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< PreviousTHE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 18 discovery and expression. My recipes are designed to be versatile, quick, and easy, perfect for weeknight meals or spontaneous creations. Every experience I’ve had in my career has shaped my style. When I’m in the kitchen, whether it’s for catering or content creation, I want it to be a positive and fun environment. There’s always music playing, and I strive to keep the vibe upbeat. I’ve worked in stressful kitchens where morale was low, and I learned that it’s not sustainable. Happy chefs make better food – it’s as simple as that. For me, the secret ingredient in any dish is love. Whether it’s catering for a wedding, shooting a video for Instagram, or writing a recipe for the book, that passion and care are what make it special. Cooking has always been more than just a job; it’s my way of connecting with people and sharing joy.” During the pandemic, I started making cook-along videos for Instagram with my wife, Julia. They were long, interactive sessions that people loved when they had more time at home. But as life returned to normal, viewers couldn’t commit two hours to dinner prep, so I adapted by creating shorter, snappier videos. That’s when things really started taking off. The response was incredible and it opened new doors for me. Especially in 2022, when Penguin approached me about writing a cookbook! Putting the book together was such a fun and fulfilling process. I spent months crafting recipes, styling dishes, and collaborating with a brilliant production team. Most of the shoot happened at my house, with outdoor shots taken at a family member’s stunning home up the West Coast. The result is a book I’m obsessed with. It’s divided into six chapters, each reflecting a part of my life. The first chapter, The 031, is all about my childhood in Durban. It features Indian curries and other nostalgic dishes that shaped my early food memories. One of my favourite moments while developing the book was recreating a red pepper and cream pasta dish I loved as a kid – it was like a culinary time machine. The second chapter, Gone Surfing, focuses on outdoor cooking and post-surf meals. It’s all about laid- back, breezy dishes perfect for the beach or braai. Then there’s Keep it in the Family, a chapter dedicated to Annalize. She’s not only my business partner but also my mother-in-law, and an incredible caterer. Her style – abundant, homely, and full of love – inspires me daily, and her approach to cooking – focusing on abundance, care, and feeding people with love – resonates deeply with me. Bad and Boujee is all about indulgence and using quality ingredients, like chicken liver pâté or Gildas (pickled chili, green olive, and anchovy on a skewer). Munchies is for those late-night eats or hangover cravings – think naughty junk food and comfort meals. Finally, Get Your Passport showcases recipes inspired by my travels during the catering off- season. Exploring different cuisines keeps me inspired and helps me bring fresh ideas to the table. One unique feature of the book is its QR codes to music playlists and videos. Each chapter has a curated soundtrack: nineties hits for The 031, road trip tunes for Gone Surfing, and hip-hop for Bad and Boujee. It’s like a culinary- and musical journey in one. The concept behind the book is about breaking the rules and embracing your own style of cooking. I encourage people to tweak recipes to suit their tastes and work with what they have. Cooking shouldn’t feel rigid or overwhelming – it’s about THE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 19 MAIN FEATURE Freestyle Cooking with Chef Ollie is out now. “It must be at least a double, never a single! Those who know me, know I’m obsessed with burgers! Ask your butcher for a mix of chuck and brisket with an 80:20 meat-to-fat ratio, ground through medium grind, twice.” 400 g ground beef (80:20 meat- to-fat ratio) 2 hamburger buns 2 Tbsp butter tallow or sunflower oil to fry 1 large onion, sliced paper thin (I use a mandoline slicer) salt and cracked black pepper to taste 4 slices real cheddar or American cheese 1 pickle, sliced (I like Kühne pickled gherkins) 3-2-1 SAUCE 3 Tbsp hot-dog mustard (I like Heinz yellow mustard) 2 Tbsp mayonnaise or aioli (I use Aioli Handcrafted Foods roasted garlic aioli) 1 Tbsp tomato sauce 1 tsp pickle juice First prepare the 3-2-1 sauce by combining the mustard, mayonnaise, tomato sauce and pickle juice in a small bowl. Set aside. Divide the ground beef into 4 equal portions and form each into a ball. Cut and butter the hamburger buns. