From a cheery and bustling home kitchen in Johannesburg’s suburbs comes a delectable new recipe book, packed with easy-to-prepare, easy-to-eat cuisine, written by local super-mom, Jan Kohler. Delightfully named Pink Gin and Fairy Cakes, the cookbook was published and released in November 2019, and now graces bookstores and kitchens across the country with its equally delightful dishes.

Over two hundred pages of recipes are accompanied by colourful, mouthwatering images, enticing readers back into their kitchens. With easy snacks, hearty meals, scrumptious desserts, and even cocktails, Pink Gin and Fairy Cakes brings the whole family together to do what the lovely author believes humans do best: to feast together.

In this charming cookbook, Kohler attempts to help even the most inexperienced home cooks to create delicious meals and treats without breaking a sweat, without breaking the bank, and without spending hours each day locked up in the kitchen. The book aims to make healthy, homestyle meals a reality for all families, prepared with affordable, sustainable ingredients that are easily obtained from the local supermarket. When asked what her favourite ingredient is, Kohler admits that she loves canned Italian tomatoes, stating that they are a staple pantry item in her home, and included in many of her book’s recipes.

Kohler has shared two of her delicious winter recipes with us…

Lamb Curry with Minted Yoghurt Raita
Serves 10

This is one of those dishes that is easy to cook up for a large crowd. What comes to mind when I think of curry is a winter party that brings everyone inside after sundown – to huddle, chat and eat around the fire. Curry makes great bowl food, so it’s easy to serve without formal seating. This particular curry mix is made up of an assortment of spices, which requires a little planning and resourcefulness, but the beautifully fragrant result is worth the effort.

Here’s what goes in:

1 large onion, diced

1 teaspoon of garlic, crushed

1.5kg of lamb knuckle

1 tin of good quality, plum tomatoes (400g)

2 heaped teaspoons of ginger, crushed

1 teaspoon of chilli, crushed

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

4 cups of chicken stock (1 litre)

For the seasoning mix:

1 tablespoon of coriander seeds

1 tablespoon of cumin seeds

1 teaspoon of caraway

1 teaspoon of black peppercorns

1 teaspoon of fenugreek

2 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1 clove

For the minted yoghurt raita:

A handful of fresh mint, chopped

Half a cup of cucumber, peeled and grated

A handful of fresh coriander leaves

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

500g double cream plain yoghurt

How to do it:

Preheat your oven to 160°C. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the dry spices together to make the seasoning mix. In a heavy-based, oven-proof pot, fry the garlic and onions until soft and transparent. Season the lamb with salt, then brown it in the pot with Worcestershire sauce and the seasoning mix, ensuring the lamb is evenly coated in all the spices. Add the tomato, ginger and chilli and allow to simmer. Now, add the chicken stock until the liquid fully covers the meat and you have a good, saucy consistency. Place the lid on it and pop it into the oven for four to five hours. Stir the curry and check the liquid level every hour, as you don’t want it to dry out. If it needs more liquid, top it up with one cup of chicken stock at a time. In the meantime, prepare the raita. De-stalk and chop the mint and coriander leaves and mix this in with the yoghurt, cucumber and cumin seeds. Once the curry is cooked, serve with steamed basmati rice, a handful of shredded coriander and a side of minted yoghurt raita.

Oxtail
Serves 12

What comes to mind with Oxtail Stew is deliciously rich, warming, comfort food. So you might want to save this for winter entertaining. The sauce is so moreish that I use the left-overs in an Oxtail Risotto which you’ll find the recipe for in the ‘Foraging’ chapter. If you’re lucky enough to have any leftover!

Here’s what goes in:

1 large onion, diced

1 teaspoon of garlic, crushed

Olive oil for frying

2kg of oxtail

Salt and meat spice for seasoning

1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs

3 tablespoons of flour, for thickening

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of fruit chutney

1 tin of good quality, plum tomatoes (400g)

3 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of red wine

How to do it:

Preheat your oven to 160°C. In a heavy-based, oven-proof pot, fry the garlic and onions until soft and transparent. Add the oxtail and season it with the salt, spices and herbs and continue to brown it, adding the Worcestershire sauce and chutney. Add the flour ensuring the oxtail is evenly coated. (This will help thicken your stew). Add the tomato, chicken stock and red wine, ensuring that the liquid fully covers the meat and you have a good, saucy consistency. Place the lid on it and pop it into the oven for four to five hours. Stir the oxtail from time to time and check the liquid level every hour, as you don’t want it to dry out. If it needs more liquid, top it up with one cup of chicken stock at a time. The end result should be a hearty stew, with enough gravy to serve with rice or perhaps some mashed potato. The meat should easily come off the bone.