I love picnics and after a long Jozi Winter, the first Spring picnic is always something to look forward to. You don’t need to find a park…why not have a picnic in your garden at home? The trick with picnics is to make a treat or two and then just buy a few treats to bulk up the picnic offering! You don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen and miss a beautiful day – it shouldn’t feel like a mission!

I love the simplicity of a picnic..anything goes and everything is a treat! I picked up some cupcakes from the Fourways Farmer’s Market, some plain Haloumi and also my favourite, Chilli Haloumi as well. Soft cheeses like goats milk and cream cheese work well with biscuits! Don’t forget to pack a light wine for the day or if you are like me a bottle of pink champagne would do nicely! I absolutely love African fabrics and a African Spring celebration would not be possible without a dress, skirt or top from Sun Goddess! A big thanks to Vanya and Thando Mangaliso for adding that special sunshine to our shoots!

Curious about what I will be doing on SABC 2’s Mela…check out this little interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxQO8yPe4eY

The Mela team….Mark, Herman and Dave had to tag along to the market with me for the shoot….I am so so lucky to work with such a fab team! Shoot days are hard work BUT they are magical at the same time….we laugh ourselves through the day and sometimes it’s difficult to keep a straight face in front of the camera….as you can see from the pictures…they are not pic perfect – they reflect what really goes on at Holi Cow and some of the clowning around too!

Coronation chicken…for many years, it just sounded so so boring and I would roll my eyeballs when I heard about it! Such a proper British dish, by default, it had to be boring! And yes, you always get the stock standard history 101 about the Queen’s coronation!

I am sharing my favourite version that Chris Smit generously shared with me…I did change the recipe slightly – I do find it impossible to follow recipes! This can be used as a filling for wraps, sandwiches and baked potatoes….in a salad or served in a heap with a poppadom on top!

For the best scone recipe from the show, click on this link…https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/09/06/kasi-kings-and-queens-recipes-from-kasi-kitchen/ you can serve the scones with a raspberry cream or with whipped cream with a pinch of cardamom like I prepared on Mela. Although, you don’t need a fancy mixer to make up a batch of these scones, a KitchenAid is still one of my must haves….take a look at the competition which celebrates the launch of Mela here, https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/kitchenaid-giveaway-2014/

If you missed last week’s Mela…click here for the paneer and double bean curry..https://yudhikayumyum.com/sabc-2s-mela-videos/mela-episode-1-paneer-and-double-bean-curry/

Here is the recipe for the Raspberry and Rose Cream – a pinch of cardamom wouldn’t hurt here either….

Raspberry and Rose Cream

Ingredients:
250ml double thick cream
50ml fresh cream
15ml castor sugar
Drop of vanilla
200g punnet fresh raspberries

Here’s how:

Place the thick cream and fresh cream in a mixing bowl. Add sugar and vanilla essence. Use a wire whisk to whip the cream until it is thick.

Back to the Coronation Chicken Wraps…

Coronation Chicken Wraps

1 Whole Roasted Chicken, skinned and de-boned
30ml sunflower oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
15ml crushed ginger
5ml red chilli powder
5ml ground coriander
5ml ground cumin
2,5ml turmeric
160ml yoghurt, plain
160ml. mayonnaise
30ml chutney – I used Mango Chutney
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Lemon Juice
Fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped
8 – 10 soft flour wraps
Fresh salad leaves

Method:

Heat the sunflower oil in an AMC pot – add the onion and saute until translucent.
Add the ginger and garlic.
Stir for a few seconds until fragrant.
Add the red chilli, cumin, coriander and turmeric.
Cook the spices for a few seconds.
Add the chicken and stir through – leave to cool.
Add the yoghurt, mayonnaise, chutney, and lemon juice.
Season lightly with salt (the chicken is seasoned already) and then a sprinkling of black pepper.
Add the coriander and stir gently.
Warm the wraps on a hot pan and then place one on a board.
Layer the salad leaves over the wraps and place a few scoops of coronation chicken on top. Roll the wrap up tightly and serve.