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or frying pan over medium–high heat. Place the hamburger buns on the skillet, butter-side down, and toast until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Wipe the skillet with paper towel and add a little tallow or sunflower oil. Place the balls of ground beef on the skillet and divide the shaved onion between them, placing the onion on top of each ball. Using a sturdy flat spatula or small pot, gently press down on each ball to smash it into a thin patty. Season with salt and black pepper. Don’t overcrowd the skillet, so if you can only do 2 balls of meat at a time, then do that. Cook the patties for about 2 minutes until they develop a crisp, golden- brown crust, then flip them over. Place a slice of cheese on each patty and continue to cook for 1–2 minutes or until the cheese has melted. To assemble the burgers, spread some 3-2-1 sauce on both halves of each bun. Place 2 cheese-topped patties on each bottom bun and top with slices of pickle, then cover with the top half of the bun. Double Oklahoma Smash Burger with 3-2-1 SauceTHE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 110 DREAMY DESSERTS From a boozy banoffee pie to a date pudding with sesame ice cream and salted caramel, these indulgent desserts are packed with bold flavours, rich textures, and just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy any craving. Banoffee Pie A South African twist on a classic, this recipe from Angelique Deysel pairs rich caramel and bananas with the indulgent touch of Amarula Cream – all nestled in a coconut biscuit crust SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 23cm pie plate or 6–8 individual tartlet cases PIE CRUST 2 cups (500ml) crushed coconut biscuits ½ cup (125ml) melted butter CREAM CARAMEL 2 x 385g cans Caramel Treat ½ cup (125ml) Amarula Cream TOPPING cup (180ml) whipping cream 1 Tbsp (15ml) castor sugar 1 Tbsp (15ml) Amarula Cream 3 medium bananas, sliced 2 tsp (10ml) finely grated milk chocolate or dark chocolate a few micro herbs, to decorate PIE CRUST Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Mix the coconut biscuits and butter together in a mixing bowl or food processor until well blended. Press the crumb mixture evenly into a 23cm pie plate or 6–8 tartlet cases. Bake for 12–15 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. CREAM CARAMEL Place the Caramel Treat and Amarula Cream into a mixing bowl and beat together until smooth and well combined. TOPPING AND TO ASSEMBLE Whisk the cream in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer until medium peaks form. Add the sugar and Amarula Cream, then continue beating until firm. Fill the pie crust with the caramel mixture and arrange the banana slices over the caramel. Top with the whipped cream and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving. Decorate with some grated chocolate and micro herbs. SERVES 8–10 Recipe extracted from The Great Marula Menu with The Lazy Makoti and J’Something.THE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 111 SUGAR & SPICESUGAR & SPICE Pineapple Butternut Cake Sweet, spiced, and irresistibly moist, this heavenly cake pairs warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with crushed pineapple and pecans, all topped with a luscious lemon cream- cheese icing. 2 cups (500 g) cubed butternut 2¾ cups (375 g) cake flour 2½ cups (500 g) white sugar ½ T bicarbonate of soda 2 t baking powder 1 T ground cinnamon ½ t ground cloves ½ t ground (or grated fresh) nutmeg ¼ t salt 1½ cups vegetable oil 5 eggs 2 t vanilla essence 1¼ cups crushed pineapple (this is 1 × 400 g tin, drained of liquid) 1½ cups pecan nuts, roughly chopped LEMON CREAM-CHEESE ICING 500 g smooth cream cheese, at room temperature 180 g butter, at room temperature 1½ cups (200 g) icing sugar, sifted 2 t vanilla essence 1 T lemon juice grated zest of ½ lemon pecan nuts, lemon zest and edible flowers for decorating Steam the butternut until soft. Drain, then purée (or mash) until smooth. Set aside to cool. Preheat your oven to 180 °C. Grease and flour two 23 cm cake tins. Sift together the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, spices and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla essence. Recipe extracted from Recipes to Die Live For: A Tannie Maria Cookbook by Sally Andrew. SERVES 10–12 Gradually beat the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Add the butternut purée, pineapple and pecans. Mix well. Divide the batter between the prepared tins. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. This cake is moist, but make sure it is cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning the cakes out onto a wire rack. To make the icing, beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the icing sugar, followed by the vanilla essence and lemon juice. Fold in the lemon zest. