THE ART OF HEALING
After taking a break from the Jozi pace, Khanya Mzongwana is back with her own e-book, Sh*t’s Real, Let’s Heal. Created in lockdown, it takes the mission out of meal planning and celebrates cooking good food as the ultimate act of self-care
Take a leaf out of Khanya Mzongwana's e-book, Sh*ts Real, Let's Heal and cook food that makes you happy. Doritos fried chicken, anyone?
We were even braaiing roosterbrood on a Monday morning with our coffee”
ON THE SURFACE
it may seem that Khanya Mzongwana has broken a Guinness World Record for the fastest cookbook ever written – her new self-published e-book, called Sh*t’s Real, Let’s Heal, was a two-week lockdown project. But most of the bright and comforting recipes in the book have, in fact, been simmering for quite some time.
For years, Khanya has pushed boundaries as a creative recipe developer and stylist with her signature vibrant, healthy-ish dishes, from Xhosa classics to flavour-intense, modern mash-ups, while juggling a career as a chef, event planner and brand ambassador. In late 2019, after several intense years of running pop-up dining events in Pretoria and Johannesburg, Khanya moved back to her mom’s home in Port Elizabeth. She was recovering from a low point in her long battle with chronic depression and needed the safety, stability and love of home.
Then came the global pandemic. Khanya’s cookbook was the outcome of an early lockdown lightbulb moment that came while she was addressing the urgent need to earn income over the uncertain months ahead. Early in the process, it became clear that this was also a blessed period of creative revitalisation. Working with friend and graphic designer Willow Tucker, Khanya put together a collection of 30 dishes that pop: pulling concepts and images from her Instagram feed (@undignifiedza) and packaging them into no-stress recipes, accompanied by her funny and 100% judgment-free prose.
She writes in the foreword: “This book is essentially a roadmap of the dishes that raised me, phases I’ve cooked through, and a memoir of some of the most fantastically delicious things
I’ve eaten.”
While the recipes are lockdownfriendly, happily, the book has no shelf life. Khanya hopes the national necessity to cook our own meals will have flipped a switch for reluctant home cooks, and begun empowering them to cook, which after all, is one of the greatest acts of self-care.
KHANYA’S MAJOR FOOD INFLUENCES
have been her mom, Loyiso Haya, and aunt, Bongi Siwisa, who together she credits with providing balance in the kitchen. “I always felt as though the first food voice I was exposed to was the right one,” says Khanya about her mom, who she describes as a good, solid Xhosa cook. “In terms of flavour, my mom taught me how to cook most things; Bongi taught me more about the diversity of ingredients and what’s out there, particularly when it comes to grains and vegetables.”
She likens her recent lockdown cooking experience to a relationship. “In the beginning you’re putting your best foot forward and cooking all these amazing elaborate dishes; then you get sick of it and start making sandwiches with leftovers and mustard. Basically I overdid it; got over it; and I’ve now struck more of a balance, not necessarily cooking every day or fancy.”
As mentioned, the fare was extravagant in the first several weeks, especially for a household of two. It kicked off with a braaiing frenzy. “I look back on my timeline and recall these awesome meals we had. We were braaiing meat on a Tuesday afternoon … even braaiing roosterbrood on a Monday morning with our coffee!”
The lemony lamb ribs in the book were a collaborative product of that initial frenzy. “My mom has this thing. She knows I won’t let her get a word in edgewise when I’m cooking, so when I retire to my room, she’ll sneak into the kitchen and marinate the meat in secret. That day, I woke up from a nap, went to the fridge and discovered this awesome lamb in there with a smoker of a marinade!”
She admits that although they ate a lot of meat during early lockdown, it’s usually the last thing she thinks about when planning meals. “I like to work from the bottom up,” she explains. “I have a base, which is always grains and vegetables. They are the first things I see when I walk into the shop and the first things I buy. They inform what I’m going to eat.” Khanya advocates letting other ingredients star while the meat plays a supporting role. It’s a healthier, more budget-friendly approach, not to mention more interesting: “A packet of butternut gives you a lot more diversity than a tray of chicken.”
Freezing and big-batch cooking are other ways to eat well through lockdown and beyond. It’s good to start small, she adds, even if it’s just freezing a container of cooked rice: “It’s a little thing, but it really saves you and is a form of meal planning.”
