We Are Cooking Virtually. What A Reality
Michelle Phetlhe | Tuesday September 21, 2021 06:00
A few months ago we had a chat about cooking together when I extended an invitation to her after she noticed my Indian dish in the Foodies/BU competition. This is where I discovered that she is indeed quite a foodie when I asked what kind of food she liked and her response was “All sorts of food, literally everything, as long as there’s meat though, lol, I just haven’t explored vegan dishes”. What stood out for me in her response was having not explored vegan dishes.
This intrigued me as I am not a vegan either but have mildly toyed around with vegan dishes. Meat has dominated our dishes as Batswana go tswa goo lowe, and once in a while at Chellzkitchen, we like to make meat free dishes to cater for our followers who practice Meat Free Mondays or are Vegetarians/Vegans. We have a strong belief in being diverse in the kitchen, from the tools we use, the hacks we discover and the meals we prepare. It comes in very handy, knowing how to cater to different individual's food preferences.
In exploring veggie based dishes, we have found that they are very easy on the pocket and relatively less labour intensive. The meals pack a flavourful punch and are usually ready in half the time, which makes up for their ‘elephant in the room characteristic’ of; Ga go na nama! To kick off our class, we made Chateau Del Rei cocktails poured into beautifully sugar rimmed glasses with a sprig of rosemary, which is said to reduce stress. Our main was cauliflower meatballs served with a, egg fried cauli rice. One might say that this is way too much cauliflower for one serving.
But we beg to differ, the cauliflower is so transformed, the texture, the flavours....you wouldn’t know you were eating cauliflower unless someone told you so. Can we really still call them meatballs Gaona asked? We decided that cauliballs was more appropriate given the fact that there was no meat involved (batho ba kampa ba go bolaa fela fa go tla mo nameng, lol). This reminds me of the heated arguments which arose over cauliflower wings which look exactly like hotwings, as well as the cauliflower steak. I have seen people get riled up online, adamant that a spade should be called a spade and vegetables have no business being affiliated with meat.
Chellzkitchen felt this dish was a nice fit because the cauliballs can be had with something other than the rice and vice versa, the egg fried rice can be had with something different from the cauliballs. Cauliflower has a lot of benefits such as the promotion of strong bones, healthy circulation, memory, and digestion. People who eat more vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body. Bagale ba rona ba ne baa ja merogo ele seshabo, mme ba tshela lebaka ba sena makoanyana. Before our session I asked online what people would want me to ask their favourite celebrity guest should they pay Chellzkitchen a visit. These were some of the questions which made for interesting conversation while we cooked up a storm; If you weren’t doing what you are currently doing, what would you choose to be doing? What is your favourite memory with food?
Cooking with others really opens up the channels of communication, the kitchen is a creative, safe space, it is very easy to open up and be vulnerable in the kitchen.
Time and again this has been proven during our past classes where strangers came together and bonded over food. To top off our very veggie based meal, we made a coffee microwave cake with a few basic ingredients and some Bokomo cake flour, Pure Sugar, Aero chocolate and coffee. Instant yumminess ready in just one minute. This cake in a cup can be served with some tea or coffee, Dairymaid ice cream or Ultra Mel custard depending on your mood. Please visit our facebook page Chellzkitchen and share some of your kitchen experiences. Also join our current Foods Botswana competition, cooking with Sarona Samp, Botlhe Sugar beans and Sechaba Cow Beans and Black eye beans to win some amazing prices.
Cauliflower Meatballs
1/2 Head cauliflower rice – homemade or store-bought
1/2 Cup breadcrumbs
5 Tbsp Bokomo cake flour – you can use all-purpose flour or any other flour to bind the meatballs.
1 Tsp garlic + 1/2 tsp hinds ginger powder – you can use fresh garlic and ginger, too salt + pepper
1 Tsp hinds parsley Pinch of chili flake
Making the cauliflower meatballs:
You start by adding all the meatballs ingredients to a large bowl and then mix everything.
Once evenly mixed, scoop 1.5tbsp of batter and roll in your palm to form a circular shape/meatball shape. Fry or bake
Make all the meatballs and keep in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up (this helps hold the shape of the meatballs while cooking).
Frying cauliflower meatballs method: you simply add oil to a frying pan/wok and fry the meatballs on low heat till they are golden brown.