CELEBRATE IN STYLE THIS CHRISTMAS WITH UNIQUE AND MOUTH-WATERING RECIPES FROM KIM & PASHI AND DELISH SISTERS, WRITES KATRINE ANKER-NILSSEN
Kim & Pashi
Kamisha (Kim) Naidoo and Pashi Reddy – who made it to the final in My Kitchen Rules South Africa, season 2 – share a love for the great outdoors, food and family. Striving to innovate the food scene, they have turned their passion into a business. “We want to share our modern interpretation of South African Indian cuisine with the world,” says Pashi – adding that they set out on a journey five years ago to showcase their unique cuisine. “We are introducing dishes and combinations that are sometimes seen as crazy, but there’s always a method to our madness. We tell a story with food – using different cultures, techniques and preparation styles. We also add a sense of wanderlust and nostalgia to the experience.”
The couple has created their own range of spices, Lady Tiffin, and partnered with One Fifty Capital to launch The Food Box in Durban.
Kim & Pashi on Christmas Food
“Our love of diversity and different cultures is reflected in our Christmas spread. You will find the traditional turkey next to a Chinese-style roast Peking duck with hoisin sauce, pancakes and a Durban-style outside fire curry.”
MOROCCAN ROASTED AUBERGINE – With Dukkah Spice, Green Chutney And Harissa Sauce
• 1 aubergine, cut in half • 2 tbsp Danish feta • 20ml lemon juice • salt • sugar • 3 cloves garlic • black pepper • 1⁄2 cup rice • 1⁄2 cup green chillies • honey
Slice aubergines in half, creating slits with a paring knife. Pour olive oil over aubergine, making sure it soaks up the oil. Rub with garlic and place into pre-heated oven at 180°C for 25 mins. Remove from oven and core out the soft centre, set aside for rice for stuffing. Move on to elements for stuffing (Dukkah and Green Chutney).
Dukkah Spice
• 1 tbsp green peppercorns • 1 tbsp sweet paprika powder • 2 tbsp sesame seeds, black • 1 tsp sea salt (coarse) • 1 tsp black cumin • 2 tbsp sunflower seeds • 1⁄2 cup hazelnuts • 2 tbsp almonds • 1 tsp fennel seeds • 3 tbsp coriander seeds • 3 tbsp sesame seeds, white • 1 tbsp cumin
Gently roast the hazelnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds in a pan for three minutes. Pop them into a blender. Slowly roast the fennel seeds, normal cumin, coriander and white sesame seeds. Put the second batch into the blender as well, and press the pulse button a couple of times. Finally, add the green pepper, sea salt, black sesame seeds, black cumin and paprika powder – and give it a last quick blend. Move on to Green Chutney.
Green Chutney
• 6 green chillies (reduce if low chilli tolerance) • 30g coriander • 10g mint • 2 tsp sugar • 20ml lemon juice • salt to taste • black pepper
In a blender, add in a dash of olive oil, chillies, coriander, mint, lemon juice and crushed black pepper. Add sugar and salt to taste. Blend all the ingredients together until it forms a paste-like consistency. Move on to rice.
Rice
Cook 1⁄2 cup rice. Combine green chutney, feta, lemon juice, dukkah spice and mix thoroughly to create a fragrant rice stuffing. Stuff into aubergines. Roast in oven for a further 10 mins. Move on to the Harissa sauce.
Harissa Sauce
• 1 tsp coriander seeds • 1 tsp cumin seeds • 2 red bell peppers • 4 red chillies • 2 bird’s eye chillies • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil • 1 tsp salt • 5 cloves garlic • 2 tsp lemon juice
Dry roast coriander and cumin seeds until browned and fragrant, and keep aside. Roast the red peppers over direct flame until charred from all sides. Cool and remove the charred skin. Discard the seeds and chop into small pieces. Wash and cut the chillies into small pieces. Discard the seeds. Add all the ingredients in a blender. Blend to make a smooth paste.
* Once you have completed, spoon sauce over the aubergines with some honey and Greek yoghurt.
TURMERIC PANA COTTA with A Ginger Biscuit Soil Pana Cotta
• 500ml milk • 500ml cream • 2 1⁄2 tsp powdered gelatin 1/3 cup sugar • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 3 tsp turmeric
Add half and half milk and cream to a saucepan, add in the gelatin. Stir in for five minutes over a low heat. Whisk occasionally until the gelatin dissolves completely. Add the sugar, allow it to dissolve – don’t allow to simmer. Keep on low- medium heat. Remove from the heat, whisk in the turmeric, vanilla and pinch of salt. Pour into moulds, leave in fridge for 2-3 hours.
Ginger Biscuit Soil
• 120g unsalted butter • 120g plain flour • 15g sugar • 1⁄2 tsp salt • 11⁄2 tsp ground ginger
Place ginger, flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl, stir quickly. Melt the butter in the microwave, then stir this into the dry ingredients. Add a tablespoon or two of water to make a clumped crumbly mixture, and place in an ovenproof tray. Bake in a 180°C oven for 15-20 minutes until golden.
Thyme BISCUITS
• 2 cups flour • 1 cup unsalted butter (room temp) • 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract • 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar • pinch of salt • 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme
Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix the butter and sugar. Beat until creamy and a pale, whitish colour. Add in thyme, vanilla extract and salt. Mix to combine. Add flour, one cup at a time, until the mixture comes together. Create a ball of dough and flatten it slightly before wrapping it in plastic wrap. Allow to rest in fridge for 30 minutes. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookie shapes. Place biscuits on a greased tray, bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Allow biscuits to cool.
