With each issue I will be featuring a lodge.

Thanda Private Game Reserve
This five-star lodge promises "exclusivity, romance and Zulu culture in the heart of the untamed African bush". Situated in northern Zululand, it boasts over 400 bird species and several travel awards. It has been named Africa's leading luxury lodge in the World Travel Awards, and is also the only private game reserve in the world to hold exclusive membership with The Leading Hotels of the World. Thanda offers a main lodge perched on a hillside overlooking the bushveld and a safari-style tented camp. Its award-winning wellness centre has a unique Zulu feel, and there are hot and cold outdoor kniepp therapy pools, a reflexology pool, outdoor sala treatment area, steam room and hydrotherapy bath.

Website
 

Source: SouthAfrica.info
The all-in-one official guide
and web portal to South Africa.  
 

Recipe Requests

Looking for a specific South African recipe? Email me and I will do my best to find it for you! 
 

The Recipes

Avocado and egg salad

1 large avocado
2 hard-boiled eggs
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
125 ml fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
45 ml olive oil
30 ml balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel and slice avocado, sprinkle with lemon juice. Shell eggs and cut into quarters, set aside. Arrange avocado, eggs and tomato slices on a serving platter. Top with basil leaves, drizzle with combined oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately with health bread.

Banana and onion salad
25 ml margarine
6 medium onions, sliced
10 ml hot curry powder
5 ml turmeric
pinch salt
15 ml cake flour
5 ml mustard powder
125 ml vinegar
45 ml brown sugar
50 ml smooth apricot jam
50 ml water
8 bananas
lettuce leaves

Melt the margarine in a pan and sauté the onions until soft. Add the curry powder and the turmeric and fry for another minute. Blend the remaining ingredients except the bananas and lettuce leaves and add to the onion mixture. Simmer until the mixture thickens and is cooked through. (Add extra water if necessary). Cool. Slice the bananas and add to the onion mixture. Arrange the lettuce leaves in a pretty salad bowl and spoon the salad on top. Serves 6.

Beetroot salad

840 g sliced beetroot
125 ml seedless raisins, rinsed in boiling water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
65 ml parsley, finely chopped
65 ml coriander leaves, finely chopped
65 ml prepared lite French salad dressing
4 potatoes, boiled in their jackets and sliced
variety of lettuce leaves
65 ml prepared mustard salad dressing
20 ml spring onions, chopped (optional)

Drain the beetroot slices and chop finely. Mix with the raisins, onion, garlic, parsley and coriander. Moisten with the French salad dressing. Arrange the potato slices and beetroot salad on a salad platter and intersperse with lettuce leaves. Spoon the mustard salad dressing over the potatoes and sprinkle with the chopped spring onions, if desired. Serves 4-5.

Butternut salad

2 Medium sized butternup
1 Tin crushed pineapple
1 Packet orange jelly


Peel raw butternut and remove pips. Grate butternut and place in salad bowl. Add the tin of crushed pineapple as well as the jelly powder and mix well. Allow to cool in fridge for a few hours before serving.

Curry rice salad

1 cup uncooked rice cook to the directions.
1 can peach slices chopped not too small.
1 green pepper chopped.
1 onion chopped.
mayonnaise.
curry powder

Put all the ingredients into a bowl except for the mayonnaise and curry powder. Mix well.
Mix mayonnaise with about 1 tbsp spoon curry powder or to your taste ,then mix into rice ingredients.
Place in the fridge

Halloumi salad

Lettuce
Baby tomatoes
Cucumber
Peppers ? red and yellow
Spring onions
Mixed nuts ? raw
Halloumi cheese
Bacon bits (optional)

Heat grapeseed or olive oil till extremely hot and deep fry smallish blocks of halloumi cheese. Make a basic green salad ? lettuce, tomato, cucumber, spring onions, peppers. chop ingredients "chunky". Chop up nuts but not too fine and add to the salad. Fry the halloumi until golden brown ? drain on paper towel and add to the salad. For a non-vegetarian version, you can add fried bacon bits to the salad as well. Serve with Balsamic vinegar and fersh Italian bread or rolls.

Marshmallow salad

500 g pasta
1 packet of marshmallows, cut into smaller pieces
Sauce:
250 ml mayonnaise
125 ml condensed milk
Little milk
Topping:
Hazel nuts chopped
Feta cheese crumbled

Cook pasta. Add onion and marshmallows, mix sauce and pour over pasta. Sprinkle topping.