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before using. Spread the lemon cream-cheese icing on top of each cooled cake. Stack the two cakes (or serve as two single-layer cakes), then decorate with pecan nuts, lemon zest and edible flowers. Refrigerate before serving.THE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 112 Leopard Chocolate Biscuit Cake “For the leopard effect, cut the biscuits into smallish squares. It really is an anything goes kind of recipe. Chopped nuts, dried cherries, apricots, that sort of thing. Unashamedly rich with a fudge-like texture.” 125 g butter 120 g dark chocolate (70%), roughly chopped 80 ml honey or golden syrup 25 g cocoa powder 5 ml vanilla extract a pinch of Maldon sea salt flakes 250 g Bakers Eet-Sum-Mor biscuits, roughly chopped 100 g dried cranberries TOPPING 150 g milk chocolate, roughly chopped 30 ml full-cream milk 15 ml olive oil 15 ml boiling water melted chocolate, to drizzle (optional) cocoa nibs, to finish (optional) Line and butter a 15 cm loose- bottomed cake tin. Place the butter, dark chocolate, honey or syrup, and cocoa in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir gently until melted, then remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and salt, and whisk with a balloon whisk to break up any dry cocoa clumps. Fold in the biscuits and cranberries. Scrape into the cake tin and press the mixture down firmly. Chill for several hours until set. FOR THE TOPPING Melt the milk chocolate and milk gently. Whisk in the olive oil and water. Spread the topping over the set cake and chill for 2 hours. Unmould carefully and place on a cake plate. Drizzle with a little extra melted chocolate and scatter with cocoa nibs, if you like. SERVES 12–14 Recipe extracted from Bibby’s More Good Food by Dianne Bibby.THE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 113 SUGAR & SPICESUGAR & SPICE Date Pudding with Sesame Ice Cream & Salted Caramel “My granny always served date pudding with vanilla ice cream. I have adapted this recipe and serve it with a very easy-to-make sesame ice cream, using store-bought vanilla ice cream.” 2 cups milk 375g pitted dates, coarsely chopped Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla pod 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 120g softened butter 220g castor sugar (1 cup) 3 eggs 225g self-raising flour, sieved (1½ cups) Pinch each of ground allspice and ground cinnamon Toasted sesame seeds, to serve SESAME ICE CREAM 2 litres vanilla ice cream ½ cup tahini SALTED CARAMEL 1 cup sugar 100ml water ¾ cup pouring cream 50g unsalted butter ½ teaspoon fine sea salt To make the sesame ice cream, leave the ice cream out for 15 minutes until soft, then scoop the ice cream into an electric mixer fitted with the K hook. Add the tahini and mix through. Pour into the ice cream tub and freeze until you are ready to serve. You can also mix the tahini into the ice cream by hand. For the salted caramel, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet Recipe extracted from The Table by Elmarie Berry. SERVES 6 pastry brush and cook until a dark caramel forms (10–15 minutes). Add the cream, butter and sea salt (be careful as the hot caramel will spit), stir for about a minute until the butter has melted, then set aside. To make the date pudding, combine the milk, dates and vanilla in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda. Set aside to cool for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until smooth, pale and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, spices and cooled date mixture and mix just to combine. Divide the batter among six buttered and floured 9cm- diameter cake tins. Lightly tap the tins on the work surface to level, then bake on a tray for 30–40 minutes, turning the tray occasionally, until the cakes are golden and spring back when touched. Cool slightly, then turn out onto plates or serve warm in the tins, with a scoop of sesame ice cream topped with salted caramel and a scattering of sesame seeds. THE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 114 SPICING UP TRADITION Kamini Pather’s All Dhal’d Up is more than just a cookbook – it’s a deeply personal exploration of heritage, evolution, and the joy of home cooking. She shares how family traditions, travel, and modern living shaped her recipes, blending nostalgia with fresh perspectives to create Indian- inspired dishes that are as meaningful as they are delicious. “C ooking has always been more than just a necessity for me; it’s a space where transformation happens. The alchemy of simple ingredients coming together to create something surprising and delicious is an endless source of