Biryani - Made with Papa's All in one Biryani Mix

You need:
3 Onions cut in half and then finely sliced
1/2 cup (125ml) Cooking Oil
1  1/2 Cups (375ml) plain yoghurt or  maas (sour milk)
1 Papas All in one Biryani Mix
2 medium potatoes diced 
1 kg chicken - 500 grams chicken thigh on the bone, (cut thighs in half), skin removed and 500 grams chicken fillet cubed
(If using beef/mutton, cube the meat). For a vegetarian biryani, use mixed veg. of choice.
2 cups uncooked basmati rice  
1.5 litres water
Salt to tast
Here's How
Place water, rice, lentils and tumeric in the pot that you will cook the rice in and leave to soak for 20 minutes. Heat the oil and fry 2/3 of the onion until golden brown. Set aside. In another saucepan, heat 2 Tablespoons oil, add remaining onion and fry until golden brown. Add Chicken, beef or lamb and powdered biryani mix and stir in. Add yoghurt, (maas, sour milk), tomatoes, diced potatoes and mix well. Add salt to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 12 minutes. (If using beef or lamb, cook until meat is almost tender). Set aside. Salt the rice and bring to the boil.Cook for 5 minutes only, then drain. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius. In a 2 litre ovenproof casserole dish, layer half of the chicken mixture, spreading evenly across the bottom of the dish, then half of the rice, then half of the fried onion. Repeat another layer. Cover and seal dish tightly with tin foil, shiny side down. Bake the biryani in the oven for 30 - 45minutes. Oven temperatures may vary, so after 30mins, test the chicken and potato to see if cooked. (Beef and lamb may take a little longer). Serve with poppadoms and your choice of salads. This recipe serves 6 - 8.

Lamb Curry - Made with Papa's Curry Mix

Brown Wild Rice Salad

I have put together a few salad ideas that you might want to try out for your next braai, (barbecue). This is the first one, a delightful brown and wild rice salad, with crunchy bell peppers, roasted butternut, lentils and feta cheese. The peach, (optional), is an interesting variation, lending a little sweetness to the salad. The salad is a meal in itself and any leftovers can be used for lunch the next day. It's healthy and kids seem to love it and it goes really well with braaied meat. Also great with cold meats. I prefer to serve this dish at room temperature. The quantities  in this recipe will serve 6 - 8.

You need:


1 1/2 (375) ml Brown and Wild Rice
uncooked ( I use Tastic)
30grams each of green, yellow and red pepper chopped
120 grams butternut (cubed)
1/2 Cup cooked lentils (tinned lentils can be used)
100 grams feta cheese cubed
6 peach slices chopped (optional, cubed)


Heres How: Cook the brown wild rice
as per manufacture instruction. Drain and allow to cool. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on the butternut and roast in the oven until golden brown. Place the rice in a pretty serving bowl and add the butternut, chopped peppers, lentils and chopped peach. Mix together. Add the cubed feta and mix in. Add salt to taste.

Chicken Casserole

Our new chicken casserole mix has just been released. Superb flavour, quick and easy to prepare, a must for working moms. Serve this tasty meal with rice, penne pasta or chunky hot bread and butter. Yummy!!

You Need:

3 Tablespoons Oil
50grams Papa's All in one Chicken Casserole Mix
1 large onion finely chopped
1.3 kilos chicken fillet cut into bite sized cubes
3 medium potatoes quartered
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
 2 medium carrots, skinned and thinly sliced
125ml semi sweet wine
 375 ml water

 Here's How:

Saute the onion in hot oil until golden brown. Add the tomatoes, wine, water and the Chicken casserole mix and stir. Simmer for 30 seconds. Add the chicken fillet, carrots and potatoes. Mix, cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check consistency of mixture while cooking, adding a little more water if required. SERVES 4 - 6

Herbs and Spices

Herbs - Lemon Thyme


I love fresh herbs for cooking and have planted them in my garden, amongst my flower beds. Lemon thyme is one of the most versatile herbs. Apart from being a very attractive plant, this herb is fantastic for soups, stews, vegetables, in fact any culinary use. Brilliant fragrance too. I use lemon thyme on roasting veggies and the flavour is superb!

Rosemary and Basil


The picture on the right shows basil in the foreground and rosemary in the background. These are two of my favourite herbs. Basil can be used with pasta, raw in salads etc. Rosemary compliments many dishes and is an essential with lamb. Herbs are 
available from most nurseries and are relatively easy
to take care of. So why not visit your nursery and
invest in a plant or two of your favourite herb. Plant in your garden and you will have an abundance of
fresh herbs available.  Herbs can also be planted in pots. More on that later.

Papa's All in One Mixes

Fishermans Pot - A Seafood Curry

Preparing this recipe reminded me of my young days and many a happy school holiday spent exploring the banks of the Umhlatazana river. Armed with a fishing pole, made from bamboo, a length of gut, cork and hook we were ready to bag a few river fish. Fat wriggling earthworms served as tempting bait. We would pretend to be shipwrecked and had great fun, making a small fire and cooking tomatoes and onion in an old pot filched from my mother's kitchen. A tin of pilchards in tomato sauce thrown into the pot and this was our "Fisherman's Pot." Of course, a far cry from prawns and crayfish, but delicious none the less!

You need:

2 Tablespoons Oil
50grams butter
1 Cup (250ml) Water
45 grams Papas Seafood Curry Mix
1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
4 Spring Onions (finely sliced)
3 large ripe tomatoes ( skinned and chopped)
4 small crayfish tails
500 grams medium Pink Prawns, (peeled and deveined)
400 grams Fresh Fish (Cut into bite sized chunks)

Here's How:

Boil the crayfish in lightly salted water until cooked. Set aside.
Saute the onion and spring onion in the Olive Oil and butter until golden brown. Remove from heat. Add 45 grams seafood curry mix, 1 cup water and the chopped tomatoes. Mix well. Return to heat. Add crayfish tails, prawns and fish. Stir in. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water sparingly, only if necessary. Salt to taste. Serves 4.
Serve with savoury rice, a green salad and french loaf on the side.