FROM PASSION TO PLATE

TO WRAP up Women’s Month, we’re dishing up something extra special for you this week.

We are turning the spotlight onto four phenomenal female chefs.

Each of them has carved her own path in the kitchen, blending passion with perseverance to create food that tells a story.

Through their journeys, we discover what sparked their love for cooking, the dishes that carry the deepest meaning, and their advice for the next generation of women ready to follow their passion for food.

And, of course, each chef has shared a recipe that is close to her heart – a little taste of inspiration from their kitchens to yours.

Gadija Sydow

BELOVED cookbook author and food personality, Sydow is celebrated for sharing the warmth and flavour of traditional Cape kitchens with the world. She is the co-author of Cape, Curry & Koesisters.

What inspired your love for cooking, and how did your journey as a chef begin?

It would definitely be my late mom, Aunty Waseela Sydow. She was an avid and amazing cook who could make something out of nothing and turn it into magic. Watching her love for cooking made me fall in love with it too. I actually call myself a home cook rather than a chef.

Which dish holds the most meaning for you, and why?

Sugar bean bredie was one of my favourite meals growing up, and it was also my late sister Fatima Sydow’s absolute favourite of all time. She could enjoy it any time of the day, in any season. I still make it today, and we call it langsouskos because it stretches and feeds many mouths.

What advice do you have for young women who want to follow their passion in food?

Love what you do and be intentional.

Who do you cook for, and why?

Even when I feel sick, I still go into the kitchen, because I cook for the people I love: my family. The love you feel goes into the meal, and they can taste that love”.

What recipe are you sharing with our readers, and what makes it special?

Tomato bredie is special because it’s my family’s favourite dish – mine, my husband’s and my kids. It is very close to my heart, and I would say I make a mean pot of tomato bredie; it’s delicious. If I could make it once a week, my family would be the happiest, but I don’t.

GADIJA SYDOW’S TOMATO BREDIE AND RICE

Ingredients

250ml parboiled rice

Salt to taste

4 x 250ml cold water/ or follow packet instructions

For the Tomato Bredie

60ml oil

3 onions, finely chopped

½ green pepper, finely chopped

3 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

3 whole all spice

2 chillies, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely grated

1 tablespoon of finely grated fresh ginger

1kg lamb, mutton or beef, cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

200g tomato paste

45ml sugar or sugar to taste

6 potatoes, peeled and quartered

15ml butter

Handful of coriander

Method

For the rice

Add rice, water and salt (optional) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 20-25 minutes.

For the bredie

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the onions, green pepper, cloves, cinnamon sticks, allspice, chillies, and garlic and ginger.

Fry until the onions are golden brown.

Add the meat and braise for five minutes. Add the salt and black pepper, and braise for another five minutes.

Next, add a cup of hot water and cook on low to medium heat until the meat is tender.

Add the cubed potatoes and cook until almost soft, adding more hot water if needed.

Once the meat and potatoes are soft, add the tomato paste, sugar, and butter. 

Allow to simmer for a few minutes until the tomato paste has cooked through, and the colour has changed to a beautiful dark crimson red.

Taste a little with a spoon to check if it suits your palate. If not; adjust with more sugar, salt, or black pepper until you are satisfied.

Lastly, add some finely chopped coriander and serve with rice.

Kim Bagley

BORN in Cape Town, Kim moved to Johannesburg at 17, where she met her Durban-born husband. They now live there with their three daughters. Her book blends her Cape roots with her husband’s Durban Indian heritage. Author of Cooking with Kim Bagley.

What inspired your love for cooking, and how did your journey as a chef begin?

Childhood curiosity! I was given the opportunity at the very early age of 12 years old to cook weekday family dinners, as both my parents worked full-time.

Which dish holds the most meaning for you, and why?

Definitely an Akni. it is a simple, quicker version of a traditional briyani that only requires one pot and is simple yet delicious. It’s my husband and kids’ favorite weekday meal.

What advice do you have for young women who want to follow their passion in food?

