We share our favourite iconic flavour duos to add that special zing to your dish, plus some intriguing and unconventional combos to try. 

Soy & apricot glazed snoek  

SERVES 4  

This works well with any type of sustainable white fish, such as hake or kingklip.   

Ingredients 

1 fresh or frozen snoek, butterflied (defrosted, if using frozen) 
2 lemons, sliced 
Salt and milled pepper
2 Tbsp butter 
¼ cup soy sauce 
¼ cup apricot jam 
1 Tbsp lemon juice 
1 tsp chilli flakes 
Lemon wedges, for serving 
Fresh coriander, for serving 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C or prepare medium-hot coals on the fire. 
2. Place a layer of lemon slices (about 10) on a foil-lined baking tray or braai grid and top with the snoek. Season. 
3. Melt butter, soy, apricot jam, lemon juice and chilli flakes in a pot. Whisk until smooth and combined. 
4. Brush fish lightly with the sauce, reserving the rest for basting while cooking. 
5. Bake or braai snoek for 20-25 minutes, basting with the glaze every 4-5 minutes. 
6. Serve fish hot, drizzled with any remaining glaze and garnished with lemon wedges and fresh coriander.

Salty and Sweet

– Combine equal parts soy and apricot jam and coat chicken pieces, steaks or veggies with mixture. Oven bake or braai until cooked to perfection.
– Drizzle egg fried rice with a generous helping of soy. Toss in spring onion, chopped Turkish apricots and garlic. Serve with a crispy fried egg.
– Add soy and chopped Turkish apricots to your meatball mixture before shaping. Cook until golden and glaze with equal parts soy and apricot jam. 

Cabbage & cauliflower kimchi  

MAKES 1L 

Kimchi is a traditional Korean condiment made by salting and fermenting vegetables with an array of seasonings.  

Ingredients 

1kg green cabbage, cut into large chunks and leaves separated 
2 heads cauliflower, broken into florets 
¾ cup coarse salt 
1 cup water 
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks 
2-3 stalks celery, cut into matchsticks  

FOR THE PASTE  

¼ cup fish sauce or soy sauce 
6cm knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced  |
5 cloves garlic 
5 tsp chilli paste 

Method 

1. Place the cabbage and cauliflower into two dishes, spread them out then divide the coarse salt and water between the two dishes. 
2. Massage the salt and water into the veggies, cover and set aside for an hour. (this draws out the moisture). 
3. Toss the veggies and massage again – you’ll notice they’ll start to go slightly limp. Set aside for another hour.
4. Rinse the vegetables thoroughly to remove all excess salt. 
5. Combined the rinsed veggies with carrots and celery in a bowl. 
6. Blitz paste ingredients until smooth. 
7. Toss the paste through the vegetables making sure to coat evenly. 
8. Transfer the kimchi mixture to a sterilized jar. Push mixture down to pack it tightly. A bit of liquid should rise to the top and cover the veg. 
9. Loosely place a lid on top – don’t screw it on completely as the kimchi needs to breathe.
10. Leave at room temperature in a dark place for about 4-6 days. When bubbles appear and the kimchi taste is to your liking, refrigerate and use within 2-3 weeks.

Kimchi and Cheddar toasties  

SERVES 2 

The combination of the slightly salty and spicy kimchi paired with a good mature cheddar is a sure winner! Try this on pizza or in a braaibrodjie cooked over the coals.  

Ingredients 

2 Tbsp softened butter
4 slices regular white bread, ciabatta or sour dough 
Glug olive or canola oil 
¼ cup cabbage & cauliflower kimchi 
1 cup grated mature Cheddar   

Method 

1. Butter one side of each slice of bread. 
2. Heat a large pan and drizzle with oil. 
3. Place two slices of bread, buttered side down into the frying pan. 
4. Top with kimchi and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. 
5. Place remaining bread, buttered side up on top of filling to enclose. 
6. Toast for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden and the cheese has melted. 
7. Serve immediately with an extra helping of kimchi.

Mushroom & marmite lamb stew with herbed dumplings  

SERVES 6 

The addition of marmite and mushrooms provides enough umami flavour that beef stock is no longer needed.  

