Chakhchouka is one of my favourite dishes which I happened to encounter when I traveled to Algeria. This is a very fine flat bread cut into pieces with some sauce over it.

• 500 grams fine semolina

• 500 grams flour

• One teaspoon of salt

• Some water

• Eight skinless chicken pieces, with bones but preferably skin & fat free if possible.

• One large onion

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 2 carrots medium sized

• 2 medium zucchini (courgettes)

• Two large potatoes

• Quarter turnip or quarter swede

• One parsnip

• One cup of drained chickpeas

• Two teaspoons of ras el hanout spice mixture

• Some pepper and salt

• One pinch of dried mint

• One tablespoon of vegetable oil or one tablespoon of sunflower oil

• One cup liquidized tomato puree

• One and a half liters of water

• One large green chili (This is optional)

1. Put some flour and semolina in a very large but shallow bowl. Make a kind of well in the middle and add half a glass of water. Mix with enough water to create a thick enough workable dough then start to knead it.
2. Do this until your dough gets very smooth & elastic ( or until your hands hurt just kidding). You can put the dough in a bread maker on the dough setting to make things a little easier if you prefer but once your dough has got to the elastic stage leave it to stand for some five minutes. 
   
3. Now take some vegeatable or sunflower oil & lightly spread on work surfaces then pull off some pieces of dough & form some balls a little bit larger than golf balls.
4. Now gently spread these balls over the pan or your mri and cook them for approximately 30 seconds. Make sure to keep your cooked bread covered with a towel or cloth so that it doesn’t dry up then finish cooking the rest of your dough balls.

1. Chop your onions and garlic finely & place them in a large bottomed pan with your chicken or meat plus the ras el hanout. Fry this gently so it mixes well with your meat and chicken. A pressure cooker is the best to use here.
2. Now chop your carrots parsnips and courgette into small pieces like 6ths. Cut your potato into quarters and chop the swede roughly. You have to peel the swede, parsnips and carrots.
3. Add in the vegetables to your meat with 1 litre of water & turn up the heat so your mixture begins to simmer. If you are using the chili then add it now along with some pepper and salt. If you are using a pressure cooker like I do 20 minutes cook time will do but if you are using a regular pan then cook for about 40 minutes.
4. Now add in your chick peas tomatoes and dried mint and half a liter of more water or just enough to create a stew consistency.
5. Return to heating and cook for a further 30 minutesbut if using a pressure cooker cook for 25 minutes on medium to high heat.
6. Then finally place your Khobz in a large dish or gasa & pour over the marga making sure to arrange the meat so that everyone has a piece.

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Chermoula is a Moroccan marinade which is the foundation for most fish dishes in Morocco. These include Tagine,Baked fish, Fried sardines stuffed with Chermoula & Fish Tagine mqualli. But this marinade can also be used to marinate chicken.

• 1 large bunch of coriander(cilantro) finely chopped

• 4 pressed and finely chopped cloves of garlic

• Two tablespoons of paprika

• One tablespoon of cumin

• One teaspoon of salt to taste

• One teaspoon of ginger ( this is optional)

• Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (also optional)

• Quarter teaspoon of saffron threads crumbled

• Three tablespoons of vegetable oil

• 1 small lemon juiced

1. You will have to mix all the ingredients together in a bowl slowly making sure that the marinade is thick to your liking.
2. When you want to marinade your chicken or fish you might want to add a tablespoon or 2 of water or a little bit more oil to thin the marinade so it is easier to spread over the chicken or fish.

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Chakalaka is a thick & delicious sauce which is usually taken cold as an additional meal to braaied boerewors , chops and barbecued meat. It is also used as a very colourful accompanying dish to a wide range of foods like pap, samp, mielie pap, curries, stews and so on.

• 150 mls of sunflower oil

• 1 large diced onion

• Two green diced peppers

• 20 mls Hot curry powder

• Four large carrots peeled & grated

• Six large tomatoes grated

• Two small red chilies finely chopped

• 450 grams baked beans in tomato sauce

• 1 Knorr vegetable stock pot

• 5 mls peri peri powder

• 5 mls Aromat

1. Heat the sunflower oil in a pot on medium heat 
2. Add your green peppers and onions and fry them until they are soft then add some curry powder & fry for one minute to release the aroma & flavor. 
3. Add in the grated carrots, chilies, tomatoes, beans & Knorr vegetable stock pot and thoroughly mix. 
4. Allow this mixture to cook for about fifteen minutes over medium heat. 
5. Now stir your mixture every five minutes to ensure that it doesn’t stick and become smooth 
6. Now you can add in your peri peri powder & Aromat & cook for another fifteen minutes.