SHE HADN’T DONE MUCH BIG-BATCH COOKING
until she lived with her friend and former restaurant colleague Auriel van Zyl. “Her mom is one of those moms who’s always ready for the apocalypse, with lots of food in the freezer. Auriel picked up this habit from her and I picked it up from Auriel. It’s the best thing.”
Besides the more obvious freezer dishes you can multi-purpose, like a big pot of cooked mince, she suggests you also think about less obvious but equally useful ideas, like cooking a packet or two of bacon and freezing it in smaller portions. “Freezing batches of mixed cooked grains, legumes and beans is another clever way of pre-planning meals and keeping it cute: mix a cup each of wild rice, black beans, peanuts and brown basmati rice, and portion for really versatile and inspired meals,” she suggests. “These are small ways of showing people who don’t normally meal prep that they can actually do it, and it doesn’t have to be difficult.”
Keeping a garden, even a tiny one, is another idea. “It’s the ultimate awesome thing you can do for yourself and a money saver.” In her own small space, she’s germinated seeds for winter crops such as peas, carrots, baby spinach, broad beans and fennel in cut-open twolitre plastic bottles. “It’s like meal prep two months in advance.”
This soup uses an affordable ingredient we can all access”
If there’s anything else Khanya has taken from the lockdown experience, it’s an enhanced notion of sharing, always a part of her family life but ratcheted up these days, with packets of home-cooked meals making their way to cousins and aunts nearby. “There’s nothing nicer than someone calling you and saying, ‘Don’t cook Sunday lunch: we’re going to bring it to you’,” she says.
Now if only Khanya lived in my neighbourhood!
BREAK-UP POTATOES
“The name is pretty self-explanatory.
The comfort offered in this delicious, creamy potato bake will rival actual human contact. My favourite cousin of the onion family, the leek, features beautifully and adds a cut of sweetness to this savoury, sublimely cheesy offering.”
Serves 8
EASY
GREAT VALUE Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 40–50 minutes
large potatoes 8, unpeeled extra virgin olive oil 4T large leeks 4, white parts only, roughly sliced butter 100 g garlic 3 cloves, finely chopped dried thyme 1 large sprig dried sage 1T dry white wine ½ cup cream 1½ litres sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Grana Padano 100 g, grated white Cheddar 100 g, grated a few whole spring onions (optional)
1 Boil the potatoes until cooked through. Slice thickly and arrange in a cast-iron pan or ovenproof dish. 2 Heat a saucepan and add the olive oil. Fry the leeks over a high heat until slightly caramelised, then reduce the heat to low and slowly sauté. Add the butter, garlic, thyme and sage. Fry gently for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and simmer for 1–2 minutes.
3 Increase the heat to medium and stir in the cream, seasoning and cheese.
4 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Simmer the sauce for a further 10 minutes, giving it one last big stir before pouring over the sliced potatoes. Shift the potato slices around to make sure the creamy sauce seeps all the way through the bake. If you fancy, arrange some whole spring onions on top of the bake and rub with a bit of olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately. MEAT-FREE, WHEAT- AND GLUTEN-FREE WINE: Terra Del Capo Pinot Grigio 2019
CARAMELISED CABBAGEAND-FENNEL SOUP
“I’ve never met a vegetable I didn’t like. Not even cabbage. This soup really kicks it up a notch and uses an affordable ingredient we can all access (it’s probably sitting in your
fridge right now with no clear-cut idea of its future). The fennel adds a pretty perfume and the caramelisation accentuates the sweetness found in cabbage. The meatballs turn this easy-to-make soup into a meal.”
Serves 6
EASY
GREAT VALUE Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes
extra virgin olive oil ¾ cup large cabbage ¼, thinly sliced large onion 1, halved and thinly sliced baby fennel 6 bulbs, thinly sliced garlic 2 cloves, sliced celery 1 stick, thinly sliced fennel seeds 1t butter 100 g fresh thyme 1 sprig brown sugar 2T liquid chicken stock 1 litre salt, to taste beef sausages 6, casings removed lemon 1, zested and juiced
Italian parsley 30 g small green pepper 1, finely diced crème fraîche 200 g
1 Heat a large saucepan and add a third of the olive oil. Fry the cabbage, onion, fennel, garlic and celery with the fennel seeds over a high heat. 2 Once the vegetables begin to caramelise and brown a bit, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter, thyme and sugar.
