Durban Chicken Curry from South Africa

Durban curry is different to any curry you would get in India.  It's red in colour and the different spices give it a complexity of flavour that will have you jumping up for seconds.  When the British owned South Africa, they brought in thousands of labourers from India in the late 1880's to early 1900's to work on their sugar cane plantations.  Food was not plentiful, so the new immigrants had to adapt their traditional curries to the ingredients they could source locally.  Traditionally, Durban curry is very hot.  However, many are unable to cope with the heat.  This recipe is for a medium curry that might just make your nose run a little while eating it.  Increase the chili powder or add fresh red chilies if you are brave enough to make it hotter!

1 kg chicken pieces
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 onions finely chopped
1 small bunch coriander finely chopped
2 cups water
4 potatoes peeled and cut into quarters
1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Cornflour for thickening if needed
salt and pepper to taste
Optional to add in a cup of frozen peas or frozen mixed vegetables
Put the oil in a large pot and saute the onion, garlic and ginger on a low heat.  Add in the dry ingredients (spices and masala).  If it starts to catch on the bottom of the pot, add in a little of the water so that you make a paste.  Increase the heat and add the chicken pieces and allow them to cook a little so that the chicken starts to change colour.  Pour in the rest of the water.  Cover the pot and let the chicken curry cook on a medium heat for ten minutes.  Add the potatoes, chopped tomatoes and tomato puree.  Add salt and pepper according to taste.  If you want to add in the frozen vegetables, now would be the time to do so.  Reduce the heat a little and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve on a bed of rice or if you want to do something different and very traditionally Durban - you can make a Bunny Chow.  Garnish with the chopped coriander.
Serves 4-6 people

To make a Bunny Chow you will need a fresh loaf of unsliced bread.  Divide the loaf of bread into 3-4 large chunks.  Using a sharp knife, hollow out each chunk leaving a thick wall around the sides and the bottom.  Spoon the curry into the hollowed out chunk of bread.  Place the bread you removed from the inside on top of the Bunny Chow as a lid.  Eat with your fingers.
Cindy Vine is the author of Not Telling, Hush Baby and Defective.  Her books are available in both Kindle and Paperback format on Amazon.com.

Aprikosenkuchen (Apricot Cake) from Germany

This is a very popular German cake which is incredibly easy to make. I first had it on a stopover in Frankfurt, and as apricots are one of my favourite fruits, I always wanted to try and make it. You can use fresh apricots or canned apricots.  Whichever is easiest to lay your hands on.  This cake does resemble a cobbler.  So if you are asked to quickly produce a cake, this cake is the answer!





10 tablespoons of soft butter or margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod
3 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice or the zest of a lemon
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk or buttermilk if you can get it
1 can apricot halves or about 10 apricots halved and pitted

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius.  Grease a medium cake tin.  In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar an vanilla.  Add in the eggs, beating well after each egg.  Add in the lemon juice/zest.  Add in all the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add in the milk/buttermilk and mix to a smooth batter.  Spoon the batter into the cake tin and smooth it down.  Place the apricot halves, cut side down, on top of the batter.  If you are using fresh apricots, you might want to sprinkle a little sugar on the top of the apricot halves.  If you are using canned apricots, they will be sweet enough.  Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your cake tin.  Serve with fresh whipped cream or just enjoy on its own.
Cindy Vine currently lives in Norway and is the author of Hush Baby, Not Telling and Defective.  All of her books are available on Amazon.com in both paperback and kindle format.

Tofu Hambagu from Japan

When you think of Japanese cuisine you think of healthy food and this tasty snack is no exception.  Although it contains tofu, it also has meat in it, so despite its name it is NOT suitable for vegetarians.  Sorry about that!  The meatballs have an extra dimension to them because of the tofu.  And the teriyaki sauce compliments it beautifully.  In this recipe I have used chicken mince, but you can substitute the chicken with beef or pork mince if you wish.

250g chicken mince
1 pack tofu
1 1/2 capsicum (different colours)
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 thumb-size of ginger finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons cooking oil for frying
Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sweet wine
2 teaspoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon potato starch
Mix the chicken mince, tofu, capsicum, onion, ginger, egg, salt and pepper together in a bowl.  The mixture should be quite sticky.  Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes.  Put the oil in a frying pan.  Sprinkle the cup of bread crumbs onto a flat plate.  Form the mince mixture into meatballs and roll them in the bread crumbs before frying them in the hot oil.  When the meatballs are cooked through reduce the heat.  In a cup mix together the soy sauce, sugar, sweet wine, vinegar and potato starch.  Pour over the meatballs in the frying pan.  Allow to simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens.  Don't forget to flip over the meatballs so that both sides are coated in the sauce!  Serve with rice or put on a hamburger bun.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com

Duck Curry from Mauritius

Mauritius is a holiday island in the Indian Ocean where many different cultures have come together to create Mauritian cuisine.  Europe and Asia have strongly influenced the food and helped make it a holiday in your mouth.  Tasty and delicious, you'll be wanting more!

thumb-sized piece of ginger chopped
8 large garlic cloves chopped
2 small  chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 duck cut into portions
1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2  onions finely chopped
4 tablespoons curry powder, mixed with water to make a wet paste

1 cup water

1/2 cup coconut milk
4 tomatoes roughly chopped
1 handful fresh coriander roughly chopped

Place the ginger, garlic, chili and a pinch of salt in a mortar, use your arm muscles and pound it to a chunky paste.  Set that aside and move onto your duck.  Place the duck portions in a bowl and season with the salt and pepper.

Heat a large pot, add a little oil and brown the duck pieces in batches. When all the pieces are browned, remove them from the pot making sure that you leave a little melted duck fat behind.

Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until light brown and soft. Add the ginger, garlic and chili paste.  Sauté for about another 2 minutes before adding in the curry paste, chili powder, cumin and turmeric.  Stir it in and allow to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the water, the duck pieces and any juices that have leaked out. Mix it in well and add the coconut milk. Let it simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.  Add in the roughly chopped tomato and let it simmer for another half an hour to give the sauce a chance to reduce. Taste whether you have enough seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Add the chopped fresh coriander just before serving.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com