WHERE PAST MEETS PRESENT
In my world, I like how food collides with the written word to produce books that offer families around the world the gift of my culinary story. When I wrote my first cookbook, I was in search of salvation. I needed new meaning to my living and inspiration on how I was going to raise my son, and that slowly evolved into a series of books telling an international story of creativity. Creativeness in the kitchen shores up my soul. My approach to food is deeper, but accessible and simple. I look to create an experience for guests to marvel at and take home precious memories on a plate, and hence I’m emotional when I cook. I look at a plate of food as an artwork and the sweet spoils of life. The book is based on the beautiful contrast of a traditionalist, and honours Tsonga and Shangaan cuisine and family rituals, who above all, cook from imagination, place or destination.
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WHAT I'M ABOUT
I’m a home cook rather than a chef, my heart is warmed when I tuck into a simple classic and traditional dish whose aim is to fill you up, but my own cooking is also inspired by people, places and moments, that journey measured through happy relationships we make along the way and end with something authentic on my plate. I like it when a dish has a real history and reflects the attributes of people and the hands that prepared it. My cooking is eclectic, but accessible, influenced not only by my journey but the emotions that that journey has conjured up in me.
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MY TSONGA HERITAGE
I come from a small community of Soshanguve, outside Pretoria in South Africa, and was raised in a Tsonga home where respect, generosity and humility were as fundamental as valuing the elders. We learned how to cook by helping our elders in the kitchen and they, in turn, instilled in us values and morals from a young age. Although my siblings and I were taught all our family traditions, it was the wisdom of grandparents, extended family and the community that really shaped us.
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CHICKEN IS THE CUISINE OF AFRICA
Africans share the same love of chicken as the French; likewise, in our family, it is an all-time favourite – we just love chicken, and no one ever gets tired of eating it. It is always an occasion when a chicken is slaughtered, resulting in happier conversations in our homes. There are many breeds of chicken in South Africa, but in our family, we traditionally eat chickens that are organically fed for nutrition.
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LEGACY OF NDLOVUKATI SHALATI
Like the legacy of Garingani, every Tsonga young woman is raised by the wisdom and inspiration of Ndlovhukati Shalati or Queen Shalati, who was no ordinary warrior of the 18th century. History tells us she was one of the first Chiefs of the Tebula clan, today known as ‘va ka Mathebula’ within the Tsonga Heritage in Limpopo, she was one of the first warrior Chiefs, essentially a “Woman King.” She amplifies the idea that in the modern day, a girl child, can be brave and conquer. Ndlovhukati Shalati would love a soulful Tsonga plate, so Khanyisa will honour her with a special recipe.
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I BURN IMPEPHO AT MY DINNER TABLE
Impepho is an ancient herb, alight, its smoke brings healing to the spirit and the mind. There is a sense of harmony it brings to the dinner table by the omniscient smoke stemming from the herb; I like how it adds a statement of authenticity to the table we share and dine at. However the flavours of Impepho in food are an unusual sight in African homes, but it is amazing to try Impepho smoked vegetables or Fish, it is earthy, rich, herby and delicately delicious, yet not too overpowering.
My grandmother, Kokwani, was a traditional healer, I remember the smoke of Impepho, she used it for purifying the air and she believed when we welcome guests at home, it is a must. -
HANDWASHING CEREMONY
The handwashing ceremony is an important ritual at my table. Historically in the Tsonga culture hands are washed for hygiene, many studies have shown that by washing our hands properly, we can greatly reduce the number of germs on our hands and keep our families healthier. As my mother taught me, washing hands has been a sign of good manners before and after meals. For my household, it symbolises purity, grace and a ritual to open one’s heart in order to dine guests.
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ANY DAY IS A GOOD DAY IN STOCKHOLM
I count my blessings that I am able to enjoy such simple pleasures of abundant living. It is my career that first exposed me to some of the most magnificent cities in the world, like Stockholm, my home in Europe. Since my years living in Stockholm, the food culture has matured, and I am a confirmed Nordic minimalist.
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VISITING THE MIDLANDS
I draw inspiration from destinations here at home and a mere 400 km outside Johannesburg, I can already visualise soulful cuisine from the Midlands Meander. South African cuisine means diversity, each region and family offering a different representation of what is authentic on a plate.
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A PARISIAN COOKING CLASS
So, what must I prepare in a Parisian kitchen? I must cook a classic French dish and Michelin chef Michel Fenuex decides on the blue chicken, or Poulet de Bresse, complete with gizzards and feet. I was not going to miss out on a trip down memory lane, where we boiled water to remove the feathers of the chicken, cleaned the gizzards and intestines, and removed the skin from the feet.
