Head to Sandton for a taste of authentic African dishes

The secret to being a great head chef is strong leadership, inviting creativity and not cracking under pressure – Thabang Mohapi has excelled with flying colours on all three according to Mkhululi Masilela.

Masilela, 35, is the junior sous chef at Roar Bistro and Bar, the bustling Afro-cosmopolitan restaurant sitting at the foot of the Michelangelo Towers in the Sandton business district.  

Masilela serves as the right-hand the executive sous chef. 

“Before I met Thabang, I had heard of him as the senior chef at Aurum but didn’t know him personally,” Masilela says. “As a leader, he is hands-on and patient and wants people to grow – myself and all the other chefs in the kitchen. I look forward to growing in my career under his leadership.”

The snazzy restaurant has embarked on an audacious culinary feat to set itself on the map as the go-to establishment for African cuisine.  

Mohapi says: “The African menu was inspired by our clientele and our Africanness. Our menu is an Afro-cosmopolitan menu with a few authentic African dishes. We started with this Friday brunch for people who work around Sandton or are in the district for work and cannot go home for a home-cooked meal.

“It’s a taste of Africa, so we have tripe, pork trotters, cow heels, chicken gizzards and hearts, tripe with intestines, cows head, chicken feet, umleqwa [free range chicken], and morogo [wild spinach], to name a few.”

Over the next three months, the restaurant will look to incorporate additional indigenous dishes such as Cape Malay and Durban-inspired curries, and delicious desserts and tarts such as melk tart and malva pudding. 

“We haven’t branched out into other African cuisines,” says Masilela. “However, we do accommodate them. If they want something like okra, we would love to give it to them, but it depends on the seasonal nature of the produce.

“This is the speciality we offer our diners at the Friday buffet – we give them what they want. My speciality is the cow heels and pork trotters.

“I boil them in my secret stock and fry tomatoes and onion on the side. When the heels are softened, I add all the ingredients to the pot. The sauce thickens on standing.”

The dishes use minimal seasoning – black pepper, salt, medium curry and paprika spice. 

“We don’t over-season our dishes as we prepare them the traditional way,” says Masilela, who was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

“I grew up loving food”, he says, and always knew he was destined for the culinary world.  

“One of my sisters worked as a pastry chef in SA, and whenever she would come home for the holidays, she would create amazing dishes for the family that she had learnt. I was 12, and she inspired me to follow in her footsteps.”

Masilela studied at Bulawayo Polytechnic’s Culinary Arts and qualified as a chef de partie in 2007. 

“When I immigrated to SA in 2009, I joined the culinary industry and other chefs who shared my passion,” Masilela says.

“I started working in a restaurant in Randburg, then moved to several restaurants in Morningside and Sandton. I found myself in the Parc Ferme [now Roar Bistro and Bar] working as a cold-starter chef, and grew into the position where I am today.”

Succulent cow heels 

 Ingredients 

• 5kg cow heels 
• 500g white onion, chopped 
• 20g paprika spice  
• 50g medium curry  
• 15g fine salt  
• 15g black pepper 
• 1,5l water  
• A teaspoon or two of cooking oil  

Method  

• Sautée chopped onions in cooking oil on low heat for 10 minutes.  
• Add medium curry and paprika to the onions and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• In a large pot, add the cow heels, the cooked spices, water, salt and black pepper together and mix.
• Bring to the boil and let it cook for 1 hour or until the meat is soft and tender.