Durban - From new versions of standard, rock-star South African ingredients to digging deep into the spectrum of what is possible on a braai, Braai – Reuben on Fire, published by Quivertree, is a book for braai fans looking to take their skills to the next level.
It is the third cookbook from Western Cape chef Reuben Riffel, who has had a meteoric rise from small town boy to award-winning chef, acclaimed for his ability to marry South African and international flavours.
This book delves into the politics of braaing, constantly challenging its readers to push culinary boundaries. It’s also a road trip through Riffel’s past – from hunting and cooking pigeons on the farms of Franschhoek to his many travels around the globe.
Omeshnie Naidoo selected a few of the exotic recipes to share with you:
Tunin’ you
Oyster sauce-basted tuna with shitake mushrooms, asparagus and spring onion
400g tuna steak
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
½ tsp canola oil
¼ tsp oyster sauce
1 bunch asparagus, woody bit peeled off
2 spring onions, topped and tailed
4 shitake mushrooms
1 onion, chargrilled over medium heat (skin on) until soft
1 garlic bulb, chargrilled over medium heat (skin on) until soft
Grill the asparagus, spring onion and mushrooms over medium heat until they have grill marks and are soft.
Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Rub with canola oil.
Sear on a grid over high heat, basting with oyster sauce every one to two minutes.
Serve the tuna family style: slice the tuna into rough chunks and serve with sliced vegetables, quartered grilled onion and garlic cut widthways. Serves 2
Bone thrillers
Beef marrow with salsa verde
15 marrow bones
1L water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
For the salsa verde:
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
½ chilli, deseeded
3 gherkins
5 anchovy fillets
3 handfuls fresh parsley
½ handful fresh mint
¾ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp white wine vinegar
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
Marrow is such a special part of the beast. With pork it’s the crackling, with lamb it’s the fat when cooked properly (my ultimate is that gelatinous meat around the bone), but with beef the gold is definitely in the bones.
Soak the marrow bones in water for an hour. Clean off all the excess fat and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place on a grid and cook each side over high heat for 15 minutes until golden brown on both sides.
To make salsa verde, finely chop the onion, garlic, chilli, gherkins, anchovy, parsley and mint. Mix with the smoked paprika, cumin, mustard and white wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, place the marrow bones on a platter and sprinkle with chilli. Place the salsa verde on top or in a dollop on the side.
Essential tool – the marrow knife: If you’re the kind of family or crowd that really appreciate your meat, then you’ll know there is nothing wrong with sucking the marrow out of a bone or cutting the meat that sits in the little corners of joints.
For me, truly passionate eating is when bones are cleaned better than a hyena could do it and the dogs look a bit put-out.
When you’re going to be eating off the bone, set the table with marrow knives for people to dig around the joints and get the most out of these and other bones.
Serves 4-6 as a snack
Stir-braai
3 x 200g rump
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
¼ cup oyster sauce
2 red peppers
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper
2 red onions
8 patti pans
4 baby marrows
3 habanero chillis
1 bunch of asparagus
1 punnet broccolini
1 knob ginger
1 fresh green chilli, chopped
6 garlic cloves, sliced
½ bunch flatleaf parsley
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds
Over medium-high heat, grill the peppers, onions, patti pans, baby marrows, habaneros, asparagus, broccolini and ginger until black on the outside. Remove from the heat. Place the peppers and chilli in a bowl of water, peel off their skins and remove the seeds.
To cook the rump, season evenly with salt and pepper. Rub with canola oil and sear over medium heat. Baste with sweet chilli and oyster sauce and cook until rare. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Slice the rump into 5mm-thin pieces. Chop the vegetables roughly. Finely chop the grilled ginger.
Finely chop the green chilli, garlic and parsley. Combine half the mixture with the vegetables and ginger.
Mix in the sesame oil and seeds.
Add the meat.
Serve on a platter, family-style, and top with the other half of the parsley and chilli mixture.
Serves 4 to 6. - The Mercury