Ingredients 

Salt and milled pepper 
2kg lamb neck or knuckles 
¼ cup cake flour 
3 Tbsp canola oil 
2 onions, chopped 
2 carrots, chopped 
2 celery stalks, sliced 
3 cloves garlic, chopped 
1 punnet white button mushrooms, roughly chopped 
3 Tbsp Marmite 
1 Tbsp tomato paste 
1 tsp brown sugar 
3 cups water
2 bay leaves 
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 
1 lemon, juiced 

FOR THE HERBED DUMPLINGS  

2 cups cake flour 
4 tsp baking powder 
2 tsp sugar 
Salt and milled pepper 
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 
2 Tbsp butter 
1½ cups milk or buttermilk 

Method 

1. Season the lamb and coat each piece with flour. 
2. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large ovenproof pot and brown lamb in batches for about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from pot. 
3. Heat remaining oil in the same pot and fry the onion, carrots, celery and garlic for about 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 3-5 minutes. 
5. Stir through marmite, tomato paste and sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add water, bay leaves and return lamb back to the pot. 
7. Cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat for about 45-50 minutes, stirring often. 
8. Remove bay leaves and stir through parsley and lemon juice. 
9. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
10. For dumplings, combine dry ingredients and herbs in a large bowl. 
11. Rub in butter using your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. 
12. Stir through the milk or buttermilk to create a thick batter. 
13. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto simmering stew. 
14. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Bake until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes. 
15. Serve the stew while hot, scattered with fresh herbs and lather dumplings with some butter if you like.

The Umami Powerhouse 

– Pan-fry mushrooms until golden and stir through marmite. Add onto toasted bagels and top with creamy scrambled eggs.
– Fry mushrooms, garlic and spring onion in a pan. Add marmite and cream and toss through cooked spaghetti. Top with a grating of fresh Parmesan and fresh herbs.
– Stir cooked mushrooms, marmite and grated Cheddar into cooked pap or polenta. Shape into balls, crumb and deep-fry for a moreish snack.

Words: Chad January

Photography: Fresh Living Magazine

Also read: Flavour-packed recipes for a red hot summer 

The post Iconic and unconventional flavour duos to try appeared first on MyKitchen.

Burgers are so well-loved that they even have their own day on 28 May. We’re sharing our top 5 mouth-watering burger recipes you simply must try! 

Rice and red kidney bean burgers with cucumber-garlic yoghurt 

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 15 min 

No longer just a side dish, it’s time for rice to take centre stage on your plate. Put it in the spotlight with these rice and red kidney bean burgers.

INGREDIENTS

For the rice and red kidney bean burgers
1 tin red kidney beans, drained
¾ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 egg
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper

For the cucumber-garlic yoghurt
1 cup yoghurt
½ cucumber, grated and drained
1 garlic clove, crushed

To serve 
6 seeded brown rolls, halved and toasted
Handful baby spinach
2 carrots, ribboned
½ red cabbage, thinly sliced 

METHOD

For the rice and red kidney bean burgers
1. Pulse all the ingredients together in a food processor until well combined.
2. Shape the mixture into 2 cm-thick patties. Rest on a baking tray

For the cucumber-garlic yoghurt
1. Combine all the ingredients and set aside.
2. Preheat a pan with olive or coconut oil. Once hot, add your patties and gently fry for 10–12 minutes until heated through.

To serve
1. Toast your bread rolls. Spread on the yoghurt, then top with a burger patty, baby spinach, carrot ribbons and red cabbage. 

Recipe & styling: Leila-Ann Mokotedi
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za
 

Bagel breakfast burgers inspired by New York City

MAKES 4 // COOKING TIME 30 min 

South African’s are no stranger to a good burger, but how about taking a tip from New York and trying these delicious bagel breakfast burgers? 

INGREDIENTS

4 bagels, halved
4 eggs
4 beef burger patties
200g micro rocket
2 avocados, sliced 

METHOD

1. Using a small 4cm cookie cutter, make the hole in your bagel tops slightly bigger to make a nice nest for the eggs.
2. Heat some oil over low-medium heat in a pan and add your 4 bagel tops, with the sliced side down. Crack an egg into the centre of each bagel, pop the lid on and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, until the eggs are done. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Turn the heat to high and cook the patties for 4 minutes on each side. Lower the heat, cover and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Arrange the rocket on the bottom halves of the bagels. Top with a patty and avocado slices, and close with the top half of the bagel.  

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

Apricot-glazed snoek burgers with shoestring fries

MAKES 10 // COOKING TIME 1 hour 

Ah, apricot and snoek – the South African match made in heaven. Wait for a warm weekend and whip up these snoek burgers on the braai. But if it’s cold and you have a hankering, they are just as good on a griddle pan or in the oven. 

