Fire it up
Chef and owner of Adelaide’s Africola Duncan Welgemoed says a good charcoal barbecue is key when it comes to cooking African at home. “You can cook anything from boerewors and whole fish to grilled meat and peri-peri (piri-piri) chicken, too.”
Spice story
Home to 54 countries and a diverse spread of cuisines, Africa’s spice narrative differs across the country. Duncan tells us: “In terms of the south you have a lot of heat. Chilli and Malaysian coriander seeds are a pretty prevalent seasoning. In the north you’ve got a lot more diversity in spices. There are influences from everywhere – from Greece to Sardinia to the Middle East.”
Indeed, chilli is the spicy bedrock of many African cuisines. “You’ll always find chilli in some form,” Duncan says. “In Africa, there’s everything from chilli in spice mixes to peri-peri sauce.”
South African specialty
“The first dish I ever cooked at home was pap and sheba,” says South African-born Duncan. “It’s ground maize meal (pap) with the traditional accompaniment to every South African meal, spicy tomato gravy (sheba).”
Get Duncan’s recipe for pap here. We recommend serving it with his biryani-spiced onglet steak.
Spiced lamb kofta paired with garlicky preserved lemon and smoky baba ganoush. Get this Africola recipe here.
Lamb kofta Source: Supplied
Have we got your attention and your tastebuds? The Chefs' Line airs weeknights at 6pm starting April 3. Check out the program page for episode guides, cuisine lowdowns, recipes and more.
