THK8 - South Africa

Laduuuuma!!

D&G’s long awaited trip home for Christmas provided the ideal opportunity for D to designate THK8 “Proudly South African”. It was always going to be a difficult task to choose a typically South African dish from a country with 11 official languages and the largest Indian population outside Asia. D nailed it with his choice of bobotie.

Wikipedia says of it: “Although not particularly spicy, the dish incorporates a variety of flavours that add complexity to the dish. For example, the dried fruit (usually apricots and raisins/sultanas) contrasts the curry flavouring very nicely. The texture of the dish is also complex, with the baked egg custard on the top complementing the milk-soaked bread which adds moisture to the dish.”

I was the wildcard and Dian asked me to make geelrys, the traditional accompaniment to bobotie. It’s an aromatic yellow rice, cooked with cinnamon, tumeric, raisins and sugar. It worked well with D’s dish…so well so Joanna noted that this was the first THK without any leftovers. The tupperware definitely stayed put.

Matt had started us off with a garden salad sprinkled with bacon, surprisingly healthy and I suspect atoning for an earlier indiscretion involving something deep fried…

Our 3 course meal was rounded off by John and his dessert. His attempt at a milk tart didn’t quite work out as planned and in true Ready Steady Cook style he was onto plan B in a flash, serving us crepes drizzled with honey and cinnamon with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.