Durban - Curry is a South African staple. However, Yudhika Sujanani has managed to make it her own.
Not your typical curry-aunty, Sujanani, 39, has harnessed the power of social media to build a brand around her Indian heritage.
Sujanani will be at The Good Food and Wine Show at Durban’s Exhibition Centre this weekend.
Most readers will recognise her from DStv’s Home Channel, but Sujanani made her television debut with her cooking show, Sugar & Spice, on Saffron TV, and was most recently appointed resident chef on the SABC’s magazine programme, Mela.
Her career began long before that though.
“Much of my youth was spent in hotel kitchens as my mother, Gladys, was a professional chef,” she reveals.
“My first job was as an assistant in the Chantecler Hotel kitchen in Durban, when I was in Grade 7. I tackled anything handed to me, and seized the opportunity to learn the industry secrets while surrounded by good food.”
When she was 15, she took a waitressing job, but quickly graduated to baking cakes in the kitchen. Although she took pleasure in the interaction with patrons, her first love was the food.
A restaurant had to be on the cards, and in 2003, the Durban girl, living in Fourways, Johannesburg, opened Salaam Bombay.
She says it was “incredibly hard work”, but “enormously satisfying”.
“Challenges were constant but Salaam Bombay developed a reputation for tailor-made gourmet curries. From ‘garlic free’ or ‘blow your socks off spicy’… nothing was impossible.”
After a divorce and as a single mother to three children, she left the restaurant business and began to work the celebrity chef circuit.
“I built up an audience, mailing recipes, running competitions and handing out samples of the spices I made. I paid the bills by producing a range of samoosas for the local Broadacres Superspar.”
Meanwhile, the popularity of her flop-proof recipes gave her the confidence to produce her first recipe book in 2009, Curry Me Home, and later, Curry Me Home again.
(These days she also blogs, at www.yudhikayumyum.com)
The spices were a success and she began selling a range at Broadacres. “My first 120 bottles sold out in an hour. The spices are roasted and fused to form an exclusive blend,” she said.
The demand remains overwhelming and today a complementary range of spices, including her all-in-one Magic Masala, as well as a range of convenience meals, are available at select Spars countrywide.
Adamant that she would be an innovator, Sujanani began The Curry Club in 2012.
“My attention was dedicated to innovative ways of sharing food. This is how The Curry Club concept was born. I catered a three-course meal for complete strangers in my home, and took a collection for the Starfish Foundation at the end of the evening. It was fully booked month-on-month.”
It was only in 2013 that she landed her first tv slot, with Sugar & Spice, followed by the Home Channel last year, and now with Mela.
Her list of accolades is endless. She is a Hunger Advocate for the UN World Food Programme and a winner of a Gordon Institute of Business Science Scholarship. She also recently opened a cooking school in Fourways, called the Holi Cow.
However, in her most recent book, Memoirs, which she will launch this week, Sujanani tells the story behind the story.
“The book doesn’t just include recipes. It’s about my love for cooking and how it all began. One story is called Saved by the Samoosa, because that’s what really happened. It’s not all glamorous or about being a celebrity. My entrepreneurship is important. I’m not the first Indian woman to cook a great curry, but I believe the inherent generosity of Indian women before me prevented them from advancing as businesswomen.
“With this book, I want them to see when you empower yourself financially you can make an even bigger difference, you can be even more generous.”
When she isn’t juggling the many aspects of her career, Sujanani says she manages to get to the gym and cook a hearty meal for her family.
In her own words, for now, she’s “busy being in love”.
For more information, visit www.yudhika.com or her blog.
Jalebi
Syrup:
Few strands of saffron, optional
750ml sugar
600ml cold water
5ml egg yellow food colouring
2ml red food colouring
Place the saffron strands in a dry pan and roast for a few seconds.
Leave aside to cool and then crush the strands with your fingertips.
Place the sugar and cold water in a pot.
Cook the sugar and water on a medium heat stirring continuously.
Once the syrup comes up to the boil, do not stir.
Boil until it thickens slightly and remove from the heat – this should take about 6 – 8 minutes.
Add the saffron strands, egg yellow and red food colouring.
Stir well and add more colouring if necessary.
Syrup must be kept warm for dipping the jalebi.
Batter:
500ml self-raising flour
30ml corn flour
7.5ml tartaric acid
20ml butter
30ml Greek yoghurt
320ml cold water
Sunflower oil, to deep fry jalebis
For the jalebi:
Sift the self-raising flour, corn flour and tartaric acid in a large mixing bowl.
Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix the yoghurt with cold water and pour into the mixing bowl.
