Thai Chicken salad
Say “today’s meal is a salad” to any red-blooded, hungry individual and a nasty tone of defiance is sure to consume the conversation. But, just before things get out of hand, add the mystic words “Thai chicken” and all sorts of transformations in mood and food desire start to kick in. Salad alone is a punitive and unnatural thing, but the high octane enhancements of the Thai sauce, coupled with the protein slam-dunk that comes with the chicken, makes this meal as real as food can get.
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Pad thai Bangkok’s sizzling street food
I guess there are 10 million versions of this national dish. This one gives you the basis to experiment while simultaneously amazing your friends with your Thai-flavoured expertise.
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Thai tamarind chicken
The stirfry is one of the quickest routes from raw to cooked. Ideally, you need a wok and a blast of cooking gas. And if a good wok is hard to find, the hardy skottelbraai is a perfect substitute. Most of the effort this delicious meal requires lies in its preparation, but this is no big deal and well within the reach of the beginner cook.
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A lamb & chilli fix
For some diners the electric tingle of chilli is as essential as salt and pepper. And for this cook, one of the best ways to get your daily chilli fix and have a damn good meal at the same time is to get stuck into a lamb and potato curry. If lamb is in short supply, goat makes a substantial substitute with a texture and flavour that some prefer to mutton.
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What a yummy bunny
Mutton bunny There are lots of stories about how bunny chows got their name. All that matters to you and me is that the meal has nothing to do with rabbits. More to the point, it is a simple KZN classic that deserves its place as an easy-to-make lunchtime replacement for sandwiches, burgers or even a pie and slap tjips.
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Roast lamb and vegetables
Roasting, writes Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, requires a set of principles rather than a collection of recipes. Roasting principles that ring bells for this meal are two: sizzling and resting, of which, more later.
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Calamari & spinach
Squid enthusiasts have only one fear: a meal that looks and tastes like white rubber bands. Here’s good news for beginner cooks: a simple, magical way to turn squid into calamari.
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Curried chicken with coconut & papadum
For some people, this writer among them, a meal without chilli or a chilled litre of Tobasco is a tedious and cheerless thing. So here’s another salute to chilli and Africa’s meat of choice, in glorious combination with coconut and crisp papadums.
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Hungarian goulash
I was sitting around with my food focus group wondering what to do next. I decided I want something familiar, yet unfamiliar, a meal that’s easy to cook, made with easy-to-get ingredients that pushes the envelope a bit. And here it is: Hungarian goulash.
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Calabash & chickpea curry
This chunky, flavoursome curry will seriously dent the prejudices of those who believe a meal without meat is not a meal at all, and will be a marvellous addition to your repertoire.
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