Believe in your own abilities and capabilities, don’t allow anyone to define your self-worth. Never stop learning, as there is constant change in the food industry. Cultivate an online community. I’m so grateful to mine, as without my followers and online foodie family, I could not achieve half of my success today. I owe a huge part of my success to my online community.

What recipe are you sharing with our readers and what makes it special?

Portuguese Peri-Peri Chicken. It was one of the first dishes I made, among stews and curries, as a child.

KIM BAGLEY’S PERI PERI CHICKEN

Ingredients

Chicken

12 chicken pieces or 2 spatchcocked chickens

15ml BBQ spice

15ml Portuguese spice

Peri Peri Sauce

2 red peppers, seeded and halved vertically

1 red onion, quartered

1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally

5ml coarse salt

Olive oil, for drizzling

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

60ml red wine vinegar

5–6 bird’s eye chillies, or according to taste

10ml smoked paprika

5ml dried basil

5ml dried oregano

5ml freshly ground black pepper

125ml extra virgin olive oil

5ml salt, or to taste

1 bay leaf

30g salted butter

60ml fresh cream

5ml crushed dried chilli flakes

Method

Peri-peri Sauce

Spread the red peppers, onion quarters, and garlic halves on a baking tray. Sprinkle with coarse salt and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast directly over hot coals or in a preheated oven at 220°C for 10 minutes, turning after five minutes.

Remove from heat and place the red peppers and onion in a blender. Squeeze in the roasted garlic. Add lemon juice, red wine vinegar, bird’s eye chillies, paprika, basil, oregano, black pepper, olive oil, and salt. Blend until smooth.

Transfer the sauce to a large pan or wide pot. Add lemon zest, bay leaf, and butter. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, and then stir in the cream and dried chilli flakes.

Chicken

Season the chicken with BBQ and Portuguese spices. Cook using your preferred method, basting with some peri-peri sauce in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

When cooked, remove from heat and pour the remaining peri-peri sauce over the chicken.

Serve with a crisp salad, chips, and Portuguese rolls.

Tietie and Nanna

TIETIE and Nanna are known for their authentic Cape Malay cuisine and quick and easy meals that captured the hearts of social media and the world beyond. Authors of Tietie en Nanna se Huiskos.

What inspired your love for cooking, and how did your journey as a chef begin?

We were inspired by our mother, who taught us everything. Our journey began after we won the cooking show on Via TV.

Which dish holds the most meaning for you, and why?

Cottage pie (herderspastei). Our mother made it the best. It has always been one of our family favourites.

What advice do you have for young women who want to follow their passion in food?

The best teacher is your mom, so take note and be part of the kitchen from a young age. That is where you will learn all her tips and tricks. Hopefully, one day you can carry that through to your own children, because the memories will always live on.

What recipe are you sharing with our readers, and what makes it special?

Nanna said: Meatballs were mom’s specialty! She always made them for the Mouluud (this is a type of religious gathering for women in the Muslim faith), she also belonged to the organisation in her early days.

Tietie said: Mom always said there must be a carrot in your mixture, the hot chillies we added over time.

TIETIE AND NANNA’S MEATBALLS

Ingredients

2kg minced meat

1 large onion, finely chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

2 hot chillies, chopped

A handful of parsley, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tomato, peeled and grated

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

50 g pack of ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Salt to taste

1 whole loaf of bread, soaked in water, crusts removed (we prefer to use Sasko Oats and Honey)

2–3 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 eggs

Oil for shallow frying

Method

Put the minced meat in a large mixing bowl.

Mix the onions, bell pepper, hot chillies, parsley, garlic, and tomato together with the minced meat.

Add the grated carrot and mix through. Add the pepper, cumin and season with salt to taste.

Squeeze the water out of the bread and add it to your mixture. Add the oil, vinegar, and eggs and mix thoroughly.

Shape the mixture into small balls and fry in the oil until brown on all sides. Repeat the process until all the minced meat mixture is used.