Rooibos brined chicken, macadamia dukkah, silky sweetcorn puree, courgette salad, butternut and beetroot crisps

South Africa shaped my palate and soul, a gift for which I will always be grateful. I think food is akin to smell (well they are heartily linked) as it can transport you back to different times in one’s life. One of my favourite childhood memories is summer days spent around the pool at my family home in Durban, then popping out of the heat during the harshest time of the day for lunch. Summer lunches for us kids usually were boiled mielies with lashings of butter and salt. I used to attack those ears of maize with abandon, salty butter dribbling down my chin, not caring, as the pool would wash away any evidence of my corny gluttony.

I wanted to create a dish that had a whisper of that childhood nostalgia. I used the corn as my catalyst and then pondered on other South African flavours to complement it. That is when rooibos tea came to the forefront. I do not think there are many things as South African as rooibos tea. The result of my yearnings for my own original South African dish resulted in chicken brined with rooibos, macadamia dukkah (the dukkah inspiration I borrowed from our North African cousins) with mielie puree, julienned baby marrows dressed in a lemon vinaigrette and butternut beetroot crisps.

Rooibos brined chicken, macadamia dukkah, silky sweetcorn puree, courgette salad, butternut and beetroot crisps - serves 6

Rooibos brined chicken

500ml water

30g sugar

20g salt

2 tea bags of rooibos

6 skinless boneless chicken breasts

Macadamia dukkah

75g macadamia nuts, lightly roasted

50g white sesame seeds, lightly toasted

15ml coriander seeds, toasted

15ml cumin seeds, toasted

¼ teaspoon chilli flakes

Mielie puree

45g butter

6 cloves garlic

675g frozen sweetcorn

225 ml chicken stock

330ml cream

Julienned courgettes

300g baby marrows, cut into julienned ribbons

30ml lemon juice

60ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

5g fresh coriander chopped

Garnishes

1.5mm butternut ribbon crisps – 50g

1. 5mm beetroot ribbon crisps -  50g

Rooibos brined chicken

·        Place water, sugar, salt and rooibos in a small pot on medium heat.

·        Stir until sugar and salt is dissolved, turn off the heat and leave to steep with the tea bags until cool

·        Remove the tea bags and place in an airtight container

·        Immerse the chicken breasts in the brining liquid for at least four hours

Macadamia dukkah

·        Combine all ingredients into a food processor, gently blitzing until the mixture is combine but the nuts are still a bit chunky

Sweetcorn puree

·        Melt butter I’m a medium sized pan

·        Add your garlic, cook for 30 seconds

·        Add the sweetcorn, chicken stock and cream to the pan. Remembering to add salt to taste

·        Cook the mixture covered, for 10 minutes in order for the flavours to combine

·        Place the sweetcorn mixture into a blender and blend until smooth

·        If the mixture isn’t silky smooth, pass through a sieve to achieve desired consistency

Courgette salad

·        Place a medium pot of water on the heat on the boil. Have a bowl of water and ice ready also.

·        Once the water is boiling, place the baby marrow ribbons in the boiling water for 20 seconds, drain and immediately plunge in the ice cold water, strain the marrows and place in a bowl

·        In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper

·        Pour the vinaigrette over the ribbons, add the fresh coriander and toss together

Assembly

·        Remove chicken breasts from the brine liquid, pat the chicken breasts dry

·        Heat a frying pan on medium heat and cook chicken breasts until golden and cooked through

·        Warm up the sweetcorn puree and divide between the 6, 10 or 14 plates in an even layer slightly off centre of the plate in a linear line

·        On each plate place a small pile of butternut crisps, a small amount of beetroot crisps of either side of that.

·        Place the courgette strips in two small piles next on either side of the sweetcorn puree

·        Nestle a chicken breast next and top with the macadamia dukkah

·        Add some more butternut, followed by beetroot, one small pile of courgettes and finish with a final few beetroot and butternut crisps