Durban - Braai smoke, good food, ice cold drinks, and the laughter of family and friends.
That’s how many Durban families will celebrate Heritage Day tomorrow. What better way to celebrate the day than food and recipes passed down through generations – a heritage in its own form.
The Independent on Saturday spoke to some of Durban’s top chefs on creating a meal to remember this Heritage Day.
Eyadini Chakalaka
Ingredients
8 cans of Koo baked beans
2 cans of Koo Chakalaka
3kg of carrots
1kg of green pepper
4 onions
500ml cooking oil
1 tablespoon of ginger
1 tablespoon of garlic
4 tablespoons of curry powder
1 tablespoon of Aromat
Method
Preparation takes 30 minutes.
Cook onions and green pepper in the oil for 10 minutes.
Add ginger, garlic and curry powder. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Add carrots, Aromat, baked beans and chakalaka.
Stir until it is firmly combined and all the flavours are mixed together well.
Turn the heat down and leave to cook for 10 minutes.
Flame-grilled apricot and lime basted prawns
Ingredients:
1kg med to large prawns, butterflied and deveined
6 tbsp apricot jam
4 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh mint, finely chopped
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
2x cloves of garlic
1 tsp celery salt
Crushed black pepper to taste
2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
In a medium-sized sauce pan, melt the butter and olive oil. Add the jam, rosemary and mint and allow to cook until fragrant.
Remove from the heat and cool. In a blender, add the cooked and cooled mixture with the lemon juice, rind, garlic, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese and blend until a smooth consistency is achieved. Empty into a container and refrigerate until required.
While you are heating up the braai or gas grill, marinate the prawns with half of the mixture and allow time for the flavours to permeate the prawns. Keep the balance of the mixture to use as basting while grilling/ braaing.
Once the desired heat is obtained, lay the prawns shell side up on the grill and cook until you see the shell turning a bright orange.
Turn and allow to fully cook with the shell side on the flames. Use the balance of the mixture to baste the prawns for maximum flavour when eating.