Located on a lush private island in the Mozambique Channel, the posh Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort recently launched Anantara’s Spice Spoons.
This is a cooking school that the resort has designed to connect foodies from every corner of the world to Mozambique’s authentic flavours, spices and cooking techniques. The vision behind the school is to teach novices the basics of cooking and even the aspiring chef a few exciting and fresh ideas.
The lessons offered include fresh produce selection, skill enhancing techniques and masterclasses on perfecting everyday local dishes. Guests will have the opportunity to work with personal chefs, learn how to pick fresh produce from the resort’s vegetable garden and how to cook local Mozambican dishes.
‘Spice Spoons is an interactive experience where guests can learn how to enjoy the art of cooking local dishes, and then share their cooking journey and recipes with friends and family back home, making them chefs at their own dinner parties,’ said Donaldson Madubela, Executive Chef at the resort.
Guests will also learn traditional cooking techniques and how to craft authentic African recipes such as their restaurant speciality, piri-piri chicken. This iconic Portuguese and Mozambican inspired dish is a succulent feast of chicken cooked with lemon, pepper, garlic and piri-piri sauce.
Another Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort speciality is the Prawn Matapa. This dish is prepared with peanuts and young cassava leaves, cooked in coconut milk with crab or shrimp. It is a century-old recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation and is named after a once thriving African empire.
Take a look at the recipe from Executive Chef Donaldson Madubela below.
Prawn Matapa Recipe
Ingredients
600g prawns, peeled
1 fresh coconut
100g peanuts
500g cabbage/cassava leaves, finely chopped
2l water
Salt
Method
Grind the peanuts into a powder and dissolve in half of the water.
Grate the coconut flesh and add to the rest of the water to make coconut milk. Mix this with the ground peanuts.
Steam the cabbage/cassava leaves for 30 minutes.
In a separate pan, bring the peanut and coconut milk to a boil and add the
cabbage/cassava leaves with a pinch of salt.
Add the peeled prawns and cook for about 90 minutes on a low heat.
Serve with white rice.
Photography:
Supplied