joy. There’s also mindfulness in cooking for yourself – you know exactly what’s going into your food, and over time, those small, intentional choices add up. That’s why I love using fresh turmeric with a crack of black pepper in my dishes to imbue their anti-inflammatory properties. It might not be a miracle cure, but incorporating it regularly does have a positive effect over time. This connection to food and its deeper impact on well-being was a huge part of why I wrote All Dhal’d Up . The book had its origins back in 2020, when I put together an e-book called Eat Glocal after spending lockdown cooking with my mom and grandmother. It was shortlisted for the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, which was more than I had hoped for, for an e-book I created in my own kitchen, with my own camera and wordsmithery. It planted the seed for something bigger. I wanted to bring together my cultural food knowledge with everything I’d learned from traveling and cooking with chefs around the world in my SAFTA-winning food-travel TV show, Girl Eat World. There’s a phrase from MasterChef that’s always stuck with me: ‘Food is personal. Put yourself on the plate.’ This book is as personal as it gets. But the journey wasn’t linear. I had been in conversation with my publisher, Beverley Dodd, since 2020, and we planned to start shooting the book in late 2021. Then my father passed away, and I had nothing left to give. It took me a couple of years to find my way back to the project, but when I moved back to Cape Town in 2023, everything started falling into place. Writing a cookbook, though, is a different beast from just cooking intuitively. I’ve always loved the creative freedom of cooking over the precision of baking, so suddenly having to measure everything precisely felt painstaking. My grandmother, for example, doesn’t believe in teaspoons or scales – she just sprinkles and adjusts as she goes. I had to sit with her, measure things out, and then take those recipes into my own kitchen to refine them, sometimes making small adjustments to modernise them, like swapping deep frying for air frying or using avocado oil instead of vegetable THE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 115 INK & APRONS oil. There’s a certain nostalgia in double-carb dishes, which made sense in the past when people had large families to feed, but these days, I wanted to translate those ingredients into something more aligned with the way I eat now. Like my cauliflower rice lamb biryani – a reimagining of a beloved dish that brings in an extra vegetable and makes the process feel less intimidating. Some of the most meaningful moments in putting this book together were the ones spent with my grandmother. There’s a photo of the two of us in the book, and it captures so much of what food has always been for me: a way to connect, to learn, and to be part of something bigger than just a meal. I think so many of us have childhood memories of big family lunches, not necessarily remembering the exact dishes but remembering how they made us feel. That sense of togetherness is something I wanted to capture. At the same time, I wanted to approach my recipes with a fresh perspective – one that feels true to the way I cook today. That’s why I describe the food in All Dhal’d Up as ‘Indian- ish.’ It’s home cooking that doesn’t require twenty different ingredients, just a good selection of whole spices that can be toasted or ground as needed. There are a couple of recipes in the book that surprised even me – like my bacon dhal. It takes what’s traditionally a pious, prayer-time dish and pairs it with smoky bacon. I once made it with crunchy sourdough croutons and chilli oil for a dinner party, and someone joked that this dhal had ‘gone to private school’! For me, it’s simply a reflection of how my cooking has evolved. In modern life, the reality is that not everyone has time to cook from scratch every day, and that’s okay. I try to keep my kitchen habits practical, whether it’s using whole vegetable boxes (because there’s only so much carrot-top pesto one can make!) or coming up with creative ways to reduce waste – like my chilli bite-dipped carrot top fritters. These small adjustments not only make cooking more interesting but also feel like a step back toward a time when we truly valued every part of the ingredients we used. Looking ahead, I’m interested in the intersection of food, psychology, and well-being. I finished my master’s in psychology at the end of 2024, and as a certified Nutrition & Health Coach, I want to explore how the way we eat affects not just our bodies but also our minds. There’s so much emerging research on nutritional psychology, and while much of it has focused