Whisk until the batter is smooth and thick.
Place the batter into a sauce bottle with a nozzle or a piping bag.
Squeeze the batter into hot oil starting with a large outer circle and working towards the centre.
Turn the jalebi over and cook until crisp.
Drain for a few seconds and gently place in the warm syrup.
Leave the jalebi to soak, remove from the syrup and leave on a wire rack to drain and cool.
Prawns Madras
1kg prawns, shelled and de-veined
45ml sunflower oil
5ml mustard seeds
5ml cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
5ml salt
10ml crushed garlic
10 to 15ml red chilli powder
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
2.5ml garam masala
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of sugar, optional
200 – 400ml coconut milk
Fresh coriander, to garnish
Heat the sunflower oil in a pot and add the mustard seeds.
When the seeds pop, add the cumin and wait for them to splutter. Stir the chopped onion and salt into the hot oil.
Sauté until the onion turns golden brown, add the garlic and fry until fragrant.
Spoon the red chilli into the side of the pan and heat for 3 – 5 seconds.
Add the chopped tomatoes, ground cumin, coriander, garam masala and turmeric.
Use the back of a wooden spoon to break down the lumps in the tomatoes and simmer until thick.
Add a pinch of sugar to balance the sauce.
When the oil separates from the cooked tomato, pour in the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
Place the prawns into the hot sauce and simmer for a minute or two.
Once the prawns change colour and the tails begin to curl, switch off the heat and garnish with fresh coriander.
Stuffed okra
500g okra, preferably the long ones
Stuffing:
45ml desiccated coconut
20ml red chilli powder
10ml ground coriander
2.5ml ground cumin
15ml lemon juice
15ml sunflower oil
5ml fine salt
30ml finely chopped coriander
Batter:
250ml chickpea flour
2.5ml salt
175ml cold water
Sunflower oil, to deep fry
Combine the ingredients for the stuffing and mix well.
Wipe the okra with paper towel and rinse lightly under cold running water.
Place the okra on a baking tray and dab gently with paper towel.
Leave aside to dry for an hour.
Using a sharp knife, cut off the top and slice through lengthwise taking care not to go all the way through.
Using a little spoon, gently stuff each okra.
Leave aside to dry for 30 minutes.
Place the chickpea flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
Gradually add water and whisk until a smooth batter forms.
Heat the sunflower oil in a small pot. Dip the stuffed okra into the batter and gently place in hot oil.
Fry until golden brown, remove from the oil and dab with absorbent paper towel.
Serve hot with chutney.
Gulab Jamun Cheesecake
Base:
600g gulab jamun, broken into pieces
150g tennis biscuits, crushed
40g melted butter
FillIng:
4 eggs, separated
435ml white sugar
35ml gelatine
50ml cold water
30ml lemon juice
2 tubs smooth cottage cheese
190ml Greek yoghurt
250ml fresh cream
Gulab jamun, to garnish
Toasted almonds, to garnish
Crush the gulab jamun and biscuits in a food processor.
Place the crumbs into a mixing bowl and add the melted butter.
Add a little extra butter if necessary and press this mixture into the base of a loose-bottom 10 inch cake tin.
Refrigerate while the filling is being prepared.
For the filling:
Sprinkle the gelatine over cold water and leave aside to soak for a few minutes.
Gently heat the gelatine in a small pan to dissolve.
Beat the egg whites, gradually adding 250ml of the measured sugar. Whisk the egg whites until thick and glossy.
Whisk the fresh cream until soft peaks form.
Place the egg yolks over a double boiler simmering on a gentle heat.
Add 185ml of the remaining sugar to the yolks and whisk until light and fluffy.
Pour in the gelatine and add lemon juice.
Continue whisking until well combined.
Remove from the double boiler and then add the cottage cheese with yoghurt. Whisk the ingredients together until smooth.
Fold in the egg whites and fresh cream.
Pour the filling over the prepared base and leave to set in a refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours or until firm.
Run a warm knife around the cake tin to loosen the sides.
Remove the cake from the tin by pushing the base upward.
Garnish with pieces of gulab jamun and toasted almonds.
* Don’t miss Sujanani’s Curry Me Home stand at The Good Food and Wine Show on Friday (October 30), Saturday and Sunday. She will also be among the chefs at The Baking Theatre, proudly sponsored by the Daily News. Memoirs will be on sale at the show.
* The Good Food & Wine Show takes place at the Durban Exhibition Centre from October 24 to 26. Tickets, at R80 for adults and R40 for children, are available at www.computicket.com, or at the door.
Omeshnie Naidoo, Daily News