain mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place the ribs in a large dish. Mix together the marinade ingredients and pour over the ribs. Allow to stand for at least 60 minutes or overnight in the fridge. Roast the ribs in a hot oven or braai them on an open fire until cooked through. Serve with potato wedges, roast potatoes or hand-cut chips or pap and mango atchar.
BECOMING A CULINARY GODDESS
Growing up in apartheid South Africa, most people I knew had jobs such as teachers, nurses, policemen, clerks or domestic workers. Many of these jobs did not accurately reflect the person’s interests or abilities, but were rather a practical choice, just to be employed. I, on the other hand, was having the surreal experience of following my passion. The more I learnt about food, the more I wanted to learn.
AUNT MAMISI’S COLESLAW
When I married into the Sitole family, Archie’s mom was late already. His mother’s younger sister, Mamisi, assumed the role of mom-in-law. As a young makoti wanting to please, I found myself cooking at every family event; I actually enjoyed it because it endeared me to all the aunts-in-law! I became quite close to Aunt Mamisi, an exceptional cook, and I used to cook with her. I particularly loved her coleslaw that we would make in bulk. I was fascinated that she added lettuce and cheese to it! I now add red cabbage for a modern twist.
SERVES 6
250ml (1 cup) finely shredded white cabbage 250ml (1 cup) finely shredded red cabbage 250ml (1 cup) finely shredded lettuce
500ml (2 cups) grated carrots
125ml (½ cup) finely chopped spring onion 125ml (½ cup) walnuts, roughly chopped 65ml (¼ cup) grated cheddar cheese
500ml (2 cups) mayonnaise
Salt and lemon pepper spice to taste
In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together and toss gently using two spoons. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with extra chopped walnuts and micro herbs.
COOKING FROM CAPE TO CAIRO
I travelled to 19 countries across our incredible continent, and to all the provinces within South Africa, in order to capture the essence of our indigenous food. The result was Cooking from Cape to Cairo, published by Tafelberg Publishers in 1999.
SEAFOOD SAMP
Samp is a staple of the Xhosa people but it has become popular throughout the country. I “borrowed” this recipe from a Zulu chef at Phinda Forest Lodge on the KwaZuluNatal upper North Coast, Chef Sipho Mataba. As I make the dish quite often for different occasions, the recipe has undergone a few transformations but the essence still remains.
SERVES 4-6
100g (2 cups) samp
1 litre (4 cups) water
50g butter
1 onion, chopped
150g button mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
45ml (3 tbsp) oil
12 medium prawns, cleaned and peeled 150g calamari rings
250g hake steaks
250ml (1 cup) white wine
5ml (1 tsp) salt
5ml (1 tsp) ground cumin
5ml (1 tsp) ground coriander
10ml (2 tsp) lemon and pepper spice 12 mussels
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
12 cherry tomatoes
Fresh coriander leaves
Cook the samp in salted water until soft, about 2 hours.
Rinse and set aside. Melt the butter and sauté the onion, mushrooms and green pepper until soft. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the prawns for 2 minutes, then add the calamari rings and fry for another 2 minutes. Cut the fish steaks into large chunks, and add to the prawn and calamari mixture. Fry until lightly browned.
Add half the wine (½ cup) and heat through. Season with salt, cumin, coriander and lemon and pepper spice. Cook the mussels in the stock and a little wine, if desired, until they open. Drain and set aside. Add the onion-mushroom mixture to the fish, add the remaining wine, samp and cherry tomatoes, and toss lightly to mix. Cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Transfer into a serving dish and top with the mussels. Garnish with fresh coriander.
FROM MY NOTEBOOK
The recipes in this chapter remind me of the days when I enthusiastically experimented with the cut-and-paste recipes in my notebook, and also the years when I pushed boundaries and successfully cooked meals that were out of my comfort zone.
MIELIE BREAD MAKES 1 LOAF
Ingredients
125g butter or margarine
75g ( 1/3 cup) sugar
3 extra-large eggs
240g (2 cups) self-raising flour
3ml (½ teaspoon) salt
80g ( 1/3 cup) super maize meal
1 x 410g can whole kernel corn, drained 15ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh herbs, optional 125ml (½ cup) milk
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 23cm loaf tin or a 20cm round cake tin. Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until light and fluffy. Sift the self-raising flour and salt, and add to the creamed mixture. Add the maize meal, corn, herbs and milk, and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the loaf or cake tin and bake in the oven for 55 minutes. Alternatively use empty food cans (like in the picture). You will need 4 x 410g cans; wash and rinse them, grease well before spooning the batter into the cans. Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.