Liziwe Matloha encourages citizens to take pride in traditional cuisine

South Africans should never stop savouring the tasty magic coming from the versatility and heritage of classic family staple seven colours. That's according to TV chef and cookbook author Liziwe Matloha, praising the mouth-watering cuisine that is popularly referred to as Sunday kos.

“When people criticise our cuisine, I get upset,” she says. “We should own our recipes. Other nations are so proud of their traditional foods, I wish we could treat our traditional dishes the same. 

“It’s [seven colours] colourful, has textures and different beautiful flavours. I can have 10 dishes from a seven colours cuisine. One can easily take it to fine dining or keep it traditional. I always serve it with confidence.”

For Matloha, seven colours evoke nostalgic childhood memories, which she shares among other tasty dishes in her 2021 cookbook Dinner at Matloha.

“Growing up in the North West, we had very little. My dad grew a vegetable garden and we'll eat from our garden and donations from church congregants. But everyone would look forward to a Sunday meal. I would cook with my sisters; it was only on Sundays we would have rice. Baked beans with mayonnaise and grated beetroot with mayonnaise – it was so delicious,” she says

At age 13, Matloha was cooking the family Sunday lunch, taking cooking notes from her neighbourhood and church. 

“Sundays you wanted to impress when it was your turn,” she says. 

“I was so curious. I would be exposed to a salad at my friend's house, come home and try to make it. Even though I didn’t know what seasoning went in. At night vigils, I would learn how to fry cabbage in a big pot.”

After working in clothing retail as a sales consultant, Matloha pursued her dream to be in media but soon felt stuck.

“In a TV interview, a famous musician was talking about happiness when you pursue your talent and I knew that one thing that makes me happy is cooking. I was already cooking for people and they would sing praises about my food. So that day, I decided to study culinary arts at Capsicum Culinary Studio, Boksburg campus.”

Matloha hosts cooking classes on her signature seven colours. “When I cook, I want my mom and Oprah Winfrey to enjoy my food. It’s super clean but flavourful as I add soul to the food,” she says.   

Pickled chakalaka and isonka sa manzi

Ingredients

Isonka sa manzi (makes two mini loaves)

• 4 cups (4 x 250ml) cake flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 10g sachet instant yeast
• 450ml warm water
• butter, for greasing

Chalalaka

• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, cut into chunks
• ½ green pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp chilli powder    
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder    
• 2 tsp vegetable seasoning
• 5 large carrots, grated
• 1 tin baked beans
• ¼ cup tomato sauce
• 3-4 tbsp apple cider vinegar   
• 2 tsp sugar
• fresh parsley, to garnish

Method

• Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the sugar, salt and yeast and stir to combine.
• Make a well in the centre and pour in half (250ml) warm water. Start mixing gently, adding the rest of the water gradually until the dough is smooth and sticky, but not wet. Do this by hand or in a stand mixer.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured bowl, cover with cling wrap or a clean kitchen cloth and leave in a warm place for 40-60 minutes, until doubled in size.
• When the dough has risen, knock it back, then divide it into 8 equal portions.
• Grease 2 mini loaf tins or 8 enamel mugs with butter. Divide the dough into two equal portions for the mini loaves or place one portion of dough in each mug and leave to stand for 10-15 minutes, to allow the dough to rise again.
• Arrange the loaf tins or mugs in a large pot. Carefully add enough boiling water to reach halfway up the side of the loaf tins or mugs. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and steam on high heat for 40 minutes, or until the bread is cooked through. Remove from the pot and dry the mugs before serving
• While the bread is steaming, do not open the pot for at least 30 minutes. To top up the water, just slide the lid slightly to one side and quickly add some boiling water. You want to stop the heat from escaping from the pot, as this may cause the centre of the bread to sink and prevent them from cooking through.
• To make the chakalaka, heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat, add onion and green pepper and gently cook until soft about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the spices and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add garlic and cook for a further minute or until fragrant. Add the carrots and fry until soft and tender, about 8 minutes, constantly turning and mixing.   
• Add the baked beans, tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, stir to combine and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Place in a serving dish, garnished with fresh parsley to serve.

Chef’s tip: Use a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. It needs to be big enough for steaming the bread in a single batch, with enough space for the dough to expand without the loaves getting stuck together.