on eating disorders, I think there’s space for a broader conversation. Why do we reach for certain foods at specific times? What emotional needs are we fulfilling through what we eat? These are the kinds of questions I want to explore. Food has always been a reflection of culture, history, and personal experience. As we become more technology-driven, I think it’s important to hold on to those deeply human elements – those simple but meaningful moments of cooking, sharing, and connecting over a meal. That’s ultimately what All Dhal’d Up is about: bringing the past and present together in a way that feels both comforting and exciting.” All Dhal’d Up is out now. Search ‘All Dhal’d Up’ on penguinrandomhouse.co.za to peek inside the book. There are a couple of recipes in the book that surprised even me – like my bacon dhal.2 1 3 4 THE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 116 Kos is meer as net bestanddele – dit is herinneringe, tradisie en stories wat van geslag tot geslag oorgedra word. Hierdie kookboeke bring heerlike smake tot hul reg en vertel die storie agter elke gereg. Kos met ’n storie Sinkhuisresepte deur Willie Strauss Sinkhuisresepte is Willie Strauss se tweede kookboek en volg op Daar is ‘n engel in my koskas. Die boek is vol eenvoudige, smaakvolle resepte wat hy in sy Cullinan-sinkhuis vir gaste berei. Met meer as 100 maklike geregte, van die klassieke geure van anys, vleispastei en appelkoos tot nuutgeskepte lekkernye soos vye- en-biltong-paella, sal Willie se stories en resepte jou hart verwarm. Kosbaar deur Elmarie Berry Elmarie Berry, bekend vir haar kosblog sedert 2015, se debuutkookboek Kosbaar is ’n viering van samesyn en kosherinneringe. Met meer as 100 eg Suid-Afrikaanse resepte, beïnvloed deur haar Libanese erfenis, kombineer sy boerekos met geurige Mediterreense invloede. Van nostalgiese melktert tot malvapoeding met pinotagesous, bied die boek ook graanvrye opsies vir allergielyers. Nostalgie deur Herman Lensing Nostalgie is Herman Lensing se sewende kookboek, wat volg op die suksesvolle Huiskos/Home Cooking (2021) en Dit Proe Soos Huis (2019).In die laaste boek in die trilogie vertel Herman die storie van sy lewe tot op 36 jaar. Nostalgie is nes jy Herman se kombuis ken: Hy gebruik kos om mense te laat onthou en te verenig. Met meer as 80 resepte, weerspieël dit Herman se liefde vir kos en vir mense. Onthoukos deur Tiaan Langenegger Vir sjef Tiaan Langenegger was dit altyd ’n droom om sy eie kookboek te hê. Sedert hy as 13-jarige Jamie Oliver se The Naked Chef gesien het, het hy geweet hy wil met kos werk en ‘n saleb wees. Ná sy kookprogramme op kykNET en Showmax is die idee vir sy eie kookboek gebore, met resepte geïnspireer deur sy ma en ouma se kos.8 9 7 6 5 THE HUNGRY PENGUIN volume 117 AFRIKAANS Atmosvuur deur Jan Braai Hierdie boek is ’n allesomvattende gids tot Jan Braai se kennis oor braai – ’n viering van ’n geliefde Suid-Afrikaanse tradisie. Om die twintigste Nasionale Braaidag te gedenk, deel hy meer as 200 resepte, van klassieke potjies en steaks tot verrassende braaigeregte soos pizza en nagereg. Met duidelike instruksies en maklike bestanddele, is daar iets vir almal! AleitApteit deur Aleit Swanepoel AleitApteit vier die geliefde Aleit Swanepoel se stories en smullekker resepte. Met nostalgie en passie deel hy sy ‘Aleit-Way’ – van Sondagmiddagetes soos sy ma dit gemaak het tot pragtige, smaakvolle disse. Hierdie kookboek is ’n blywende stuk van sy nalatenskap, gevul met hartskos en stories wat in jou kombuis en hart sal voortleef. Keto Lifestyle: Maklik deur Hendrik Marais Die ketodieet is bekend, maar dalk verstaan jy dit nie heeltemal nie, dink dis te duur, of sukkel met teenstrydige inligting. Ná die sukses van Living the Ultimate Keto Lifestyle bring Hendrik Marais Keto Lifestyle: Maklik – ’n eenvoudige gids tot keto en vas, met begroting- en beurtkragvriendelike maaltydplanne, tydspaarwenke en smaaklike resepte. Lekker & Goed deur Carmen Niehaus Carmen Niehaus se Lekker & Goed bring gesonde, smaaklike kos na jou kombuis. Hierdie lekker-eet-boek bevat ou gunstelinge en nuwe resepte, gesonder gemaak sonder om smaak in te boet – soos Carmen tuis eet. Met lae-koolhidraat-, glutenvrye en vegetariese opsies, volg dit ’n Mediterreense eetstyl vol vars, ongeprosesseerde bestanddele vir ’n gebalanseerde leefwyse. Low carb is lekker drie deur Ine Reynierse Met Low carb is lekker drie bou Inè Reynierse voort op haar bekroonde kookboekreeks. Haar resepte is koolhidraatbewus, suikervry en eenvoudig, met bekostigbare, gesonde bestanddele. Geïnspireer deur haar Bolandse omgewing, skep sy voedsame geregte – van gesinsmaaltye tot onthoukos – met vars, plaaslike produkte. Ideaal vir almal wat gesond en smaakvol wil eet. Next >