Delish Sisters
“We are actually sisters, we get asked that question a lot,” laughs Kate. “Our mom is amazing in the kitchen, so growing up we naturally spent a lot of time experimenting, cooking and baking.” After boarding school in the Midlands and further studies in the Cape, followed by nine to five jobs back in Durban, Kate and Rebecca Lund were inspired to start a stall at a couple of food markets. “From there we got catering requests, and took the plunge into doing Delish Sisters full-time – which snowballed into having our very own cafe at The Litchi Orchard,” says Kate. After five years they changed the business to catering only – allowing them to get into other avenues such as food styling, writing a cookbook and doing restaurant consulting. “Our food is fresh, wholesome and full of bold flavours,” says Rebecca.
Delish Sisters on Christmas Food
“Gammon and sweet mustard sauce is always a delicious staple on our Christmas table, we all love cooking so we enjoy getting creative with the sides and desserts each year.”
FRESH DORADO PARCELS And Salsa Verde Dorado Parcels
• 1,5kg cleaned dorado, cut into 250g portions • 50g butter • salt and black pepper • 30g fresh flat-leaf parsley • 30g fresh dill • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Salsa Verde
• 3 large cloves garlic • 45ml (3 tbsp) capers in brine • 8 small gherkins • 500ml (2 cups) roughly chopped fresh basil • 500ml (2 cups) roughly chopped fresh parsley • 250ml (1 cup) roughly chopped fresh coriander • 125ml (1⁄2 cup) roughly chopped fresh mint • 22,5ml (11⁄2 tbsp) Dijon mustard • 45ml (3 tbsp) lemon juice • 125ml (1/2 cup) extra- virgin olive oil • 15ml (1 tbsp) honey or jaggery • salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C or make sure the braai is going and will be ready to cook on in time. Put all of the salsa verde ingredients into a blender and pulse. Season to taste and voila! Set aside until needed. Lay the fish (one portion in each parcel) on to pieces of tin foil large enough to fold over into a parcel around the fish. Top the fish portions with blobs of butter, salt, pepper, fresh parsley, fresh dill and thinly sliced lemon. Close the foil parcels. Place on the braai or into the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the portions. Serve straight away with lots of salsa verde, roast potatoes and a crisp blush wine.
GREEN GODDESS
Fennel Salad
• 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced (keep the tips/fronds to garnish) • 1 small red cabbage, thinly sliced • 200g baby spinach • 1 red onion, thinly sliced • 2 avocados, sliced
Green Goddess Dressing
• 125ml (1⁄2 cup) roughly chopped fresh chives • 125ml (1⁄2 cup) roughly chopped fresh parsley • 125ml (1⁄2 cup) baby spinach • 30ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice • 30ml (2 tbsp) white wine vinegar • 60ml (1⁄4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil • 200ml (3⁄4 cup) Greek yoghurt • 60ml (1⁄4 cup) light mayonnaise • 10ml (2 tsp) honey • 15ml (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard • salt and black pepper
Toss all the salad ingredients, except the avocado, into a bowl and dress with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Set aside. Put all of dressing ingredients into a blender and blitz until it’s a gorgeous green colour. Plate the salad, top with avocado, drizzle with the green goddess dressing and garnish with fennel fronds. Make this salad even more indulgent with a crumble of Danish feta, crispy fried halloumi or even blobs of cottage cheese. Yum!
VEGETABLE RICE Paper Wraps
• 30ml (2 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil • 12 rice paper wraps • 4 carrots, grated • 4 baby marrows, grated • 75ml (5 tbsp) toasted sesame seeds, plus extra to garnish • 30g fresh coriander leaves, plus extra to garnish • 125ml (1⁄2 cup) pickled ginger • 2 avocados, sliced *Optional extras: feta, cooked prawns, chicken or whatever you’d like
Asian Dipping Sauce
• 250ml (1 cup) sweet-chilli sauce • 30ml (2 tbsp) sesame oil • 60ml (1⁄4 cup) tamari or soy sauce • 15ml (1 tbsp) grated fresh ginger
Rub your work surface with olive oil to prevent the wraps from sticking. To make the dipping sauce, simply mix together all the ingredients and then set aside. Fill a flat round dish, big enough to fit your wraps, with room-temperature water. Soak the wraps, one at a time, in water for about 30 seconds each until they soften. Don’t worry if it doesn’t feel soft enough to roll straight away; once taken out of the water they will continue to soften. Place a softened wrap on the oiled work surface and start adding a little of each of your filling ingredients. Keep the fillings to the bottom third of the wrap, and a few centimetres away from the edges. Start rolling from the bottom, folding the wrap tightly over the filling, and then bringing in the left and right sides to close in the filling. Continue to roll up, keeping it as tight as possible to ensure the wrap doesn’t unravel and the filling falls out. Repeat for the rest of the wraps, garnish with extra toasted sesame seeds and fresh coriander and enjoy dipped into the delish Asian dipping sauce.
BERRY, ELDERFLOWER And Prosecco Fizz
• 250ml (1 cup) fresh berries (we used strawberries and blueberries) • 1 bottle (750ml) Prosecco or your favourite bubbles • 200ml (3⁄4 cup) elderflower nectar or cordial • ice-cubes • 1 handful edible flowers to garnish
Tip the berries into a medium-sized mixing bowl and, if you like, smash them with a pestle or potato masher. Set aside. Pour 250ml (1 cup) of the Prosecco or bubbles into another bowl or cup and add the elderflower nectar or cordial. Stir until combined and then set aside. Fill a glass jug with ice and pour over the smashed berries, followed by the remaining Prosecco or bubbles, then the syrup mixture and lastly a handful of edible flowers. Stir to get all of the goodness mixed together. Bubbly delight!