Ajuangs Kitchen

This recipe takes about 5 hrs to prepare. We first start by rubbing tenderloin steak with Olive Oil, salt and pepper, the steak should be tied to keep it circular. Heat a skillet and add Olive Oil and brown the steak. Add white wine, onions, garlic and thyme and place the steak in the oven and bake for an hr. Remove and let cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 min. To make a gravy, strain the vegetables from the steak stew after taking it out of the oven. Add a mixture of corn starch and water to the stew and heat till the gravy thickens.

Dice mushrooms, thyme, scallions and garlic into small pieces; possible place the mixture into a food processor to ensure that its finely chopped. In a skillet heat olive oil and add the mushroom mixture. Cook for about 10 minutes and until all the moisture is gone, the mixture reduces to less than half after the moisture from the mushrooms evaporates.

To make the pastry place one cup of flour and half a cup of butter in a bowl, add a pinch of salt. Mix with your finger tips and add 8 tablespoons of cold water and mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes then roll out into a circle.

Take the steak and cut the string out, rub mustard on it followed by the mushroom mixture and wrap with bacon and place back in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Wrap the steak with the pastry and use a brush to coat with egg wash, this gives it a gold color. Bake at 200°C for an hr.


Serve, the steak will be medium rare.

This is a hungry man's recipe. I mainly use this recipe with left over meats. Simply take some bread, preferably a baguette, take some of the flesh off the bread to make it hollow. Add your preferred toppings (should be ready to eat), add cheese and place in the oven for 5 min or until cheese melts.

Barbecue chicken is one of my favourite recipes to make with chicken wings. I brined my wings using a solution  of water, sugar, salt , vinegar and let it sit for 8 hrs. I then greased a baking tin and baked the chicken while covered with foil for 20 minutes. I removed the foil and coated the chicken with barbecue sauce then let  it cook uncovered for about 15 more minutes.

In a bowl place wholemeal flour and warm water and make dough, let the dough rest while covered for about an hour. Roll the dough on a flat surface until round and flat. Place the rolled dough in a skillet under high heat and cook both sides to make the wrap. Let the wrap cool. Place cooked chicken and desired vegetables and sauces in the wrap. I used slightly cooked tomatoes, picked onions and red peppers.

To make the baked fries, place the cut potatoes in cold water and bring to a boil. Drain the water and place the potatoes in a baking sheet. Sprinkle olive oil on the potatoes and bake for 15 minutes.

In a mixer place cream cheese, vanilla, one egg and one cup of sugar and mix, set aside. In a bowl mic 1/4 cup of cocoa, red dye, a pinch of salt, one egg, 3/4 cups of four, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 molten stick of butter and nuts(optional). Pour the cake mixture in a greased baking tin and add the cheese mixture on top. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes. Let cool in refrigerator for a few hrs for best taste.

Tips: You want to mix the cake mixture last because if the molten butter cools and solidifies the mixture becomes hard to transfer.

In a bag place a mixture of flour, corn starch, salt and spices. In a bowl, pour some milk and add one teaspoon of vinegar and let sit for five minutes (alternatively use buttermilk). Dip Chicken strips into the buttermilk then place in the flour mixture and shake, double dip it back into the buttermilk and into the the flour mixture again. Place in hot oil at medium heat, cook for around 8 minutes, it should turn goldish-brown.  
Serve with your choice of sauce.

I like this fried chicken recipe because you don't have to boil the chicken first before you fry it so that's one less pan to wash. Dip the chicken in eggs, then in flour, I learned that adding corn starch to the flour helps it become extra crispy. Make a mixture of fresh rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and set aside. Fry the chicken in low heat for about 8 minutes for each side. Then take out each peace and sprinkle the herb mixture on it and return to the oil and let it fry for a few more minutes.
Squeeze some lemon juice to each piece after you take it out of the pan and serve.

There two ways to go about making mandazi. The traditional way is to mix flour, water, sugar and baking powder. My way, is to place 2 cups of flour in a bowl, 1/2 cup of sugar, add an egg, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, sour cream (milk), 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 table spoon lemon shavings. Roll the dough and cut in various peaces. You can create different shapes by playing around with the dough. Place oil in a pan and deep fry in low heat.