Angela Day
The technology of cooking by heat retention has been around for eons, but it never looked quite as attractive.
In the past, food has been buried in the ground, put into hay boxes or wrapped in blankets to retain heat.
The invention of the Wonderbag has made life much easier for many women cooking in rural areas with no access to electricity. But this device can prove very useful even today in our city homes where we can’t always count on a regular supply of electricity.
Basically it’s a round fabric cushion-like container filled with chipped foam with a drawstring opening which gets plugged with a little cushion.
Once hot food, which has been cooking on gas, electricity or fire for a brief period, is placed into the bag and sealed, the heat is retained and cooking continues, albeit at a slower pace, for up to 12 hours.
The bag can also be used to keep items cold, and used as a cooler bag.
It’s ideal to take on camping trips, keeping your plates warm for a dinner party, or taking warm food to bring-and-share occasions and picnics. It also has the added advantage of doubling up as a cushion or seat once the food has been consumed.
Sarah Collins is credited with creating this energy saving device. She has worked tirelessly to improve the lot of and empower rural women.
After making a prototype of the bag, she set about getting unemployed women to produce them, and they are now sold all over the world.
A portion of proceeds from each bag goes to the Wonderbag Foundation which distributes bags to rural and impoverished communities in Africa that are in desperate need of these bags.
Wonderbag has many brand ambassadors like chef Jackie Cameron, food and travel blogger Ishay Govender-Ypma, and dietitians Kelly Lynch and Kerryn Gibson, who help test and develop recipes for the website.
I chose a few recipes from the site which I tested and adapted for this article.
* For more information and where to buy a Wonderbag, see www.wonderbag.co.za.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR USING THE WONDERBAG
* Food must be boiled on another heat source like gas, fire or electricity before placing in the Wonderbag.
* Use the right size pot for the amount of food you wish to cook. Use a pot with short handles.
* Use only copper, steel, aluminium, enamelled cast iron or cast iron pots.
* If you use cast iron, clay or ceramic, you must put a trivet under the pot (inside the bag) to avoid damaging the fabric.
* Use a tight-fitting lid to allow ingredients to be heated through.
* Don’t place lukewarm food in the Wonderbag.
* Times will vary for length of boil, based on recipe, type of food and altitude.
* Place the boiling pot immediately from the stove into the Wonderbag.
* Heat is retained more effectively when the pot is full and sealed with a tight-fitting lid
* Place a trivet in the base of the Wonderbag, and put the pot itself on the trivet, inside the bag.
* There is no evaporation when cooking, so use less liquid than usual.
* Liquid doesn’t thicken in the Wonderbag.
* In order to thicken your dish, dissolve a bit of flour or cornstarch in a little cold water and then stir into the pot.
* If you are using wine in your recipe, cook off the alcohol (takes about 5 minutes) before placing in the Wonderbag.
* You need to brown meat or caramelise onions before being used in dishes cooked in a Wonderbag,
* To avoid losing any heat, open your Wonderbag only when you’re ready to serve.
TROUT AND QUINOA
Serves 4
250ml red quinoa
1 baby cabbage, shredded
2 red peppers, seeded and cut in strips
400g tin of coconut milk
250ml water
5ml red curry paste
30ml lime juice
30ml honey
30ml fish sauce
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely diced
15ml soy sauce
4 trout fillets
125ml chopped coriander
Place all the ingredients, except the trout and coriander, in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid and place the trout fillets on top of the quinoa. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes.
Place the lidded pot in the Wonderbag for 40 minutes to finish cooking.
Stir in coriander and serve.
VEGETABLE STEW WITH CHEESE AND HERB DUMPLINGS
Serves 6-8
30g butter
5ml chopped garlic
1 large leek, sliced
2 sticks of celery, sliced
4 carrots, peeled, sliced
180ml red wine
4 baby marrow, sliced
500g butternut, peeled, cubed
500g sweet potato, peeled, cubed
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
30ml tomato paste
375ml vegetable stock
DUMPLINGS
430ml flour
75g butter, cubed
10ml baking powder
5ml salt
30ml fresh thyme, chopped
30ml fresh rosemary, chopped
125ml grated cheddar cheese
250ml buttermilk
Heat the butter in a large pot.
Fry the garlic, leek, celery and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring often, until golden.
Add the wine and stir well to scrape up any caramelised pieces from the pan. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make the dumplings.
DUMPLINGS: Rub the flour and butter to resemble breadcrumbs.
Add the baking powder, salt, herbs and cheese and mix to combine.
Stir in enough buttermilk to form a soft, slightly sticky dough, adding more water if necessary.
Add tablespoonfuls on top of the vegetable stew, re-cover with the lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
Place the pot in a Wonderbag for 4 hours. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
BEEF STEW
Serves 6-8
60ml flour
5ml paprika
5ml salt
5ml oregano
1kg beef shin, cut in cubes
olive oil, for frying
8 baby onion, peeled
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
30ml tomato paste
30ml soya sauce
250ml beef stock
15ml red wine vinegar
250ml red grape juice
1 stick of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
15ml brown sugar
Combine the flour, paprika, salt and oregano in a bowl.
Add the meat and coat with the flour mixture.
Heat some oil in a pot and brown the meat, in batches. Set aside.
Add more oil and fry the baby onions, celery, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes.
In a jug, combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Add the mixture to the pot.
Stir well and allow sauce to boil for 1-2 minutes.
Return the meat to the pot, cover with the lid and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place the lidded pot in the Wonderbag to finish cooking for at least 4-5 hours.
CREAMY CHICKEN AND LEEK STEW
Serves 4
1 packet of chicken portions
125ml flour
45ml olive oil
250g bacon bits
2 large leeks, finely sliced
10ml chopped garlic
250ml white wine
6-8 baby potatoes
125ml sour cream
10ml Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
chopped parsley for serving
Toss the chicken pieces in flour.
Heat the oil in an ovenproof pot and fry the chicken until browned.
Remove and set aside.
Add the bacon and fry for 5 minutes.
Add the leeks and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the wine and stir well.
Return the chicken to the pot with the potatoes. Combine the sour cream and mustard and pour over the chicken. Season well.
Cover and simmer on top of the stove for 15 minutes. Place into the Wonderbag and seal. Leave for 4-5 hours.
Check to see if the chicken is cooked and tender. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
WHITE CHOCOLATE RICE PUDDING
Serves 4
750ml full cream milk
250ml cream
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds removed
250ml risotto rice
125ml castor sugar
3ml salt
100g white chocolate, chopped
Combine the milk, half the cream, vanilla seeds, rice, sugar and salt in a pot and bring to the boil.
Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Place into the Wonderbag and seal. Leave for 3 hours.
Open the bag and return the pot to a low heat. Add the remaining cream and chocolate and stir until thickened.
Serve decorated with chocolate shavings.
The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.
WIN A WONDERBAG
Wonderbag is giving readers the chance to win one of five hampers valued at R600 each.
Each hamper consists of a Wonderbag, a recipe book, two branded dish towels, an apron and oven gloves.
To stand a chance of winning one of these hampers, SMS your name and the word “Wonderbag” to 32546 before noon on Wednesday, June 17.
SMSes cost R1 each and winners are drawn by random number generator from among correct entries.