Saffron Rice aka Yellow Rice

Due to unavailability of saffron, many a folks in SA, opted to use tumeric as a substitute; it lent an unpleasant taste if over used. Here is the authentic.

1 cup rice (basmati)
3 teaspoons of sugar (as you need) mixed in water and boiled to give 1 cup of syrup. Sir in 2-3 strands of saffron.
Add 1.25 additional cup of water.
1/4 cup raisins.
1 tablespoon shredded coconut.
1 tablespoon of pistachio nut.
2 tablespoon of butter + 2 tablespoon vegetable oil.
1 tablespoon of dried orange peel/zest.

Put these into a rice cooker and leave until cooked. When rice cooker switches off, leave to warm if rice is soggy until it firms up.

Grilled Eggplant dish

1 large eggplant.
1 large onion.
1 medium tomato
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of seasalt.
1 teaspoon of ground coriander.
4-5 tablespoons of green peans.

Place eggplant on a braai or gas grill. Turn until eggplant goes limp. Place under water and remove the skin.

Put couple of oil in a cooking pan and put diced onion; cook until soft. Add garlic, coriander, tomato, salt. Cook until tomato is half done; add eggplant pulp mashed; mix peas. Mix regularly until cooked.

Serve with garnish of green coriander.

Minced lamb kebabs

This is a great dish to be served with green salad and olives.

1/2 kg minced lamb or chicken or beef.
1 large onion minced
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon of ground coirander
1-2 green chilli chopped
1-2 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of fresh mint minced.

Mix all the ingredients by hand.

Versions:
1. Skewer.
Roll these into into clump and roll onto to metal skewers. Place these on the grill (gas or electric). Turn as required until completely cooked.
2. Fried
Roll these into round meatballs and fry them in a frying pan.

Serve with boiled white rice (basmati).

Fried eggplant

This dish belongs to various continents.

1 large eggplant.
2 medium tomatoes.

Cut eggplant and tomatoes in circular slices. Warm oil and frying 1 to 2 eggplant till soft. Put out on kitchen towel to absorb the oil. When all done, lay the fried eggplant slices in a round pattern in a serving bowl.

Start to fry the tomatoes. When tomatoes are soft, place them over the fried eggplant. Spinkle sea-salt to your taste and ground black pepper. Garnish with minced garlic and fresh green coriander leaves.

In the store, you are able to get regular black eggplant. Best results are using chinese eggplant (long variety - gives extremely soft and creamy texture), sicilian (large - maroon colour).

Fried potatoes

1. 4 medium potatoes
2. 5 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan.
3. 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
4. 1/2 teaspoon of peri-peri or cayenne pepper.
5. 3 cloves of garlic minced.
6. 1 tablespoon ground coriander
7. 1 teaspoon of seasalt
8. 1 medium size tomato diced

Cut potatoes in round thin slices.
Heat the oil on medium heat. Add potatoes, cumin seeds, peri-peri/pepper.
When potatoes are half cooked, add garlic paste. Once garlic is blended nicely (the smell will disappear), add coriander power, seasalt, tomato. Cook till nicely done preferably not soft.

Garnish with green coriander and serve.

Meilie Pap - microwave & stove cooked versions

1 cup maize flour
4 cups of boiling water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoon of butter

Boil water in a kettle. Put 4 cups of water in a microwave proof dish. Stir in the maize flour.

Cover the dish. Cook for 5 min on High in microwave. Take out, stir and add butter. Cook for additional 3 min.

This is a layman's version. Best results are by cooking over a stove.

Stove version:

Ingredients as before.

Boil water in a pan. Switch to medium heat, Stir in flour mixing quickly to prevent lumping. Continue to add until done. Add butter. Cover the pan and leave low heat for 5-10min until done.