Whether you’re a student making dinner for you and your house mate, or an empty-nester now cooking for two (sob!), twin chefs Tebo and Lebo Ndala share a few of their easy recipes-for-two.
Pork and taco pizza
Who doesn’t love pizza. And this one’s so easy!
You’ll need: For the no-yeast pizza crust – 2 cups flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; half teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup milk/ lukewarm water; 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the toppings – 300g left-over cooked pork, cubed or shredded; 150g pasta sauce; 200g cheddar cheese, grated; 1 mango, cubed; 2 tomatoes, cubed; 200g corn chips, slightly crushed; 150g guacamole; handful coriander
To make: Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the milk and olive oil until dough forms. Kneed on a lightly floured surface for five to seven minutes. Shape into a ball. Cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Bake crust at 200°C for eight minutes. Top with your favourite ingredients and bake till golden brown (15 minutes). Spread pasta sauce on the base of the pre-baked pizza. Top with pork. Sprinkle with crushed chips and cheese. Bake for 15 minutes till crust is golden brown.
Meanwhile, mix the mango and tomatoes together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Once the pizza is out of the oven, top with mango salsa, drizzled with guacamole and fresh coriander.
In Food Stories – Our favourite recipes, with love from the twins Tebo and Lebo, they invite you to experience the heart of township food, be part of their Seven Colour Sunday tradition, travel to America and Thailand for corn dogs and spring rolls, and sit down for a traditional South African meal like curry and rice. Have some pizza, drink some tea and tuck into some cake, or perhaps some brownies … all while trying to be kinda healthy. R373, Exclusive Books
Roasted red pepper soup
A lovely warm Autumn soup
You’ll need: 4 red bell peppers; 65g oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped; 1 can chopped tomatoes; a handful of basil, chopped; 2 red chillies, de-seeded and chopped; salt and pepper; 2 tablespoons sugar; ½ cup strongly brewed Laager Rooibos tea
To make: Preheat oven to 200°C.
Prepare sheet pan. Drizzle a bit of oil on the bell peppers. Grill in the oven until black. Remove from the oven. Place them in a freezer bag until they sweat. Remove and peel off the skin. Set aside. In a medium pan, heat oil, sauté onion and garlic until translucent.
Chop the peeled red peppers. Add into the onion mixture. Stir for a minute. Add the thyme and chillies. Stir in the basil and canned tomatoes. Simmer for five minutes. Add in the sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes and adjust seasoning.
Loosen up the soup with some Laager Rooibos tea (instead of stock) and simmer for 10 minutes.
Use a hand blender to blitz the soup until smooth (can still be a bit chunky) and heat through. Serve warm with bread.
Coconut curry noodle bowls
Dinner is served … in under an hour.
You’ll need: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 3 tablespoons red curry paste; 2 spring onions, finely sliced; 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped; 1 cup asparagus, tailed; 1 cup broccoli florets; 1 cup purple cabbage, thinly shredded; 1 cup carrots, julienned; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon chilli flakes; 2 cups rice noodles, uncooked; ½ cup vegetable stock; 1 cup coconut milk; handful basil; sesame seeds, to serve
To make: In a wok, heat oil, fry the onion and curry paste for one to two minutes. Add in the spring onion and ginger and stir. Stir in all the vegetables. Coat them in the curry paste. Add in the fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and chilli flakes. Stir for two to three minutes. Add in the noodles and vegetable stock. Simmer on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Add in the coconut milk and basil and simmer for another 20 minutes until the noodles are al dente and veggies are cooked. Divide into bowls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Tuck in!
Veggie-filled lentil soup
Okay … we’re cheating here. This recipe isn’t for two. But since it takes a bit of effort, we thought make it … and freeze in two-serving containers. So it’s dinner for two again and again and again. Clever!
You’ll need: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup carrots, julienned; 1 cup celery, diced; ¾ cup shallots, chopped; 2 tablespoons minced garlic; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chilli; 8 cups strongly brewed Laager Rooibos tea (eight teabags brewed in 2 litres of boiling water for 10 minutes); 2 tablespoons mixed herbs; salt and pepper; ¼ teaspoon paprika; 1 sprig rosemary; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; ½ cup green split peas; 1 cup green lentils; ½ cup yellow split peas; 2 cups butternut, cubed; 1 cup sweet potatoes, cubed; 1 cup celery root, cubed; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 cup chopped spinach; ¼ cup fresh parsley; ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
To make: In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add celery, onion, carrots and chillies. Add garlic and ginger, sauté for a minute. Pour in the Rooibos tea. Bring to the boil. Add herbs, seasoning, paprika, rosemary, vinegar, peas and lentils. Reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes till veggies and lentils are tender. Add the butternut and sweet potatoes and celery. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Add more tea or veggie stock if needed. Place four cups of soup in a blender with ¼ cup olive oil. Blend till smooth. Pour back into pot and stir. Add chopped spinach, parsley and Parmesan. Simmer for another five minutes. Serve hot.
Take the left over soup and freeze in two-serving containers.
