Heritage Day Recipe: Egg & Biltong Sweet Chilli Toasties

So much of our heritage can be celebrated through food, and although Heritage Day has adopted 'Braai Day' as its pet name, I think these little toasties can be a beautiful starter or finger food at a family gathering to celebrate our heritage.

Egg & Biltong Sweet Chilli Toasties
Serves 2

Ingredients
2 large eggs
4 T biltong, finely chopped (or biltong powder)
2 T sweet chilli sauce
2 T fat free smooth cottage cheese
Salt & black pepper to taste
4 slices home style brown bread
Spring onion, finely sliced (for garnish)
More sweet chilli sauce for garnish (optional)

Method
Hard-boil the eggs (5 – 6 minutes on a rolling boil). Allow to cool.
Once the eggs are cool, roughly chop them.
Mix together the eggs, biltong, sweet chilli sauce and cottage cheese.
Season well with salt and black pepper.
Toast the bread slices. Using a round cookie cutter, press 4 rounds out of every slice.
Spoon teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the toast rounds.
Garnish with spring onion & a dollop of sweet chilli sauce and serve.

Rooibos Masala Chai Tea

The husband and I spent a few weeks in India, and Masala Chai (litteraly meaning 'spiced tea') was a daily staple. Deliciously creamy and spicy, but sickly sweet, I've adapted the recipe to cut some sugar by using EquiSweet and also given it a South African twist by using Rooibos tea. 

Rooibos Masala Chai Tea

Ingredients:
500 ml (2 cups) low fat milk
4 rooibos tea bags
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cm fresh ginger, finely grated
6 cardamom pods, bruised
3 ml (½ t) black pepper, freshly ground
4 whole cloves
2 - 3 Huletts EquiSweet sachets of your choice

Method:
Combine the milk, tea bags and spices in a saucepan.
Bring to the boil and remove from the heat.
Infuse for 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how strong you prefer your tea.
Strain and return the spiced milk to the saucepan.
Heat through and sweeten with EquiSweet to taste. (Hint: Lightly whisk for foam topping.)
Serve hot.

Chia Seed Pudding

I love this as a breakfast or a dessert. Healthy and delicious, make it ahead for an impressive dessert at a winter luncheon. 

Chia Seed Pudding
Serves 2

Ingredients:
125 ml (½ cup) chia seeds
400 ml (1 can) coconut milk
5 ml (1 t) vanilla extract
2 - 3 Huletts EquiSweet sachets of your choice
Fresh fruit and nuts, to serve (we’ve used figs and pistachio nuts)

Alternative Method Ingredients:
125 ml (½ cup) sago
400 ml (1 can) coconut milk
5 ml (1 t) vanilla extract
2 - 3 Huletts EquiSweet sachets of your choice
Fresh fruit and nuts to serve

Method:
Mix all the ingredients together; making sure the chia seeds are well incorporated into the coconut milk.
Divide the mixture between 2-3 serving glasses and refrigerate overnight.
Serve chilled or at room temperature topped with fresh fruit and nuts.

Alternative Method:
Bring one cup of water to the boil, add the sago and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat, cover and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Drain the sago.
Mix the sago, coconut milk, vanilla extract and EquiSweet together.
Divide the mixture between 2 - 3 serving glasses and refrigerate overnight.
Serve chilled or at room temperature topped with fresh fruit and nuts.

Mushroom Sosatis

I just love mushrooms! They are fabulous fresh in salads, fried with garlic and butter or as kebabs (or sosatis). The perfect vegetarian braai option or a delicious side to any grilled meat.

Mushroom Sosatis
Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients
8 sosati sticks
± 400g mixed mushrooms (shitake, big brown, portabelinni etc)
100g butter
1 T garlic, crushed
Pinch of salt
1 cup (chopped & loosely packed) mixed herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, fennel etc)
Truffle oil for serving

Method
Soak the sosati sticks in water for at least 10 minutes (to prevent them from burning on the while cooking).
Cut the large mushrooms into halves or quarters so that all the mushrooms are more or less the same size.
String the mushrooms onto the soaked sosati sticks.
Heat your griddle pan or get your fire ready.
Melt the butter in a pot. Add the garlic and salt and fry for a minute. Add the herbs and fry for another minute.
Place the sosoatis on the grill or fire and brush with the melted herb butter while cooking, turning regularly.
Once the mushrooms are cooked (soft and juicy), serve immediately drizzled with truffle oil.
Tip: The mushrooms shrink quite a bit during cooking, so 2 kebabs per person won’t be too much.