FIVE WOMEN, MANY FLAVOURS

DORAH SITOLE

Food consultant and author of ‘Cooking from Cape to Cairo’ As a nation, we have always been very accommodating of food from other cultures. We tend to embrace it faster than we do our own cuisine. But South Africans are becoming much more willing to try new ingredients and flavours. All the new food markets are testimony to that. I’m thrilled to see the growing numbers of young black people at these markets and at food shows. There is a much more relaxed attitude towards food than there was 20 years ago. People are having more fun in the kitchen, hence the blogging craze. More young people — especially men — are finding cooking an exciting hobby. The internet has made it easy to access any recipe and TV food shows have become a trend. Women are far more respected in the SA hospitality industry today, thanks to chefs like Margot Janse, who keep winning major awards, and the many food writers and stylists. There are more women executive chefs than there were 20 years back. It would be nice to see more representation in the executive committees of bodies like the SA Chefs Association. The chicken yassa I made 20 years ago is a national dish of Senegal, so I would be reluctant to interfere with it. The ingredients are easily accessible in SA. I have also made it with fewer onions, added coconut milk and fresh coriander, and changed the name to tangy chicken. 1 chicken, portioned Salt and pepper 15ml (1 tbsp) mixed masala spice 45ml (3 tbsp) oil 4 onions, sliced 80ml ( cup) lemon juice 1 fresh green chilli, chopped 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock 10ml (2 tsp) dried mixed herbs Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper and masala. Heat oil in a large pan and fry chicken until brown. Remove chicken and fry onions in same pan until golden. Add chilli, stock and herbs and cook for 5 minutes. Return chicken to pan, remove from heat and leave to marinate for 3 hours or overnight. Gently cook chicken in sauce on a low heat for 1 hour or until tender. Serve over savoury phuthu or rice.