INGREDIENTS

For the apricot glaze
¾ cup apricot jam
40g butter
1 stalk lemon grass, halved lengthways
1 red chilli, halved lengthways
 

For the snoek patties
Olive oil, to fry
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
400g smoked snoek, deboned and flaked
200g potatoes, peeled, cooked and roughly mashed
1 red chilli, chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped coriander
1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
Juice and zest of 1 lemon or lime
1 tsp smoked paprika, plus extra to season
Sea salt and milled black pepper
½ cup flour
 

For the shoestring fries
1.2kg potatoes
Vegetable oil, to deep-fry
 

To serve
10 sesame seed rolls
¾ cup mayonnaise
4 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup finely sliced red cabbage
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
Butter lettuce, to serve 

METHOD

For the apricot glaze
1. Heat all the ingredients in a pot, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for an hour.
 

For the snoek patties
1. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic until soft.
2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients (except the flour) using your hands.
3. Season the flour with salt and paprika. Form the mixture into patties and dust with flour. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up.
4. Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Fry the patties for 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
 

For the shoestring fries
1. Finely slice the potatoes and place in iced water.
2. Heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Make sure the oil is not too hot, otherwise the chips will burn.
3. Drain the potatoes and dry well and fry a handful at a time.
4. Remove and drain on paper towel. Season with salt.
 

To serve
1. Place a patty on each roll and layer the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with apricot glaze and mayonnaise before securing with the top of the bun.
2. Serve hot with shoestring fries.

Veggie and beef burger

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 40 min

Make the best patties ever with these vegetable-pulp beef burgers! They’re filling and nutritious, so why not give it a go for lunch or your next braai?  

INGREDIENTS

For the pickled onion
¾ cup white wine vinegar
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt 

For the burger patties
1 cup vegetable pulp (carrot and celery)
400g beef mince
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 eggs
⅓ cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp cumin
2 Tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed 

For the coleslaw
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup double-thick cream 

To serve
4 burger buns
1 cup grated mozzarella
Coriander
Jalapeños, sliced 

METHOD

For the pickled onion
1. Combine all the ingredients and leave to pickle while you prepare the burger patties. 

For the burger patties
1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Juice carrots and celery. Mix the pulp with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into patties.
4. Cook the patties in a griddle pan over medium-high heat, for about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Meanwhile, place the buns in the oven and toast for 3 minutes. 

For the coleslaw
1. Combine all the ingredients. 

To assemble
1. Spread coleslaw over the bottom of the buns. Sandwich a patty, grated cheese, onion pickle, coriander and jalapeños inside.

Crunchy and spicy chicken burgers

MAKES 4 // COOKING TIME 25-30 min plus 1hr marinating time  

There’s no excuse to skip out on a crunchy and spicy chicken burger! 

INGREDIENTS 

For the chicken
4 chicken breast fillets
Salt and milled black pepper
2 cups buttermilk or yoghurt
3 Tbsp sriracha
3 garlic cloves, grated
2 cups cake flour
2 Tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp smoked or regular paprika
Vegetable oil for frying  

For the slaw
¼ small red cabbage, shredded
¼ small green cabbage, shredded
2 green apples, sliced
2 spring onion, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
¼ cup plain yoghur
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 lemon, zested and juiced 

To serve 

4 seeded burger buns, toasted
Handful butter lettuce
¼ cucumber, shaved with a vegetable peeler
2 salad tomatoes, sliced  

METHOD

1. Place chicken in a large bowl and season generously.
2. Add buttermilk, sriracha and garlic and toss through to coat evenly. Marinate for 1 hour.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, herbs, spices and season well.
4. Add ¼ cup of buttermilk marinade to flour mixture and stir with a fork to create large flakes.
5. Dip each chicken fillet into flour mixture taking care to coat evenly. Deep-fry in hot oil for 10–12 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
6. Combine cabbage, apple, spring onion and carrots.
7. Stir through yoghurt, mustard, lemon zest and juice and season. Set aside.
8. Assemble burger by layering lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. Top with chicken and a generous helping of the colourful slaw.

The post The Ultimate Top 5 Burger Recipes appeared first on MyKitchen.

This delicious grilled snoek with sticky apricot glaze and pickled radish salad is the perfect main to serve this Easter!

SERVES 4 / PREP TIME 25 min //COOK TIME 30 min

INGREDIENTS
For the snoek
¼ cup roughly chopped dried apricots
1 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
½ red chilli, seeded, thinly sliced 
½ cup apricot jam
Zest of 1 lemon 
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
1 whole snoek, cleaned and butterflied
For the pickled radish salad
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup water
1 ½ tbsp sugar
¼ tsp mustard seeds and coriander seeds
6 radishes, thinly sliced
2 ½ cups leafy greens (such as watercress and rocket)
3 spring onions, sliced

METHOD
For the snoek
1 Place the dried apricots in boiling water for 5 min and drain, reserving 1 tbsp of the liquid.
2 Melt the butter in a pot over medium-low heat. Sauté the garlic and chilli until softened. Add the drained apricots, jam, zest and ginger. Add in the reserved apricot water and simmer until thick and glossy. Set aside to cool.
3 Preheat the oven to 180C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
4 Lightly oil and season the snoek. Place it skin-side down on the prepared tray and brush with a thin layer of glaze.
5 Place the snoek in the oven for 15–20 min, basting with more glaze occasionally, until flesh is cooked and flakes easily. 