Fry gently, stirring occasionally. Once the veggies have turned translucent and are fragrant, add the chicken stock. 3 Stir gently and season with salt if you’re using unsalted stock. Simmer for a further 20 minutes, then remove from heat. 4 Heat a separate pan and add half the remaining olive oil. Roll the sausage meat into small meatballs and fry over a high heat until crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. 5 Combine the remaining olive oil with the lemon juice and zest and the parsley in a blender. Blend to make a green oil. 6 To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, top with the green pepper, meatballs, crème fraîche and parsley oil. HEALTH-CONSCIOUS
WINE: Woolworths Spier Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2019
DORITOS FRIED CHICKEN
“I love the noisy crunch of this moreish fried chicken. I like preparing it with chicken fillets, but any piece you like is also great. The acidity of buttermilk or amasi ensures the overall succulence of the chicken and packs a lot of flavour.”
Serves 4 to 6
EASY
GREAT VALUE
Preparation: 25 minutes, plus 2 hours’ marinating time
Cooking: 30 minutes
amasi or buttermilk 1 litre garlic 2 cloves, minced chicken stock powder 2T whole free-range chicken
1, cut into pieces flour 200 g
Doritos 120 g, crushed (any nacho chips work well, I just prefer these) dried thyme 1T paprika 1T low-sodium chicken seasoning 1T vegetable oil, for frying
1 Combine the amasi or buttermilk with the garlic and stock powder. Add the chicken pieces. Marinate for a few hours (depending on how much time you have) although overnight is ideal. The
I’ve never met a vegetable I don’t like. Not even cabbage”
slight acidity and enzymes in the amasi or buttermilk breaks down protein in the meat, resulting in super tender and succulent chicken. 2 In a separate dish, combine the flour, Doritos, thyme, paprika and chicken seasoning. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Thoroughly coat each piece of chicken in the Doritos coating and place on a board. 3 Heat the oil to 160°C or to a medium-high heat. To check the heat of the oil, drop a small piece of Dorito in the oil. If it bubbles and floats immediately, the oil is ready for frying. 4 Gently shake off the excess coating and place the chicken pieces in the oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Serve with your favourite condiments or alongside creamy mashed potatoes.
WINE: Spier Creative Block 2 2018
LAMB RIBS WITH LEMON RUB
“Lamb ribs are my and my mom’s favourite food. We legit will duel over the last one, and we always regret not making enough.
This is also a very fatty part of the lamb with a lot less meat, so it’s inexpensive, which is a bonus. These are best cooked on the braai.”
Serves 6
EASY
GREAT VALUE
Preparation: 15 minutes, plus 2 hours’ marinating time Cooking: 35–40 minutes
For the marinade: lemons 4, zested and juiced garlic 4 cloves, minced dried rosemary 1T dried sage 1T cracked black pepper 1T salt flakes 1T paprika 1T brown sugar 1t extra virgin olive oil 1⁄3 cup
lamb ribs 2 kg
1 Blend all the marinade ingredients and slather onto the lamb ribs. Chill for two hours. 2 Prepare a fire or preheat the oven to 220°C. Braai or roast the lamb ribs for 30–35 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the fat is rendered. You might need a bit more time if you're cooking on hot coals. If you’re cooking these in the oven, I would advise saving the flavoursome fat to make some delicious roast potatoes. CARB-CONSCIOUS, DAIRY-FREE, WHEAT- AND GLUTEN-FREE
WINE: Woolworths Thelema Cool Climate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
HONG KONG CHICKEN
“If you grew up in Port Elizabeth, chances are you’re familiar with this dish. Every family I’ve encountered has their own special way of preparing it. Common ingredients are tons of cola and sugar and thick soya sauce for its trademark dark hue. I’ve made a less hectic version, which is absolutely fire and doesn’t sacrifice a bit of flavour.”
Serves 4 to 6
EASY
GREAT VALUE Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 35 minutes
vegetable oil 3T free-range chicken drumsticks and thighs 1.5 kg (or 16 chicken wings) soya sauce 2 cups sugar 150 g honey ¾ cup garlic 4 cloves, minced ginger 1 thumb-sized piece, grated cornflour 1t sesame seeds, for serving
1 Heat a large pan and add the oil. Quickly fry the chicken pieces over a high heat for about 4 minutes on both sides. 2 Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken pieces and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and sauce is sticky, about 30 minutes for drumsticks and thighs and 25 minutes for wings. 3 Serve with rice and greens or a salad. Scatter over the toasted sesame seeds.
DAIRY-FREE
WINE: Saronsberg Shiraz 2018