LEF
TOVERSilverbeetFUTUREPROOFWHYDON’TWEknow
moreaboutAfricanfood?
Perhapsit’sthatthecurrent
culinaryparadigmlumpsthe
diversefoodwaysofmore
than1.2billionpeoplein
54 countriesintoa singlegroup.Distilling
‘Africanfood’intoa handfulofdistinctive
dishesis asproblematicasdefining
Europeanfoodbya single schnitzel
orplateofpasta.
Therearetheheadyflavoursofthe
Maghreb,a landofcouscous,datesand
almonds.ThecurriesofWestAfricaare
builtonfriedonions,tomatoesandchillies,
whileokraandpeanutsthickenstewsthat
areservedwithcassava,plantainand
tomato-lacedjollofrice.LocalsaroundLake
Victoriaeatjet-blackflyburgers– providing
a nutritioussourceofprotein– whenthe
bugsswarmin thewetseason.FromSouth
AfricatoBotswana,thefoodoftheCape
countsinfluencesfromthelocalSantribes
aswellasEurope,IndiaandMalaysia.
WhileyoumaybefamiliarwithSouth
Africa’sbobotie(mincepie),braai
(barbecue)andbiltong,thenewwaveof
Africanflavoursis comingfromthewest
ofthecontinentviakelewele(spicyfried
plantainfromGhana),Senegaleseyassa
(marinatedchickenwithcaramelisedonions
andlemon)andmaafe, the moreish West
Africanpeanutstew.
Oneofthefirsthigh-endNigerian
restaurantsin London,Ikoyi,recently
earneda Michelinstar.In NewYork,
Dakar-bornchefPierreThiamis dishing
upmodernpan-Africancomfortfoodat
Teranga.Thatmightlooklikehisversion
ofjollof, madewithfonio– a WestAfrican
ancientgrain– insteadofriceandserved
withMoroccan-inspiredchermoula-roasted
salmonanda Senegaleseblack-eyed pea
salad. Get it while it’s hot.delicious.com.au/food-files
Formoretipsonmaking the
most of ingredients.IALWAYSFINDit hardto
walkpasta big,lushbunch
ofcrispsilverbeetatthe
marketorgreengrocer,only
tolookin thefridgea week
laterandfinda saggy,droopybunchof
somethingthathardlyresemblesanything
ofitsformerbrightandperkyself.
Insteadoflettingmysilverbeetgo
towaste,I usethestemsin one of my
favouriteferments,kimchi.
Thisrecipeis basedon500grawweight
ofsilverbeetstems.Trimthestemsinto
5cmpieces,pullingoffanystringybitsas
yougo.Sprinklewith40gfinetablesalt
andleavefor1 hour.Rinseundercold
runningwaterandleavetoairdry.In a
foodprocessor,whiz40gfreshginger,
50ggarliccloves,20gsalteddried
shrimps,30gcastersugar,2 tbsglutinous
riceflour(fromAsianfoodshops),
100ggochujangchillipaste(fromAsian
foodshops)and3 springonionsuntila fine
paste.Placesliverbeetstemsanda small
grateddaikonin a bowl.Massagepaste
intostemsandradish,thenpackinto
a sterilisedglassjar.Sealandleaveto
ferment for 3-5 days at room temperature.STOREANDSELECT
Choosebunchesofsilverbeetwith
firm,sturdystemsanddark-green
leaveswithoutdarkpatches.Wrap
in a dampteatowelandstorein the
crisperdrawerofyour fridge to make
them last longer.GOESWITH
Currants,pinenuts,feta,ricotta,
butter, preserved lemon, chilli.Searchdelicious.com.aufor
‘mushroom and silverbeet pasta bake’ShannonHarleytakesa bite
of thelatestcuisinetomake
its mark globally.soggy silverbeet into an irresistible sour and spicy kimchi.ILLUSTRATION
ALICE CLEARY
INSIDER.@kyliemillar @misspamplemousseFollow Kylie Follow Shannon