Our hosts, the Haangala-Wood family, have a passion for family, love and all things food through their creative cuisine expression platform; Wood Kitchen. This made meeting up in the couple’s kitchen light, relatable and fun, as we then proceeded to create magic in their home studio, with a production I cannot wait for you all to see. I shared some "Traditional" BW dishes, or rather recreated them with a ChellzKitchen twist for their experience and appreciation. I did kind of allude to testing out recipes last week. It was all in preparation for the Zambia crossover. SUPRISE!!!
My final menu in Lusaka was made up of Molten Phaphatha stuffed with Cheese and served with Rhodes Braai Relish, as well as Hinds Curry Grilled Cabbage Steak on a bed of Rhodes Beetroot with a Couscous Salad and Bacon Bits.
The last dish (final boss) was cornflakes coated Chilli Honey glazed Deep Fried Chicken Necks and Strips with Blue Cheese Sauce. These dishes were all carefully selected to represent my culinary journey and Dijo tsa Setswana, sharing nuggets on how the food is usually prepared and what common settings you would likely find them being served at. We definitely flew the flag high in Zambia as we imparted some cultural knowledge about food and events (Mediro ya Setswana). I was honoured to be placed on a panel at a Creators Forum (The inaugural Culinary Creators Club). We got to engage with some of Zambias top and inspiring content creators in the food space. My invitation was to speak on Brand Activations & Real-Life Engagement. “You have a unique ability to bring food brands to life in real-world settings. How do you build trust with brands and create activations that
feel natural and engaging rather than overly commercial?” This was the opening question posed to myself and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my experiences and learning from the other panellists and audience of creatives.
We learned a lot about the symbiotic relationship of food and culture in Zambia. Food is an international and universal language and we have always appreciated this. The trip was therefore an enriching experience. Off the bat, what we noticed was that there is a huge cultural diversity in the food scene, especially in Lusaka where most of our dining took place. Zambian culture has predominantly permeated all other cultures in most eateries when it comes to serving portions. Baa di tshola dijo ga ba tshameke kwa. It is safer to share meals or if possible get a half portion. Speaking to one of the chefs at the Sarovar hotel where we resided for most of our stay, he is the one that explained that the large portions are just a part of Zambian culture in general.
They are a generous people who feed generously. We were fortunate to have had a little of all the types of food enjoyed in Lusaka. After the production at the Wood Kitchen, they invited us to share lunch with them in their warm home. The food was simply divine! Delicious dishes that all came with a rich lesson. One nugget I personally was enthralled, was when Clara, known in the foodies space as @Black Garlic, shared how there are so many different types of morogo to be enjoyed because they try to always use the leaves from vegetables. One other food on the table that really caught my attention was the plant based Zambian polony. It is called ‘Chikanda’, and their eight-year-old son who arrived from school just before lunch, joined the conversation at the table and schooled us on what it is and how it can be prepared. On the table we also had stewed bream fish, the Zambian version of phaleche called ‘Nshima’, some boroso, beans and okra. What a spread it was! Cabbage, johane 14, who else has ever wondered about this name. I have but have never really sought out an answer. I did some digging and this explanation seems plausible. Bible verse John 14:1 or Johanne 14 (“Let not your hearts be troubled ”) is another name for cabbage, which is a staple food. “A head of cabbage can be cooked in so many different ways; it is inexpensive and goes with anything. Hence it was dubbed “Johanne 14”: if you have cabbage, you should not let your heart be troubled..lol. It is impressive and easy dish for Meat Free Mondays or any night of the week. Please check our pages out on the socials to stay up to speed with whats cooking in Chellzkitchen.
Cabbage steak
1 head cabbage cut into 2cm rounds
¼ cup oil for brushing
salt to taste
Mild Hinds curry
Hinds black pepper to taste
Knob of butter
Season with Hinds curry (I prefer mild for this dish; the one in the yellow box, but it is really one's prefrance) and some black pepper to your liking. Fry on a hot pan or griddle for texture for seven to 12min on each side. Add water and steam. Once all water evaporates and cabbage is soft add a knob of butter to the pan and keep basting cabbage with the hot butter.
Couscous salad
Diced red onion
Diced robot peppers
Crumbed feta
6 slices bacon, cooked to a desired texture
Pinch of Hinds mixed herb
Vegetable stock
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of cayenne
Salt
Parsley, for garnish
Put the couscous into a lunchbox or available skaftin. Season with all spices then add and cover by 1cm with vegetable stock. Place lid on container and set aside.
Fry bacon till crisp, then chop into desired size pieces. Once done with bacon, open the couscous and fluff with a fork.
Add diced vegetables and mix well. Add crumbled feta and mix well. Garnish with parsley and sprinkle with bacon bits before serving.
Bed
Bottle of Rhodes Beetroot
Garlic liquid
Splash lemon
2 tablespoons oil
salt to taste
¼ teaspoon Hinds cayenne
¼ Teaspoon Hinds pure black pepper
Blend all