For the pickled radish salad
1 Place the vinegar, water, sugar and seeds in a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove
from the heat and add in the radishes. Set aside to pickle for 5–10 min.
2 Toss the radishes with leafy greens and spring onions.
3 Serve the snoek with the pickled radish salad and charred lemon halves if desired.

Recipes & styling: Jezza-Rae Larsen & Sjaan van der Ploeg; 
Photography: K-Leigh Siebritz

Once you’ve tried a piece of roast salmon smothered in our red-wine butter, you won’t want to go back to the the typical white-wine sauce.

The post Grilled snoek with sticky apricot glaze & pickled radish salad appeared first on MyKitchen.

Apricot-glazed snoek patties drizzled with mayo served with shoestring fries. Now this is what we call a fish burger! Aaaaah, can you smell summer? We can!

SERVES 10

INGREDIENTS
For the apricot glaze
¾ cup apricot jam
40g butter
1 stalk lemon grass, halved lengthways
1 red chilli, halved lengthways
For the snoek patties
Olive oil, to fry
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
400g smoked snoek, deboned and flaked
200g potatoes, peeled, cooked and roughly mashed
1 red chilli, chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Juice and zest of 1 lemon or lime
1 tsp smoked paprika, plus extra to season
Sea salt and pepper
½ cup flour
For the shoestring fries
1.2 kg potatoes
Vegetable oil, to deep-fry
To assemble
10 sesame-seed rolls
¾ cup mayonnaise
4 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup finely sliced red cabbage
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
Butter lettuce, to serve

METHOD
For the apricot glaze
1. Heat all the ingredients in a pot, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for an hour.
For the snoek patties
1. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry onion and garlic till soft.
2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except the flour with your hands.
3. Season the flour with salt and paprika. Form the mixture into patties and dust with flour. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
4. Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Fry the patties for 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
For the shoestring fries
1. Finely slice the potatoes and place in iced water.
2. Heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Make sure the oil is not too hot, otherwise the chips will burn.
3. Drain the potatoes and dry well. Fry a handful at a time.
4. Remove and drain on paper towel. Season with salt.
To assemble
1. Place a patty on each roll and add the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with apricot glaze and mayonnaise.
2. Serve with shoestring fries.

Not only are these little guys great for serving as a canapé at your next get-together, our tuna sliders also make a healthy and wholesome work lunch or snack

The post The ultimate apricot-glazed snoek burger appeared first on MyKitchen.

We sought the help of local chef and braai king Stephen Mandes for the best snoek recipe, and he developed this vegetable marinated snoek for summer!

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 1 hour 30 min

INGREDIENTS
2 green peppers
2 green chillies
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
3 tsp salt
2½ tsp sugar
2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 snoek (about 2.5 kg)

METHOD
1. Add all the ingredients, except the snoek, to a food processor and blend until you get a pulp.
2. Lay the snoek in a baking tray and pour over the marinade, making sure the fish is fully coated. Allow to marinate for 1 hour.
3. Secure the snoek in a well-greased fish grid and braai over hot coals for 15–20 minutes, until the skin is crispy and the flesh is flaky and cooked through.

Recipe: Stephen Mandes
Styling: Elizabeth Mackenzie
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

Did you know that snoek is a sustainable fish sources locally? Another braai favourite is this snoek jaffles recipe!

The post Stephen Mandes’ signature vegetable marinated snoek appeared first on MyKitchen.

Who knew creating deliciously nutritious food would be so quick and easy? These smoked snoek bowls with veggies and brown rice are super simple and healthy, plus you only need five ingredients to get going!

MAKES 4 // COOKING TIME 25 min

INGREDIENTS
1 cup brown rice, cooked
½ cucumber, thinly sliced
400 g smoked snoek, flaked
1 cup vegetable pickle
1 avocado

METHOD
1. Assemble the bowls by layering the rice, cucumber, snoek, pickles and sliced avocado. Season to taste and serve.

Recipe & styling: Leila-Ann Mokotedi
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

The post Smoked snoek bowls with veggies and brown rice appeared first on MyKitchen.