Johannesburg – Uveka Rangappa, eNCA’s morning anchor and host of eTV’s parenting show Great Expectations, arrived bright and breezy at the Angela Day cookery school, eager to don an apron and start cooking. Despite having been up since 3am, she looked amazing and got stuck in to prepare her favourite “busy mom” dishes.
As a wife and mother-of-two, Uveka has acquired a repertoire of handy, quick and easy recipes that her family love.
The fish bake she shares with us is a recipe from her sister Senba Gonsalves. The kids love it and if there are any leftovers, her son insists on taking it to school in his lunch box.
“Fortunately my children don’t have a sweet tooth and love eating a variety of vegetables,” Uveka tells me. “My daughter reprimanded me for buying her a chocolate the other day, saying she doesn’t eat sweets because they are not good for you.”
Katy Katopodis, a former colleague, gave her the lamb casserole recipe, which has become one of her family’s favourites.
Going to gym regularly helps Uveka cope with the lack of sleep, but she tries to have a catnap during the day to keep her going.
When she can, Uveka loves spending time in the kitchen, and her favourite dishes to prepare are breyanis and curries.
She is a chocoholic of note. Her favourite way to relax is reading a good book while enjoying a bar of chocolate.
CINNAMON LAMB CASSEROLE
Serves 4-6
8-10 lamb chump chops
salt and pepper
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomato and onion mix
2 bay leaves
fresh thyme
about 45ml of ground cinnamon
Season the chops and place in an ovenproof baking dish. Cover with both cans of the tomato and onion mix.
Add the bay leaves and thyme and sprinkle generously with cinnamon.
Cover with foil and bake in the oven on low heat, about 160°C, for an hour.
Stir and sprinkle with another generous layer of cinnamon. Continue to bake until the meat is soft and tender.
Serve with rice.
CHICKEN AND PEPPER STEW
Serves 4
1 packet of chicken thighs and drumsticks
water to cover
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cardamom pods, skins removed
2 star anise
5ml turmeric
10ml chopped garlic
10ml chopped ginger
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
15ml chicken stock powderor a chicken stock liquid sachet
10ml chicken spice
1 onion, halved and sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 each red, green and yellow pepper, sliced into strips
Put the chicken pieces into a pot and add enough water to cover.
Add the cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, turmeric, garlic, ginger, thyme, bay leaves, stock powder and spice.
Cover and simmer until the chicken isnearly tender, about 40 minutes.
Add the onion, tomato and peppers and simmer until the chicken is tender and the liquid has reduced to a nice gravy.
Serve with rice.
* Uveka used Ina Paarman’s chicken spice.
CREAMY HAKE AND LEEK BAKE
Serves 4
125g butter
1 punnet of baby leeks, sliced
5ml crushed garlic
half an onion, chopped
250ml frozen peas
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
500ml fresh cream
salt and pepper
4 hake fillets
fish spice
Melt the butter in a small pot and gently fry the leeks, garlic and onion.
Add the peas, thyme and cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Place the fish in a single layer in an ovenproof dish.
Season with salt, pepper and fish spice. Pour over the cream mixture.
Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked and flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Serve with mashed potato.
* Uveka used Ina Paarman’s fish spice
MANGO PASSION FRUIT COOLER
Serves 8-10
4 mangoes, peeled and diced
About 250ml granadilla pulp (5-6 granadillas)
500ml Greek yoghurt
250ml double thick cream
250ml treacle brown sugar
125ml pomegranate rubies
Combine the mango and granadilla pulp and place in a serving dish.
Combine the yoghurt and cream and spoon over the mango mixture.
Sprinkle with a thick layer of brown sugar and top with the pomegranate rubies.
Refrigerate uncovered until required.
The Star