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Chachupa is the national dish of Cape Verde and  there are many ways to cook this tasty dish. It remains to be the distinct style of food for really practical reasons. The version of making Chachupa that we have here is called Chachupa Rica. It uses all of the ingredients on hand that we are providing below to make a rich meaty flavourful dish.

• Two cups of hominy

• Half a cup of kidney beans

• Half a cup lima beans

• Quarter cup shell beans

• Half lbs. chourico sliced

• ½ lbs of blood sausage sliced (morcella)

• 1 lbs of chopped cabbage

• ¼ sliced bacon

• 1 lbs chopped tomatoes

• 1lbs peeled and sliced plantains

• 1 lbs peeled & chunked yams

• 1 lbs peeled and chunked sweet potatoes

• 1 lbs peeled and chunked squash

• 1 chopped onion

• 2 cloves chopped garlic

• One bay leaf

• One tablespoon of chopped coriander

1. Soak the beans and hominy in a large bowl of water overnight.
2. On the next day heat six cups of water in a sauce pan. Add in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, onions & bay leaf. Bring to the boil and add in the beans and hominy. 
3. In another separate saucepan, cook the Chourico , blood sausage , bacon and all the vegetables together. 
4. Once you are done with this let it simmer till the beans and hominy are almost tender. 
5. Add in the cooked meats and vegetables to the large saucepan on top of the beans & hominy. Cook this on low heat for at least one hour. 
6. After an hour turn off the heat and let it sit in the covered pan for approximately one and a half hours.

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Bunny chow is a famous South African Street food that most people there like especially in Durban where people are very proud of its heritage. In the old days Bunny chow is what the Indian plantation workers used to have as there days meal.

• Two cups of vegetable oil

•  3 chopped onions

• One tablespoon of cumin seeds

• One teaspoon of crushed garlic

• One teaspoon of grated ginger

• Five cracked cardamom pods

• Five cloves (whole)

• 4 sticks of cinnamon

• Three star anise

• Three tablespoons of curry powder

• Some chili powder

• Five pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small pieces (preferably finely chopped) You can also use Lamb instead of chicken if you prefer

• One cup of fresh chopped cilantro

• Two tablespoons of salt

• Five tomatoes Chopped & Pureed

• 3 chopped potatoes

• One stem of fresh curry leaves

• 8 to 10 loaves of firm white sandwich bread unsliced and halved for serving
• Some carrot salad for serving

1. Heat some vegetable oil in a large heavy wide pot on medium heat. Add some onions then cook until they start getting brown. This whole process takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Add some ginger, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom cloves and star anise then cook stirring frequently. This should take about 1 or 2 minutes.
3. Add some curry powder then some chili powder (if you like to spice things up) and cook it for another minute or so. Now stir the chicken in making sure to coat it well with spices and cook for two minutes.
4. Add in the cilantro, tomatoes, salt, curry leaves and potatoes. Simmer your mixture till your chicken is cooked thoroughly. This process takes about 30 minutes. You can add in additional seasoning if required.
5. Now dig out the center of the loaves of bread half in a piece keeping the plug. (Do not throw the scooped out plug away) Now spoon your curry in to the hollow of each half loaf of bread and place the plug on the top. Serve the Bunny Chow with some carrot salad.
6. To eat your bunny chow use your hands to break off some of the bread then use it to scoop up some of the carrot salad and some curry.

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Moroccan chicken Briouat is a savoury Chicken snack cooked with ginger, cinnamon and saffron which combined make a delicious filling for the briouats. This filling is wrapped in a a paper like thin dough that is called warga in morocco then the pastry is fried until it is crispy. Filo dough or some spring roll wrappers can also be substituted for your warga.

• One whole chicken, with the skin removed and cut into pieces

• Large onions 2, medium chopped

• One tablespoon grounded ginger

• One teaspoon of white pepper

• Half teaspoon black pepper

• Two to three small pieces cinnamon sticks

• One teaspoon Saffron threads crumbled

• Half a teaspoon of turmeric

• One and a half to 2 teaspoons salt

• Quarter cup vegetable oil

• Quarter cup of olive oil

• Quarter cup chopped cilantro fresh

• Half kg warqa, Phyllo dough or spring roll wrappers (large)

• Four tablespoons of melted butter For when you fold the briouats)

• One egg yolk slightly beaten ( also for folding)

• Some vegetable oil (for frying)

Firstly mix the chicken in oil with some spices in a bottomed pot. Cover your chicken and let it cook on medium to medium high heat. Stir occasionally for about 1 hour or until the chicken is tender and falls off the bones. Be careful not to burn your chicken and don’t add any more water.
After the chicken is cooked put it into a plate to cool a little. Now leave your onions and sauce in the pot to cook for another 10 to 15 mins or until your onions form into a mass and the liquid is reduced to oils. Add in some chopped cilantro then remove your sauce from the stove.

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