Mango salad

SALAD
lettuce leaves
500 ml mango, cut into strips
150 ml feta cheese, diced
125 ml croûtons
DRESSING
100 ml plain yoghurt
50 ml mayonnaise
30 ml chutney

Place a few lettuce leaves in a salad bowl. Combine the mango, feta cheese and croûtons and spoon on top of the lettuce leaves. Blend all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the salad just before serving. Serves 4.

Marinated biltong

65 ml wine vinegar
125 ml olive or salad oil
10 ml salt
freshly ground black pepper
65 ml chopped fresh parsley
80 ml chopped spring onion
500 g biltong, thinly sliced

Mix all the ingredients, except the biltong, to make a French salad dressing. Pour the dressing over the biltong and marinate for 4-6 hours. Drain and transfer the biltong to a small dish.

Melon and ginger fruit salad

1 small watermelon
1 sweet melon
1 winter melon
100 g preserved ginger with syrup

Peel the melons and cut into chunky pieces. Place the pieces into a bowl. Slice the ginger and add the ginger and syrup to the melon. Cover and chill until needed.

Mushroom salad

3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 packet mixed salad leaves
olive oil
60 ml sunflower seeds
5 ml soy sauce
450 g brown or Portabellini mushrooms, whole or halved
1 red onion, finely sliced
chives
DRESSING
60 ml olive oil
45 ml raspberry vinegar
5 ml brown sugar
5 ml Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rub the salad bowl with the garlic (retain garlic).
Arrange the salad leaves in the bowl.
Heat 15 ml oil in a large pan. When very hot add the sunflower seeds and fry until golden brown.
Add the soy sauce and heat until the liquid has evaporated. Remove the seeds from the pan.
Stir-fry the garlic and mushrooms in more heated oil for four to five minutes or until done and add the raw red onion.
Blend all the dressing ingredients, seasoning well with salt and pepper.
Pour over the mushroom mixture and spoon on top of the lettuce leaves.
Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds, garnish with chives and serve.

Onion salad

5 onions, thinly sliced
boiling water
500 ml brown vinegar
500 ml white sugar
125 ml Worcestershire sauce
125 ml tomato sauce
15 ml salt
12 ml turmeric
12 ml mustard powder
5 ml black pepper

Place the onion slices in a non-metallic dish.
Pour over enough boiling water to cover completely and leave until completely cooled.
Drain well.
Mix the remaining ingredients and add to the drained onions. Spoon into sterilised jars and chill for three days before using.
Keep refrigerated.
Makes about 1 litre.

Pan-fried tomato salad

olive oil for frying
1 onion, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 large ripe, firm tomatoes, thickly sliced
5 ml sugar
30 ml balsamic vinegar
30 ml olive oil
salt and milled pepper to taste
fresh basil
grilled Italian bread
fresh ricotta cheese

Heat oil. Add onion and garlic and sauté until glossy. Add tomato, sprinkle each slice with a little sugar and fry for a minute or two. Using an egg lifter, gently turn tomatoes and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Fry for another minute. Increase heat and add vinegar, oil and seasoning. Remove from pan and arrange on plates, pour juices over and serve warm or at room temperature with fresh basil, ricotta cheese and toast.

Pasta 'n bean salad

150 g uncooked screw noodles
1 small bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, scraped and cut into julienne strips
2 stalks celery, sliced in rings
50 g green beans, boiled until slightly tender, rinsed under cold water and cut into pieces
50 g sultanas
410 g butter or haricot beans, drained
SALAD DRESSING
125 ml natural yoghurt
5 ml honey
5 ml prepared mustard
1 orange, grated rind and juice

Cook the noodles in rapidly boiling salted water until done. Drain. Mix the rest of the salad ingredients and spoon into a salad bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients well and pour over the salad. Chill until needed. Serves 4 to 6.

Rice salad

250 ml (1 cup) rice, cooked
0.50 red pepper, chopped
0.50 green pepper, chopped
410 g can peach slices, drained
4 spring onions, chopped
250 ml (1 cup) mayonnaise
15 ml (1T) turmeric
2 pinches salt
2 pieces freshly ground black pepper

1. In a bowl mix together rice, peppers, peaches and spring onions.
2. Add turmeric, salt and black pepper to mayonnaise and mix lightly. Add to salad and toss gently.
3. Refrigerate until needed.
 

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