Some of our favourite North Coast chefs share their must-try dishes.
Zainab and Faatimah Paruk – Chocolate Chilli Chefs
Chocolate Chilli Chefs
Sisters Zainab and Faatimah Paruk of Chocolate Chilli Chefs are known for their beautifully styled, flavour-packed menus for weddings, events and intimate celebrations. Their Symphony Hummus Bowl is a crowd-pleasing graze-table hero. It’s fresh, colourful and ready in minutes.
Symphony Hummus Bowl
You’ll need:
1 cup hummus
1 cup tzatziki
1 cucumber, cubed
¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup pine nuts, roasted
1 Tbsp za’atar spice
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
To make:
- On a shallow platter, spread the hummus, then dollop over the tzatziki.
- Scatter over the cucumber, olives, sundried tomatoes, feta, pine nuts, za’atar, parsley and pomegranate seeds.
- Serve with warm pita bread for dipping.
Details: www.ccchefs.co.za; 078 553 178; admin@ccchefs.co.za;
IG: @chillichocolatechefs
Chef Godfrey Kinyanjui – Simbithi Country Club
Executive chef Godfrey Kinyanjui heads up the kitchen at Simbithi Country Club, home of the much-loved Fig Tree Restaurant. His Creamy Seafood Chowder is rich, comforting and full of coastal flavour.
Creamy Seafood Chowder
You’ll need:
20g butter
1 large onion, chopped
30g carrots, diced
30g peas
30g sweetcorn
15g celery, chopped
15g leeks, sliced
150ml white wine
150ml milk
1 Tbsp plain flour
600ml stock (300ml chicken, 300ml fish)
150g new potatoes, diced
Pinch Hondashi
Pinch cayenne pepper
300ml cream
320g mixed seafood (kingklip, shrimps, mussels, calamari, calamari heads)
Chopped dill (plus extra for garnish)
10g garlic, crushed
120g streaky bacon (optional)
Crusty bread, to serve
To make:
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion, celery, leeks, bacon (if using), carrots and garlic. Cook for 8–10 minutes until the onion is soft and the carrots and bacon are cooked.
- Add the white wine and cook until reduced. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then add the milk.
- Pour in the chicken and fish stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the potatoes, sweetcorn and peas. Cover and simmer for 10–12 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the Hondashi, cayenne pepper and salt to taste.
- Add the mixed seafood and simmer gently for 4 minutes. Pour in the cream and add any shellfish, then simmer for 1 more minute.
- Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.
- Sprinkle with chopped dill and serve hot with crusty bread.
- Suggested pairing (sidebar/bubble)
- Serve with: a non-traditional Belgian-style lager such as Stella Artois, which offers a bracing malt character and soft bitterness to refresh the palate between bites. You could also pour a Dry Riesling (try Saurwein Chi or Illimis), a dry French or Spanish-style cider, or a Manzanilla-style sherry for a deliciously savoury match.
Details: www.simbithi.com; 032 946 5403 / 032 946 8360
Chef Ciara Lambertelli – Ciara’s Food Co.
Ballito-based private chef and pastry chef Ciara Lambertelli brings restaurant-quality dining into your home with bespoke menus, family-style feasts, harvest tables and decadent desserts. Her Gingerbread Baked Cheesecake is a festive showstopper – rich, spiced and perfect for making ahead.
Gingerbread Baked Cheesecake
20cm round tin | Serves 8–10
You’ll need:
20cm round baking tin
Baking paper
High-edged oven tray/dish (for water bath)
Electric mixer
Medium bowl
Food processor
Silicone spatula
Oven
Base
- 400g gingerbread / ginger biscuits (Ciara uses German lebkuchen)
- 200g melted butter
Cheesecake mixture
- 566g cream cheese
- 170g granulated sugar
- 3 large whole eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 72g heavy cream
- 3–6.5ml vanilla extract/essenceTo make:
Base: - Spray a 20cm baking tin with cooking spray and line the base with a disc of greaseproof paper. If using a loose-bottom tin, wrap the outside tightly in foil to prevent water seeping in.
- Pulse the ginger biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs.
- Add the melted butter and pulse until combined.
- Set aside ¼ cup of the crumb mixture for garnish.
- Press the remaining mixture firmly into the base and about halfway up the sides of the prepared tin.Cheesecake mixture:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan assist), rack in the middle.
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth.
- Add the whole eggs and extra yolk, mixing until just combined.
- Mix in the heavy cream and vanilla.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture over the biscuit base.
- Place the tin into a high-edged oven tray or dish and pour hot water around it until halfway up the sides of the tin (a water bath).
- Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the cheesecake no longer ripples when the tin is gently tapped – it should jiggle like set jelly.
- Remove from the oven, lift the tin out of the water bath and place on a cooling rack. Cool at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, to set completely.
- To serve, garnish with salted caramel, the reserved biscuit crumb and, for festive flair, mini gingerbread men.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Details: www.ciarasfoodco.com; 064 835 1066; ciarasfoodco@gmail.com;
IG: @ciaras_food_co
